James 1:6 - Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

James 1:6

4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be¹ perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

5 ^aIf any of you lacks wisdom, ^blet him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and ^cit will be given to him.

6 ^aBut let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;

8 he is ^aa double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

The Perspective of Rich and Poor

9 Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,

10 but the rich in his humiliation, because ^aas a flower of the field he will pass away.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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James 1:6

In faith (en pistei). Faith here "is the fundamental religious attitude" (Ropes), belief in God's beneficent activity and personal reliance on him (Oesterley).

Nothing doubting (mhden diakrinomenov). Negative way of saying en pistei (in faith), present passive participle of diakrinw, old verb to separate (krinw) between (dia), to discriminate as shown clearly in Acts 11:12, Acts 15:9, but no example of the sense of divided against oneself has been found earlier than the N.T., though it appears in later Christian writings. It is like the use of diamerizomai in Luke 11:18 and occurs in Matthew 21:21; Mark 11:23; Acts 10:20; Romans 2:4; Romans 4:20; Romans 14:23. It is a vivid picture of internal doubt.

Is like (eoiken). Second perfect active indicative with the linear force alone from eikw to be like. Old form, but in N.T. only here and verse James 1:23 (a literary touch, not in LXX).

The surge of the sea (kludwni qalasshv). Old word (from kluzw to wash against) for a dashing or surging wave in contrast with kuma (successive waves), in N.T. only here and Luke 8:24. In associative instrumental case after eoiken. In Ephesians 4:14 we have kludonizw (from kludwn), to toss by waves.

Driven by the wind (anemizomenw). Present passive participle (agreeing in case with kludwni) of anemizw, earliest known example and probably coined by James (from anemov), who is fond of verbs in -izw (Mayor). The old Greek used anemow. In Ephesians 4:14 Paul uses both kludonizw and periferw anemw. It is a vivid picture of the sea whipped into white-caps by the winds.

Tossed (ripizomenw). Present passive participle also in agreement with kludwni from ripizw, rare verb (Aristophanes, Plutarch, Philo) from ripiv (a bellows or fire-fan), here only in N.T. It is a picture of "the restless swaying to and fro of the surface of the water, blown upon by shifting breezes" (Hort), the waverer with slight rufflement.

Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing James 1:6:

Luke 8:24
Acts 10:20
Romans 4:20
Romans 14:23
Ephesians 4:14
James 1:3
James 1:4
James 1:4
James 1:23
James 1:27
James 2:4
James 3:17
James 5:15
Jude 1:22

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James 1:7 >>

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The Perspective of Rich and Poor

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

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