Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
Was fulfilled (eplhrwqh). First aorist passive indicative of plhrow, the usual verb for fulfilling Scripture. So James quotes Genesis 15:6 as proving his point in verse James 2:21 that Abraham had works with his faith, the very same passage that Paul quotes in Romans 4:3 to show that Abraham's faith preceded his circumcision and was the basis of his justification. And both James and Paul are right, each to illustrate a different point.
And he was called the friend of God (kai filov qeou eklhqh). First aorist passive indicative of kalho. Not a part of the Scripture quoted. Philo calls Abraham the friend of God and see Jubilees 19:9; 30:20. The Arabs today speak of Abraham as God's friend. It was evidently a common description before James used it, as in Isaiah 41:8; II Chronicles 20:7.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing James 2:23:
John 15:15
Galatians 3:6
Hebrews 11:19
James 4:4
James 4:5
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