BibleTools
James 4:13
Compare all

Do Not Judge a Brother

11 aDo not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother band judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.  
12 There is one1 Lawgiver, awho is able to save and to destroy. bWho are you to judge another?  

Do Not Boast About Tomorrow

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow1 we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”;  
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? aIt is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.  
15 Instead you ought to say, a“If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”  
16 But now you boast in your arrogance. aAll such boasting is evil.  
17 Therefore, ato him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. 
Commentaries:
Adam Clarke
<< James 4:12   James 4:14 >>


James 4:13

Go to now - · Come now, the same in meaning as the Hebrew habah , come, Genesis 11:3, Genesis 11:4, Genesis 11:7. Come, and hear what I have to say, ye that say, etc.

To-day, or to-morrow, we will go - This presumption on a precarious life is here well reproved; and the ancient Jewish rabbins have some things on the subject which probably St. James had in view. In Debarim Rabba, sec. 9, fol. 261, 1, we have the following little story; "Our rabbins tell us a story which happened in the days of Rabbi Simeon, the son of Chelpatha. He was present at the circumcision of a child, and stayed with its father to the entertainment. The father brought out wine for his guests that was seven years old, saying, With this wine will I continue for a long time to celebrate the birth of my new-born son. They continued supper till midnight. At that time Rabbi Simeon arose and went out, that he might return to the city in which he dwelt. On the way he saw the angel of death walking up and down. He said to him, Who art thou? He answered, I am the messenger of God. The rabbin said, Why wanderest thou about thus? He answered, I slay those persons who say, We will do this, or that, and think not how soon death may overpower them: that man with whom thou hast supped, and who said to his guests, With this wine will I continue for a long time to celebrate the birth of my new-born son, behold the end of his life is at hand, for he shall die within thirty days." By this parable they teach the necessity of considering the shortness and uncertainty of human life; and that God is particularly displeased with those ...

"Who, counting on long years of pleasure here,

Are quite unfurnished for a world to come."

And continue there a year, and buy and sell - This was the custom of those ancient times; they traded from city to city, carrying their goods on the backs of camels. The Jews traded thus to Tyre, Sidon, Caesarea, Crete, Ephesus, Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth, Rome, etc. And it is to this kind of itinerant mercantile life that St. James alludes. See at the end of this chapter, (James 4:17 (note)).




Other Adam Clarke entries containing James 4:13:

Proverbs 27:1
James 5:1

 

<< James 4:12   James 4:14 >>

DISCLAIMER: Church of the Great God (CGG) provides these resources to aid the individual in studying the Bible. However, it is up to the individual to "prove all things, and hold fast to that which is good" (I Thessalonians 5:21). The content of these resources does not necessarily reflect the views of CGG. They are provided for information purposes only.

Join 137,305+ readers

A Verse and a Thought,
Every Morning

Consistent Bible study is hard to start.

The Berean gives you the starting point: one scripture and a focused commentary in your inbox each morning — read it in minutes, or go as deep as you like.

Free, daily, and spam-free. We never share your address. Unsubscribe anytime.

Close
E-mail This Page