Commentaries:
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
when . . . tempted—tried by solicitation to evil. Heretofore the "temptation" meant was that of probation by afflictions. Let no one fancy that God lays upon him an inevitable necessity of sinning. God does not send trials on you in order to make you worse, but to make you better (James 1:16-17). Therefore do not sink under the pressure of evils (I Corinthians 10:13).
of God—by agency proceeding from God. The Greek is not "tempted by," but, "from," implying indirect agency.
cannot be tempted with evil, etc.—"Neither do any of our sins tempt God to entice us to worse things, nor does He tempt any of His own accord" (literally, "of Himself"; compare the antithesis, James 1:18, "Of His own will He begat us" to holiness, so far is He from tempting us of His own will) [BENGEL]. God is said in Genesis 22:1 to have "tempted Abraham"; but there the tempting meant is that of trying or proving, not that of seducement. ALFORD translates according to the ordinary sense of the Greek, "God is unversed in evil." But as this gives a less likely sense, English Version probably gives the true sense; for ecclesiastical Greek often uses words in new senses, as the exigencies of the new truths to be taught required.
Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing James 1:13:
Genesis 22:1
2 Samuel 24:1-4
Job 42:2
Proverbs 19:3
Isaiah 45:7
Jeremiah 42:6
Ezekiel 3:20
Matthew 4:1
Hebrews 11:17
James 1:14
James 1:17
James 1:19
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