James 4 (JND) - Bible Truth Library

Verse 2

Articles on

James 4

James 4:1 KJV (With Strong’s)

From whence come wars and κfightings among you? come they not hence, even of your λlusts that warp in your members?

or, brawlings.

or, pleasures

1 Peter 2:11• ¹¹Beloved, I exhort you, as strangers and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (1 Peter 2:11)

More on:

To Lust,

War,

Wars

Cross References

Ministry on This Verse

1-3: We are to strive against covetousness;

4: intemperance;

5-10: pride;

11-12: detraction and rash judgment of others;

13-17: and not to be confident in the good success of worldly business, but mindful ever of the uncertainty of this life, to commit ourselves and all our affairs to God's providence.

whence.

James 3:14‑18• ¹⁴but if ye have bitter emulation and strife in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
¹⁵This is not the wisdom which comes down from above, but earthly, natural, devilish.
¹⁶For where emulation and strife are, there is disorder and every evil thing.
¹⁷But the wisdom from above first is pure, then peaceful, gentle, yielding, full of mercy and good fruits, unquestioning, unfeigned.
¹⁸But the fruit of righteousness in peace is sown for them that make peace. (James 3:14‑18)

fightings.

or, brawlings.

come they.

James 1:14• ¹⁴But every one is tempted, drawn away, and enticed by his own lust; (James 1:14)

;

Gen. 4:5‑8• ⁵and upon Cain, and on his offering, he did not look. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
⁶And Jehovah said to Cain, Why art thou angry, and why is thy countenance fallen?
⁷If thou doest well, will not thy countenance look up with confidence? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door; and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
⁸And Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. (Gen. 4:5‑8)

;

Jer. 17:9• ⁹The heart is deceitful above all things, and incurable; who can know it? (Jer. 17:9)

;

Matt. 15:19• ¹⁹For out of the heart come forth evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnessings, blasphemies; (Matt. 15:19)

;

Mark 7:21‑23• ²¹For from within, out of the heart of men, go forth evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
²²thefts, covetousness, wickednesses, deceit, licentiousness, a wicked eye, injurious language, haughtiness, folly;
²³all these wicked things go forth from within and defile the man. (Mark 7:21‑23)

;

John 8:44• ⁴⁴Ye are of the devil, as your father, and ye desire to do the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks falsehood, he speaks of what is his own; for he is a liar and its father: (John 8:44)

;

Rom. 8:7• ⁷Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God; for neither indeed can it be: (Rom. 8:7)

;

1 Tim. 6:4‑10• ⁴he is puffed up, knowing nothing, but sick about questions and disputes of words, out of which arise envy, strife, injurious words, evil suspicions,
⁵constant quarrellings of men corrupted in mind and destitute of the truth, holding gain to be the end of piety.
⁶But piety with contentment *is* great gain.
⁷For we have brought nothing into the world: it is manifest that neither can we carry anything out.
⁸But having sustenance and covering, we will be content with these.
⁹But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and many unwise and hurtful lusts, which plunge men into destruction and ruin.
¹⁰For the love of money is the root of every evil; which some having aspired after, have wandered from the faith, and pierced themselves with many sorrows. (1 Tim. 6:4‑10)

;

Titus 3:3• ³For we were once ourselves also without intelligence, disobedient, wandering in error, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. (Titus 3:3)

;

1 Peter 1:14• ¹⁴as children of obedience, not conformed to your former lusts in your ignorance; (1 Peter 1:14)

;

1 Peter 2:11• ¹¹Beloved, I exhort you, as strangers and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (1 Peter 2:11)

;

1 Peter 4:2‑3• ²no longer to live the rest of his time in the flesh to men's lusts, but to God's will.
³For the time past is sufficient for us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, walking in lasciviousness, lusts, wine-drinking, revels, drinkings, and unhallowed idolatries. (1 Peter 4:2‑3)

;

2 Peter 2:18• ¹⁸For while speaking great highflown words of vanity, they allure with the lusts of the flesh, by dissoluteness, those who have just fled those who walk in error, (2 Peter 2:18)

;

2 Peter 3:3• ³knowing this first, that there shall come at the close of the days mockers with mocking, walking according to their own lusts, (2 Peter 3:3)

;

1 John 2:15‑17• ¹⁵Love not the world, nor the things in the world. If any one love the world, the love of the Father is not in him;
¹⁶because all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
¹⁷And the world is passing, and its lust, but he that does the will of God abides for eternity. (1 John 2:15‑17)

;

Jude 16‑18• ¹⁶These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their lusts; and their mouth speaks swelling words, admiring persons for the sake of profit.
¹⁷But *ye*, beloved, remember the words spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,
¹⁸that they said to you, that at the end of the time there should be mockers, walking after their own lusts of ungodlinesses. (Jude 16‑18)

lusts.

or, pleasures.

James 4:3• ³Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask evilly, that ye may consume it in your pleasures. (James 4:3)

in.

Rom. 7:5,23• ⁵For when we were in the flesh the passions of sins, which were by the law, wrought in our members to bring forth fruit to death;
²³but I see another law in my members, warring in opposition to the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which exists in my members. (Rom. 7:5,23)

;

Gal. 5:17• ¹⁷For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these things are opposed one to the other, that ye should not do those things which ye desire; (Gal. 5:17)

;

Col. 3:5• ⁵Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, vile passions, evil lust, and unbridled desire, which is idolatry. (Col. 3:5)

• In all that follows (ch. 4) we have still the judgment of unbridled nature, of will in its different forms. (“James 4” by J.N. Darby)

• To gratify lust, the flesh is prepared to kill and fight. In a literal sense, this is true of the world and its wars. In a moral sense, if we are bent on carrying out our own wills, the flesh will ruthlessly belittle and override everyone that hinders the fulfillment of our desires. (“The Evil of the Flesh: James 3-4” by H. Smith)

J. N. Darby Translation

Whence come wars and whence fightings among you? Is it not thence,—from your pleasuresg, which war in your members?

JND Translation Notes

Lit. "pleasures," not "lusts"; there is an additional idea, the satisfaction the heart feels in satisfying, or rather gratifying, lust. see Tit. 3.3.

W. Kelly Translation

Whence [are] wars and whence fightings among you? [Are they] not hence, from your pleasuresa that combat in your members?

WK Translation Notes

The RV has the more vigorous, critical text, but hardly in as terse English as is desirable. The margin of the KJV is right in giving "pleasures."