James 4 (KJV) - 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• ¹¹Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, 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 envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
¹⁵This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
¹⁶For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
¹⁷But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
¹⁸And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. (James 3:14‑18)

fightings.

or, brawlings.

come they.

James 1:14• ¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. (James 1:14)

;

Gen. 4:5‑8• ⁵But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
⁶And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
⁷If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? 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 talked with 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 desperately wicked: who can know it? (Jer. 17:9)

;

Matt. 15:19• ¹⁹For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: (Matt. 15:19)

;

Mark 7:21‑23• ²¹For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
²²Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
²³All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. (Mark 7:21‑23)

;

John 8:44• ⁴⁴Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)

;

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

;

1 Tim. 6:4‑10• ⁴He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
⁵Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
⁶But godliness with contentment is great gain.
⁷For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
⁸And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
⁹But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
¹⁰For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Tim. 6:4‑10)

;

Titus 3:3• ³For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. (Titus 3:3)

;

1 Peter 1:14• ¹⁴As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: (1 Peter 1:14)

;

1 Peter 2:11• ¹¹Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; (1 Peter 2:11)

;

1 Peter 4:2‑3• ²That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
³For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: (1 Peter 4:2‑3)

;

2 Peter 2:18• ¹⁸For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. (2 Peter 2:18)

;

2 Peter 3:3• ³Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, (2 Peter 3:3)

;

1 John 2:15‑17• ¹⁵Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
¹⁶For 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 passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 John 2:15‑17)

;

Jude 16‑18• ¹⁶These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.
¹⁷But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
¹⁸How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. (Jude 16‑18)

lusts.

or, pleasures.

James 4:3• ³Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (James 4:3)

in.

Rom. 7:5,23• ⁵For when we were in the flesh, the motions of sins, which were by the law, did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death.
²³But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. (Rom. 7:5,23)

;

Gal. 5:17• ¹⁷For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Gal. 5:17)

;

Col. 3:5• ⁵Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, 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."