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James 4:8 KJV (With Strong’s)

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8

Drawd nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleansee your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

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2 Chron. 15:2• ²And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. (2 Chron. 15:2)

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Isa. 1:16• ¹⁶Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. (Isa. 1:16)

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God,

Heart

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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Draw nigh to God.

Gen. 18:23• ²³And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? (Gen. 18:23)

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1 Chron. 28:9• ⁹And thou, Solomon my son, know the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Jehovah searches all hearts, and discerns all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cut thee off forever. (1 Chron. 28:9)

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2 Chron. 15:2• ²And he went out to meet Asa, and said to him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. (2 Chron. 15:2)

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Psa. 73:28• ²⁸And as for me [it is] good to draw near to God:{HR}I have made Adonai Jehovah my refuge to declare all thy works. (Psa. 73:28)

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Psa. 145:18• ¹⁸Near [is] Jehovah to all calling on him in truth. (Psa. 145:18)

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Isa. 29:13• ¹³And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw nigh with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught of men: (Isa. 29:13)

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Isa. 55:6‑7• ⁶Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.
⁷Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return unto Jehovah, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. (Isa. 55:6‑7)

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Hos. 6:1‑2• ¹Come, and let us return unto Jehovah; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
²After two days he will revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. (Hos. 6:1‑2)

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Zech. 1:3• ³And thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Return unto me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. (Zech. 1:3)

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Mal. 3:7• ⁷Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts. But ye say, Wherein shall we return? (Mal. 3:7)

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Heb. 7:19• ¹⁹(for the law perfected nothing), and an introduction of a better hope through which we draw near to God. (Heb. 7:19)

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Heb. 10:22• ²²let us approach with true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from a wicked conscience, and our body washed with pure water. (Heb. 10:22)

Cleanse.

Job 9:30• ³⁰If I wash myself with snow-water,{HR}And cleanse my hands with lye, (Job 9:30)

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Job 16:17• ¹⁷Though no violence [is] in my hands,{HR}And my prayer [is] pure. (Job 16:17)

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Job 17:9• ⁹But the righteous shall hold on his way,{HR}And the clean of hands increase in strength. (Job 17:9)

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Psa. 18:20• ²⁰Jehovah recompenseth me according to my righteousness;{HR}According to the cleanness of my hands he requiteth me. (Psa. 18:20)

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Psa. 24:4• ⁴The clean of hands and pure of heart,{HR}Who hath not lifted up his soul unto falsehood{HR}And hath not sworn to deceit. (Psa. 24:4)

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Psa. 26:6• ⁶I wash my hands in innocency,{HR}And I surround thine altar, O Jehovah, (Psa. 26:6)

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Psa. 73:13• ¹³Truly in vain I have cleansed my heart{HR}And washed my hands in innocency; (Psa. 73:13)

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Isa. 1:15‑16• ¹⁵And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
¹⁶Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes. (Isa. 1:15‑16)

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Isa. 13:15• ¹⁵Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is taken shall fall by the sword. (Isa. 13:15)

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Matt. 15:2• ²Why do thy disciples transgress what has been delivered by the ancients? for they do not wash their hands when they eat bread. (Matt. 15:2)

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Matt. 27:24• ²⁴And Pilate, seeing that it availed nothing, but that rather a tumult was arising, having taken water, washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am guiltless of the blood of this righteous one: see ye [to it]. (Matt. 27:24)

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1 Tim. 2:8• ⁸I wish then that the men pray in every place, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting; (1 Tim. 2:8)

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1 Peter 3:21• ²¹which figure also now saveth you, baptism, not a putting away of filth of flesh, but a request of a good conscience toward God through Jesus Christ's resurrection; (1 Peter 3:21)

purity.

Psa. 51:6‑7,10• ⁶Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts,{HR}And in the hidden [part] thou wilt make me to know wisdom.
⁷Purge me with hyssop,{HR}And I shall be clean; wash me,{HR}And I shall be whiter than snow.
¹⁰Create for me a pure heart, O God,{HR}And a steadfast spirit renew within me. (Psa. 51:6‑7,10)

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Jer. 4:11• ¹¹At that time shall it be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A hot wind cometh from the heights in the wilderness, on the way of the daughter of my people, not for fanning, nor for cleansing. (Jer. 4:11)

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Ezek. 18:31• ³¹Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, Ο house of Israel? (Ezek. 18:31)

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Ezek. 36:25‑27• ²⁵Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
²⁶A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
²⁷And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. (Ezek. 36:25‑27)

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Matt. 12:33• ³³Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt. For from the fruit the tree is known. (Matt. 12:33)

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Matt. 23:25‑26• ²⁵Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but within they are full of rapine and intemperance.
²⁶Blind Pharisee, make clean first the inside of the cup and of the dish, that their outside also may become clean. (Matt. 23:25‑26)

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Luke 11:39‑40• ³⁹But the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish; but your inward [parts] are full of plunder and wickedness.
⁴⁰Fools, hath not he who hath made the outside made the inside also? (Luke 11:39‑40)

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Acts 15:9• ⁹and he put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. (Acts 15:9)

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2 Cor. 7:1• ¹Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in God's fear. (2 Cor. 7:1)

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1 Peter 1:22• ²²purified your souls as ye have in your obedience to the truth unto brotherly affection unfeigned, love one another out of a pure heart fervently, (1 Peter 1:22)

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1 John 3:3• ³And every one that hath this hope on him purifieth himself even as he is pure. (1 John 3:3)

ye double.

James 1:8• ⁸a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:8)

• The devil resisted has to flee, leaving the soul free to draw nigh to God, to find that He is very nigh to us. (“The Evil of the Flesh: James 3-4” by H. Smith)

• "Cleanse your hands." If we are to draw nigh to God, we must judge every act unsuited to His holy presence, not putting our hands to anything that defiles. (“The Evil of the Flesh: James 3-4” by H. Smith)

• The heart is the seat of the Christian's affections. These need to be purged of every object not compatible with God's will. (“The Evil of the Flesh: James 3-4” by H. Smith)

• First, humility {v.6}. Then, submission to God, which entails resistance as regards the devil {v.7}. Third, drawing near to God. (“James 3” by F.B. Hole)

• In His grace He took the initiative and drew near to us, when we cared nothing for Him. From that all has flowed. But saved by grace we are brought under the holy government of God, and here we reap as we sow. (“James 3” by F.B. Hole)

• What they needed was to purify themselves not only externally—the “hands”—but internally —the “hearts.” (“James 3” by F.B. Hole)

J. N. Darby Translation

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Draw neara to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleansea your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.

JND Translation Notes

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a

"Have it done," not "be doing it"; the aorist tense. All the imperatives (ten) from vers. 7 to 10 are in the aorist.

W. Kelly Translation

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Draw nigha to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse hands, sinners, and purify hearts, ye double-minded.

WK Translation Notes

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a

See note to 4:7.