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James 5

James 5:16 KJV (With Strong’s)

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16
Confess
exomologeo (Greek #1843)
to acknowledge or (by implication, of assent) agree fully
KJV usage: confess, profess, promise.
Pronounce: ex-om-ol-og-eh'-o
Origin: from 1537 and 3670
your faults
ho (Greek #3588)
the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)
KJV usage: the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.
Pronounce: ho
Origin: ἡ (hay), and the neuter τό (to) in all their inflections
paraptoma (Greek #3900)
a side-slip (lapse or deviation), i.e. (unintentional) error or (wilful) transgression
KJV usage: fall, fault, offence, sin, trespass.
Pronounce: par-ap'-to-mah
Origin: from 3895
q one to another
allelon (Greek #240)
one another
KJV usage: each other, mutual, one another, (the other), (them-, your-)selves, (selves) together (sometimes with 3326 or 4314).
Pronounce: al-lay'-lone
Origin: Genitive plural from 243 reduplicated
, and
kai (Greek #2532)
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
KJV usage: and, also, both, but, even, for, if, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yet.
Pronounce: kahee
Origin: apparently, a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force
pray
euchomai (Greek #2172)
to wish; by implication, to pray to God
KJV usage: pray, will, wish.
Pronounce: yoo'-khom-ahee
Origin: middle voice of a primary verb
one
allelon (Greek #240)
one another
KJV usage: each other, mutual, one another, (the other), (them-, your-)selves, (selves) together (sometimes with 3326 or 4314).
Pronounce: al-lay'-lone
Origin: Genitive plural from 243 reduplicated
for
huper (Greek #5228)
"over", i.e. (with the genitive case) of place, above, beyond, across, or causal, for the sake of, instead, regarding; with the accusative case superior to, more than
KJV usage: (+ exceeding, abundantly) above, in (on) behalf of, beyond, by, + very chiefest, concerning, exceeding (above, -ly), for, + very highly, more (than), of, over, on the part of, for sake of, in stead, than, to(-ward), very. In the comparative, it retains many of the above applications.
Pronounce: hoop-er'
Origin: a primary preposition
another
allelon (Greek #240)
one another
KJV usage: each other, mutual, one another, (the other), (them-, your-)selves, (selves) together (sometimes with 3326 or 4314).
Pronounce: al-lay'-lone
Origin: Genitive plural from 243 reduplicated
, that
hopos (Greek #3704)
what(-ever) how, i.e. in the manner that (as adverb or conjunction of coincidence, intentional or actual)
KJV usage: because, how, (so) that, to, when.
Pronounce: hop'-oce
Origin: from 3739 and 4459
ye may be healed
iaomai (Greek #2390)
to cure (literally or figuratively)
KJV usage: heal, make whole.
Pronounce: ee-ah'-om-ahee
Origin: middle voice of apparently a primary verb
. The effectual fervent
energeo (Greek #1754)
to be active, efficient
KJV usage: do, (be) effectual (fervent), be mighty in, shew forth self, work (effectually in).
Pronounce: en-erg-eh'-o
Origin: from 1756
prayer
deesis (Greek #1162)
a petition
KJV usage: prayer, request, supplication.
Pronounce: deh'-ay-sis
Origin: from 1189
of a righteous man
dikaios (Greek #1342)
equitable (in character or act); by implication, innocent, holy (absolutely or relatively)
KJV usage: just, meet, right(-eous).
Pronounce: dik'-ah-yos
Origin: from 1349
availeth
ischuo (Greek #2480)
to have (or exercise) force (literally or figuratively)
KJV usage: be able, avail, can do(-not), could, be good, might, prevail, be of strength, be whole, + much work.
Pronounce: is-khoo'-o
Origin: from 2479
much
polus (Greek #4183)
(singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many; neuter (singular) as adverbial, largely; neuter (plural) as adverb or noun often, mostly, largely
KJV usage: abundant, + altogether, common, + far (passed, spent), (+ be of a) great (age, deal, -ly, while), long, many, much, oft(-en (-times)), plenteous, sore, straitly. Compare 4118, 4119.
Pronounce: pol-oos'
Origin: including the forms from the alternate πολλός
s.
q
Acts 19:18• 18Many too of those that had believed came confessing and declaring their deeds. (Acts 19:18)
s
Psa. 145:19•  (Psa. 145:19)

More on:

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Prayer,
Righteousness

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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Confess.
Gen. 41:9‑10•  (Gen. 41:9‑10)
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2 Sam. 19:19•  (2 Sam. 19:19)
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Matt. 3:6• 6{i}and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.{/i} (Matt. 3:6)
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Matt. 18:15‑17• 15{i}But if thy brother sin against thee, go, reprove him between thee and him alone. If he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.{/i}
 16{i}But if he do not hear [thee], take with thee one or two besides, that every matter may stand upon the word of two witnesses or of three.{/i}
 17{i}But if he will not listen to them, tell it to the assembly; and if also he will not listen to the assembly, let him be to thee as one of the nations and a tax-gatherer.{/i} (Matt. 18:15‑17)
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Luke 7:3‑4• 3and having heard of Jesus he sent to him elders of the Jews, begging him that he would come and save his bondman.
 4But they, being come to Jesus, besought him diligently, saying, He is worthy to whom thou shouldest grant this, (Luke 7:3‑4)
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Acts 19:18• 18Many too of those that had believed came confessing and declaring their deeds. (Acts 19:18)
pray.
Col. 1:9• 9On this account we also, from the day that we heard, do not cease praying for you, and asking that ye might be filled with the full knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; (Col. 1:9)
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1 Thess. 5:17,23,25• 17pray unceasingly;
 23Now the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit, and soul and body be preserved entire without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 25Brethren, pray for us. (1 Thess. 5:17,23,25)
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Heb. 13:18• 18Pray for us: for we persuade ourselves that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to walk well. (Heb. 13:18)
that.
Gen. 20:17•  (Gen. 20:17)
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2 Chron. 30:20•  (2 Chron. 30:20)
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Luke 9:6• 6{i}And going forth they{/i} passed through the villages, announcing the glad tidings, and healing everywhere. (Luke 9:6)
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Acts 10:38• 38Jesus of Nazareth how that God anointed him with [the] Holy Spirit and power; who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:38)
The effectual.
Gen. 18:23‑32•  (Gen. 18:23‑32)
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Gen. 19:29•  (Gen. 19:29)
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Gen. 20:7,17•  (Gen. 20:7,17)
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Gen. 32:28•  (Gen. 32:28)
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Ex. 9:28‑29,33•  (Ex. 9:28‑29,33)
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Ex. 17:11•  (Ex. 17:11)
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Ex. 32:10‑14•  (Ex. 32:10‑14)
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Num. 11:2•  (Num. 11:2)
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Num. 14:13‑20•  (Num. 14:13‑20)
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Num. 21:7‑9•  (Num. 21:7‑9)
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Deut. 9:18‑20•  (Deut. 9:18‑20)
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Josh. 10:12•  (Josh. 10:12)
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1 Sam. 12:18•  (1 Sam. 12:18)
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1 Kings 13:6•  (1 Kings 13:6)
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1 Kings 17:18‑24•  (1 Kings 17:18‑24)
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2 Kings 4:33‑35•  (2 Kings 4:33‑35)
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2 Kings 19:15‑20•  (2 Kings 19:15‑20)
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2 Kings 20:2‑5•  (2 Kings 20:2‑5)
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2 Chron. 14:11‑12•  (2 Chron. 14:11‑12)
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2 Chron. 32:20‑22•  (2 Chron. 32:20‑22)
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Job 42:8•  (Job 42:8)
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Psa. 10:17‑18•  (Psa. 10:17‑18)
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Psa. 34:15•  (Psa. 34:15)
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Psa. 145:18‑19•  (Psa. 145:18‑19)
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Prov. 15:8,29•  (Prov. 15:8,29)
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Prov. 28:9•  (Prov. 28:9)
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Jer. 15:1•  (Jer. 15:1)
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Jer. 29:12‑13•  (Jer. 29:12‑13)
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Jer. 33:3•  (Jer. 33:3)
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Dan. 2:18‑23•  (Dan. 2:18‑23)
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Dan. 9:20‑22•  (Dan. 9:20‑22)
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Hos. 12:3‑4•  (Hos. 12:3‑4)
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Matt. 7:7‑11• 7Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.
 8For every one that asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
 9Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask of him for a loaf, will give him a stone;
 10and if he ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?
 11If therefore ye, being wicked, know to give good gifts to your children, how much rather shall your Father that is in the heavens give good things to those that ask him? (Matt. 7:7‑11)
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Matt. 21:22• 22{i}And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.{/i} (Matt. 21:22)
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Luke 11:11‑13• 11{i}But{/i} of whom of you that is a father shall a son ask bread, and [the father] shall give him a stone? or also a fish, and instead of a fish shall give him a serpent?
 12or if also he shall ask an egg, shall give him a scorpion?
 13If, therefore, ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will the Father who [is] of heaven give [the] Holy Spirit to them that ask him. (Luke 11:11‑13)
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Luke 18:1‑8• 1And he spoke also a parable to them, to the purport that they should always pray, and not faint,
 2saying, There was a judge in a city, not fearing God, and not respecting man.
 3And there was a widow in that city, and she came to him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary;
 4and he would not for a time; but afterwards he said within himself, If even I fear not God, and respect not man,
 5at any rate because this widow annoys me, I will avenge her, that she may not by perpetual coming completely harass me.
 6And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith.
 7And shall not God at all avenge his elect, who cry to him day and night, and he bears long as to them.
 8I say unto you that he will avenge them speedily. But when the Son of man cometh, shall he indeed find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:1‑8)
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John 9:31• 31We know that God heareth not sinners, but if anyone be God-fearing, and do his will, him he heareth. (John 9:31)
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Acts 4:24‑31• 24And they on hearing [it] with one accord lifted up [their] voice unto God and said, Master, thou [art] he that made heaven and the earth, and the sea, and all that in them [is];
 25who by [the] Holy Spirit, [by the] mouth of our father David thy servant, didst say, Why did Gentiles rage and peoples meditate vain things?
 26The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Anointed.
 27For of a truth in this city against thy holy servant Jesus whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with Gentiles and peoples of Israel were gathered,
 28to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel foreordained to come to pass.
 29And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings, and give to thy bondmen with all boldness to speak thy word
 30while thou stretchest forth thy hand for healing, and that signs and wonders be done by the name of thy holy servant Jesus.
 31And when they prayed, the place wherein they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:24‑31)
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Acts 12:5‑11• 5Peter, then, was kept in the prison; but prayer was earnestly made by the assembly unto God concerning him.
 6And when Herod was about to bring him forward, on that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door were keeping the prison.
 7And, behold, an angel of [the] Lord stood by, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck the side of Peter, and awoke him, saying, Rise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
 8And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals; and he did so. And he saith to him, Throw thy cloak round thee and follow me.
 9And going out he followed and knew not that what was being done by the angel was true, but thought he was seeing a vision.
 10And when they came through a first guard and a second, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city, which of itself opened to them; and having gone out they went forth one street; and immediately the angel departed from him.
 11And Peter, on coming to himself, said, Now I know truly that [the] Lord sent forth his angel and took me out of Herod's hand and all the expectation of the people of the Jews. (Acts 12:5‑11)
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1 John 3:22• 22and whatsoever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments, and do the things pleasing in his sight. (1 John 3:22)
a righteous.
Rom. 3:10• 10even as it is written, “There is none righteous, not one; (Rom. 3:10)
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Rom. 5:19• 19For as by the disobedience of the one man the many were constituted sinners, so also by the obedience of the one the many shall be constituted righteous. (Rom. 5:19)
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Heb. 11:4,7• 4By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain by which it was witnessed that he was righteous, God witnessing in respect of his gifts; and through it he, having died, yet speaketh.
 7By faith Noah, oracularly warned of things not yet beheld, moved with fear, constructed an ark for saving his house, by which he condemned the world and became heir of righteousness that is according to faith. (Heb. 11:4,7)
• Even their faults are an occasion for the exercise of charity (as in God towards us), and entire confidence in each other, according to that charity, such as is felt towards a restoring and pardoning God. (“James 5” by J.N. Darby)
• Confession to one another shows the condition of the church, and God would have the church to be in such a state, that love should so reign in it, that they should be so near to God, as to be able to treat the transgressor according to the grace they know in Him. (“James 5” by J.N. Darby)
• The righteous man. It is his nearness to God, the sense that he has, consequently, of that which God is, which (through grace and the operation of the Spirit) gives him this power. (“James 5” by J.N. Darby)
• The Spirit of God acts, we know, in all this; but the Apostle does not here speak of Him, being occupied with the practical effect, and presenting the man as he is seen. (“James 5” by J.N. Darby)
• We may choose a wise and discreet brother (instead of opening our hearts to indiscreet persons), but this choice alters nothing as to the guilty person's state of soul. Not hiding the evil, but opening his heart, he frees his humbled conscience: perhaps also his body (“The Coming of the Lord: James 5” by H. Smith)
• The confession of which verse 16 speaks is however not exactly confession to elders. It is rather “one to another.” This verse has nothing official about it as verses 14 and 15 have. (“James 5” by F.B. Hole)
• The main offender comes with heart-felt confession of the wrong he committed. The other is thereby moved to confess anything which may have been wrong on his side, and then melted before God they begin to pray for each other. (“James 5” by F.B. Hole)
• {v.16-18} We may learn in all this what are the conditions of effectual prayer. Confession of sin, not only to God but to one another; practical righteousness in all our ways; fervency of spirit and petition. Fervent prayer is not that which is uttered in loud stentorian tones, but that which springs from a warm and glowing heart. (“James 5” by F.B. Hole)

J. N. Darby Translation

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16
Confess therefore yourc offences to one another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. The ferventd supplication of the righteous man has much power.

JND Translation Notes

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c
Lit. "the."
d
Or, "operative," "working effectually," if the word be taken as a participle, as elsewhere in the New Testament. The A.V. combines the two ideas, "the effectual fervent prayer," but it is hardly both. I do not think it is inwrought by spiritual power. It is the person who is "fervent."

W. Kelly Translation

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16
Confess thereforea your sinsb to one another, and pray for one another, that ye may be healed. A righteous [one’s] supplicationc hath much power if it workd.

WK Translation Notes

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a
"Therefore" is omitted in T. R., but it should read "Confess therefore your sins. . ." as the remarkable conclusion.
b
Or, "offences."
c
"A righteous man’s supplication" is sufficient and exact.
d
The question as to the last word is whether it means fervent or in its working. The KJV seems to have conveyed both, the RV the latter.