Tyndale Open Study Notes

Verse 1

1:1 James: See “James, Brother of Jesus” Profile. • By identifying his readers as the “twelve tribes,” James affirms Christianity’s continuity with Israel’s heritage. The Exile had dispersed the twelve tribes, but Jewish interpreters looked forward to God reuniting them (see Psalms of Solomon 17:26-28; Testament of Benjamin 9:2; cp. Ezek 37:15-28; Matt 19:28). Christ has spiritually brought an end to Israel’s exile and reunited the tribes. • Jews scattered abroad (Greek diaspora) were living outside Palestine (John 7:35; Acts 2:5; 8:1; 11:19). • Greetings! (Greek chairein): This greeting is typical in first-century Greek letters (Acts 15:23; 23:26) and interpersonally (Matt 26:49; Luke 1:28).

Verse 2

1:2-4 Enduring troubles and temptations is a recurring theme (1:12-15; 5:7-12). Failure to endure is “wandering from the truth” that requires being “saved from death” (5:19-20).

1:2 Dear brothers and sisters: See study note on 2:1. • James uses a wordplay: joy (Greek chara) here is related to greetings in 1:1.

Verse 5

1:5-8 James introduces wisdom as a recurring theme (cp. 3:13-18).

Verse 6

1:6 Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty: The Greek is often translated “Do not doubt, for a person who doubts,” but the sense here is of a person whose loyalty is divided between God and the world (see 1:8).

Verse 8

1:8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world (literally They are double-minded): James might have created the Greek word used here. He emphasizes the need for confidence in God alone.

Verse 9

1:9-11 Poverty and wealth are a recurring theme (cp. ch 2; 4:13–5:11). James does not promise material wealth to the righteous poor but announces a future reversal in heaven.

1:9 something to boast about: In the New Testament, boasting is usually viewed negatively (3:14; 4:16; Eph 2:9), but here it means boasting about what God has done (Jas 2:5; Rom 15:18; 1 Cor 1:31; Gal 6:14).

Verse 10

1:10 those who are rich should boast: With irony, James is describing the dreadful fate of the ungodly rich who elevate themselves by oppressing poor and vulnerable people (see 2:6-8; 5:1-6).

Verse 12

1:12-27 James addresses the same three topics as in 1:2-11, adding a new dimension to each topic. External testing (1:2-4) becomes internal temptation (1:11-18); the need for wisdom (1:5-8) is related to controlling angry speech (1:19-21); and poverty/wealth relate to the need to act upon God’s word (1:22-25). The section then summarizes these themes (1:26-27).

1:12 Those who love him are faithful and obedient (cp. 1:22-25; 2:5; Deut 7:9; 1 Jn 5:2).

Verse 13

1:13 do not say: James is using diatribe, an ancient Greek rhetorical technique in which an imaginary opponent presents a contrary opinion. In this way he is able to voice the readers’ possible objection and immediately refute it (also in 2:3, 16, 18; 4:13). • God is never tempted to do wrong: The alternate translation (see footnote) dulls the parallelism with he never tempts.

Verse 14

1:14 Like hooks for fishing or traps for hunting, desires . . . entice us into sin and drag us away from faithfulness to God.

Verse 15

1:15 When evil desires conceive, they give birth to sinful actions (literally sin, personified as an infant). When the infant sin is allowed to grow to full maturity, it gives birth to death, in opposition to “the crown of [eternal] life” (1:12).

Verse 17

1:17 God is the Father of lights (see footnote) since he created everything in the heavens (Gen 1:3, 14-17). In contrast to the moving lights in the heavens, God never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

Verse 18

1:18 God’s true word is the Good News (1:21-23; 1 Pet 1:23-25). • give birth: The imagery of a mother giving birth shows the full scope of God’s parental love for his children (cp. Luke 13:34; John 1:13; 3:3-8; 1 Pet 1:23). • his prized possession: Literally a kind of firstfruit (cp. Exod 23:16; Lev 23:9-14; 1 Cor 15:20; Col 1:18). Christians are examples of the ultimate restoration of all creation (Rom 8:20-22).

Verse 21

1:21 get rid of: Literally put off, like filthy clothing; cp. Eph 4:22; 1 Pet 2:1. • the word God has planted . . . has the power to save your souls: James emphasizes that Christians are called to respond to a word that God himself has put within our very beings (in fulfillment of Jer 31:31-34). • The soul refers to the whole person (so also in Jas 5:20; see Gen 2:7; 1 Pet 3:20).

Verse 22

1:22-23 In several places, James appears to be reflecting on Jesus’ teachings. These verses reflect the teaching of Jesus (Matt 7:24, 26; Luke 6:46, 49).

1:22 don’t just listen to God’s word: Reading the scriptures was an important part of worship (Luke 4:16-17; Acts 13:13-16; Col 4:16; 1 Tim 4:13). Since most people could not read and copies were not readily available, they listened to the readings in public worship.

Verse 24

1:24 forget what you look like: The problem is not the poor quality of an ancient mirror but the inattention of the viewer (cp. Matt 7:24-27).

Verse 25

1:25 law that sets you free: God’s word gives us new birth and salvation (1:18, 21) but demands that we do what it says (1:22-25).

Verse 26

1:26-27 control (literally bridle) your tongue: James uses the graphic image of the bridle in a horse’s mouth to say that people’s ability to control their tongue indicates the condition of their heart and the whole direction of their life (cp. 3:1-13). • Orphans and widows were the most helpless members of ancient society. They were dependent upon the care of others, since the husband and father was the means of economic support and social contact (Exod 22:22-24; Deut 10:18). Christians are called to take care of the helpless (cp. 1 Tim 5:3-16). • In James, the world stands in opposition to God (cp. Jas 3:15; 4:4; Rom 12:2; 1 Jn 2:15-17).