Amplified Bible
James 2:1
1My fellow believers, do not practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of partiality [toward people—show no favoritism, no prejudice, no snobbery].
James 2:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
- New International Version (NIV)My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.
- English Standard Version (ESV)My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
- New King James Version (NKJV)My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.
Context of James 2:1
My fellow believers, do not practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of partiality [toward people—show no favoritism, no prejudice, no snobbery]. 2For if a man comes into your meeting place wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in, 3and you pay special attention to the one who wears the fine clothes, and say to him, “You sit here in this good seat,” and you tell the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down [on the floor] by my footstool,”
Read all of James 2James 2:1 word by word
Ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ ἐν προσωπολημψίαις ἔχετε τὴν πίστιν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς δόξης.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Myἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
- haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
- notμήmē · notG3361
- the faithὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
- Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
- JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
- ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
- of gloryδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
- withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- respect of personsπροσωποληψίαprosōpolēpsia · favoritismG4382
Cross-references for James 2:1
- Acts 20:21solemnly [and wholeheartedly] testifying to both Jews and Greeks, urging them to turn in repentance to God and [to have] faith in our Lord Jesus Christ [for salvation].
- Acts 24:24Several days later Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess. He sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faith in Christ Jesus.
- Colossians 1:4for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [how you lean on Him with absolute confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness], and of the [unselfish] love which you have for all the saints (God’s people);
- 1 Timothy 1:19keeping your faith [leaning completely on God with absolute trust and confidence in His guidance] and having a good conscience; for some [people] have rejected [their moral compass] and have made a shipwreck of their faith.
- 2 Peter 1:1Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Jesus Christ, To those who have received and possess [by God’s will] a precious faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
- Revelation 14:12Here is [encouragement for] the steadfast endurance of the saints (God’s people), those who habitually keep God’s commandments and their faith in Jesus.
- Psalms 24:7Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in.
- 1 Corinthians 2:8None of the rulers of this age recognized and understood this wisdom; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
- Hebrews 1:3The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority],
- James 2:3and you pay special attention to the one who wears the fine clothes, and say to him, “You sit here in this good seat,” and you tell the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down [on the floor] by my footstool,”
- James 3:17But the wisdom from above is first pure [morally and spiritually undefiled], then peace-loving [courteous, considerate], gentle, reasonable [and willing to listen], full of compassion and good fruits. It is unwavering, without [self-righteous] hypocrisy [and self-serving guile].
- Leviticus 19:15‘You shall not do injustice in judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor nor show a preference for the great, but judge your neighbor fairly.
- Deuteronomy 1:17You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear and pay attention to the [cases of the] least [important] as well as the great. You shall not fear man, for the judgment is God’s. The case that is too hard for you [to judge], you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’
- Deuteronomy 16:19You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.
- 2 Chronicles 19:7So now let the fear (reverent awe) of the Lord be on you [to keep you from making unjust decisions]; be careful in what you do, for there is no injustice with the Lord our God, or partiality, or acceptance of a bribe.”
- Proverbs 24:23These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good.
Commentaries on James 2:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1My brethren, have not - This verse should be read interrogatively: My brethren, do ye not make profession of the faith or religion of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with acceptance of persons? That is, preferring the rich to the poor merely because of their riches, and not on account of any moral excellence, personal piety, or public usefulness. , faith, is put here for religion; and , of glory, should, according to some critics, be construed with it as…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1My brethren - Perhaps meaning brethren in two respects - as Jews, and as Christians. In both respects the form of address would be proper. Have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ - Faith is the distinguishing thing in the Christian religion, for it is this by which man is justified, and hence, it comes to be put for religion itself. Notes, 1 Timothy 3:9. The meaning here is, “do not hold such views of the religion of Christ, as to lead you to manifest…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Chapter Outline All professions of faith are vain, if not producing love and justice to others. (1-13) The necessity of good works to prove the sincerity of faith, which otherwise will be of no more advantage than the faith of devils. (14-26) Verses 1-13 Those who profess faith in Christ as the Lord of glory, must not respect persons on account of mere outward circumstances and appearances, in a manner not agreeing with their profession of being disciples…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1My brothers (Greek adelphoi): The Greek word here means members of the same family. In this case, it refers to fellow Christians of either sex. James often starts a new section with this loving greeting, seeking their loyal response (1:2, 16; 2:14; 3:1; 5:7, 19). James contrasts our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with the glory of a well-dressed man (2:2). The glory of Christ includes his resurrection from the dead, his exalted position in heaven, and his…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-26James illustrates "the perfect law of liberty" (Jas 1:25) in one particular instance of a sin against it, concluding with a reference again to that law (Jas 2:12, 13). 1. brethren--The equality of all Christians as "brethren," forms the groundwork of the admonition. the faith of ... Christ--that is, the Christian faith. James grounds Christian practice on Christian faith. the Lord of glory--So 1Co 2:8. As all believers, alike rich and poor, derive all…Read the comment
Topics related to James 2:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on James 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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