James 4:16

James 4:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
• New International Version (NIV)As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.
• English Standard Version (ESV)As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Context of James 4:16

14Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen in your life tomorrow. [What is secure in your life?] You are merely a vapor [like a puff of smoke or a wisp of steam from a cooking pot] that is visible for a little while and then vanishes [into thin air]. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and we will do this or that.” But as it is, you boast [vainly] in your pretension and arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin.

James 4:16 word by word

νῦν δὲ καυχᾶσθε ἐν ταῖς ἀλαζονείαις ὑμῶν· πᾶσα καύχησις τοιαύτη πονηρά ἐστιν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
• ye rejoiceκαυχάομαιkauchaomai · to boastG2744
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• yourσύsu · youG4771
• boastingsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• boastingsἀλαζονείαalazoneia · boastingG212
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• suchτοιοῦτοςtoioutos · such as thisG5108
• rejoicingκαύχησιςkauchēsis · prideG2746
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• evilπονηρόςponēros · evil/badG4190

Cross-references for James 4:16

• James 3:14But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant, and [as a result] be in defiance of the truth.
• Psalms 52:1Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.
• Proverbs 25:14Like clouds and wind without rain Is a man who boasts falsely of gifts [he does not give].
• Proverbs 27:1Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring.
• Isaiah 47:7And you said, ‘I shall be a queen forevermore.’ You did not consider these things, Nor did you [seriously] remember the [ultimate] outcome of such conduct.
• 1 Corinthians 4:7For who regards you as superior or what sets you apart as special? What do you have that you did not receive [from another]? And if in fact you received it [from God or someone else], why do you boast as if you had not received it [but had gained it by yourself]?
• 1 Corinthians 5:6Your boasting [over the supposed spirituality of your church] is not good [indeed, it is vulgar and inappropriate]. Do you not know that [just] a little leaven ferments the whole batch [of dough, just as a little sin corrupts a person or an entire church]?
• Revelation 18:7To the degree that she glorified herself and reveled and gloated in her sensuality [living deliciously and luxuriously], to that same degree impose on her torment and anguish, and mourning and grief; for in her heart she boasts, ‘I sit as a queen [on a throne] and I am not a widow, and will never, ever see mourning or experience grief.’

Commentaries on James 4:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings - Ye glory in your proud and self-sufficient conduct, exulting that ye are free from the trammels of superstition, and that ye can live independently of God Almighty. All such boasting is wicked, , is impious. In an old English work, entitled, The godly man's picture drawn by a Scripture pencil, there are these words: "Some of those who despise religion say, Thank God we are not of this holy number! They who thank God…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16But now ye rejoice in your boastings - That is, probably, in your boastings of what you can do; your reliance on your own skill and sagacity. You form your plans for the future as if with consummate wisdom, and are confident of success. You do not anticipate a failure; you do not see how plans so skilfully formed can fail. You form them as if you were certain that you would live; as if secure from the numberless casualties which may defeat your schemes…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-17Verses 11-17 Our lips must be governed by the law of kindness, as well as truth and justice. Christians are brethren. And to break God's commands, is to speak evil of them, and to judge them, as if they laid too great a restraint upon us. We have the law of God, which is a rule to all; let us not presume to set up our own notions and opinions as a rule to those about us, and let us be careful that we be not condemned of the Lord. "Go to now," is a call to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16Christians can proudly share what God has done (1:9–10). But they should not brag about their own plans. When people make plans without considering God's will, they act as if they control their own future. These kinds of plans assume that God has no authority over people's lives.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. now--as it is. rejoice in ... boastings--"ye boast in arrogant presumptions," namely, vain confident fancies that the future is certain to you (Jas 4:13). rejoicing--boasting [Bengel].Read the comment

Topics related to James 4:16

• Boasting
• Covetousness
• Presumption

In the dictionaries

• Adulterer
• Amiss
• Consume
• Enmity
• Flee
• Hence
• Lust
• Resist
• Sin
• Unruly

Commentaries on James 4

• 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