American Standard Version
James 4:8
8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.
James 4:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
- New International Version (NIV)Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Context of James 4:8
6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble. 7Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.
Read all of James 4James 4:8 word by word
ἐγγίσατε τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν. καθαρίσατε χεῖρας, ἁμαρτωλοί, καὶ ἁγνίσατε καρδίας, δίψυχοι.Read the interlinear
Cross-references for James 4:8
- Genesis 18:23And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou consume the righteous with the wicked?
- 1 Chronicles 28:9And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Jehovah searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts. If thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
- 2 Chronicles 15:2and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Jehovah is with you, while ye are with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
- Psalms 73:28But it is good for me to draw near unto God: I have made the Lord Jehovah my refuge, That I may tell of all thy works.
- Psalms 145:18Jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, To all that call upon him in truth.
- Isaiah 29:13And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been taught them;
- Isaiah 55:6Seek ye Jehovah while he may be found; call ye upon him while he is near:
- Hosea 6:1Come, and let us return unto Jehovah; for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
- Zechariah 1:3Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: Return unto me, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will return unto you, saith Jehovah of hosts.
- Malachi 3:7From the days of your fathers ye have turned aside 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?
- Hebrews 7:19(for the law made nothing perfect), and a bringing in thereupon of a better hope, through which we draw nigh unto God.
- Hebrews 10:22let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water,
- Job 9:30If I wash myself with snow water, And make my hands never so clean;
- Job 16:17Although there is no violence in my hands, And my prayer is pure.
- Job 17:9Yet shall the righteous hold on his way, And he that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger.
- Psalms 18:20Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
Commentaries on James 4:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8Draw nigh to God - Approach Him, in the name of Jesus, by faith and prayer, and he will draw nigh to you - he will meet you at your coming. When a soul sets out to seek God, God sets out to meet that soul; so that while we are drawing near to him, he is drawing near to us. The delicacy and beauty of these expressions are, I think, but seldom noted. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners - This I think to be the beginning of a new address, and to different…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you - Compare 2 Chronicles 15:2. This declaration contains a great and important principle in religion. If we wish the favor of God, we must come to him; nor can we hope for his mercy, unless we approach him and ask him for it. We cannot come literally any nearer to God than we always are, for he is always round about us; but we may come nearer in a spiritual sense. We may address him directly in prayer; we may…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Draw near to God: This means building a friendship (2:23) and being loyal (1:6–8). cleanse your hands … purify your hearts: The applies the biblical idea of ceremonial cleansing to purifying your intentions (compare Mark 7:1–23).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. Draw nigh to God--So "cleave unto Him," De 30:20, namely, by prayerfully (Jas 4:2, 3) "resisting Satan," who would oppose our access to God. he will draw nigh--propitious. Cleanse ... hands--the outward instruments of action. None but the clean-handed can ascend into the hill of the Lord (justified through Christ, who alone was perfectly so, and as such "ascended" thither). purify ... hearts--literally "make chaste" of your spiritual adultery (Jas 4:4…Read the comment
Topics related to James 4:8
In the dictionaries
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
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries