James 2:2

James 2:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;
• New International Version (NIV)Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,
• New King James Version (NKJV)For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes,

Context of James 2:2

1My brothers and sisters, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and a poor person dressed in filthy clothes also comes in, 3if you look with favor on the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor person, “Stand over there,” or “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” 4haven’t you made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

James 2:2 word by word

ἐὰν γὰρ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς συναγωγὴν ὑμῶν ἀνὴρ χρυσοδακτύλιος ἐν ἐσθῆτι λαμπρᾷ, εἰσέλθῃ δὲ καὶ πτωχὸς ἐν ῥυπαρᾷ ἐσθῆτιRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• there comeεἰσέρχομαιeiserchomai · to enterG1525
• untoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• yourσύsu · youG4771
• assemblyὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• assemblyσυναγωγήsunagōgē · synagogueG4864
• a manἀνήρanēr · manG435
• with a gold ringχρυσοδακτύλιοςchrusodaktulios · gold-ringedG5554
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• goodlyλαμπρόςlampros · shiningG2986
• apparelἐσθήςesthēs · clothingG2066
• andδέde · thenG1161
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• a poor manπτωχόςptōchos · poorG4434
• vileῥυπαρόςrhuparos · filthyG4508

Cross-references for James 2:2

• Esther 3:10The king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.
• Esther 8:2The king removed his signet ring he had recovered from Haman and gave it to Mordecai, and Esther put him in charge of Haman’s estate.
• Luke 15:22“But the father told his servants, ‘Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
• Genesis 27:15Then Rebekah took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were in the house, and had her younger son Jacob wear them.
• Matthew 11:8What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothes? See, those who wear soft clothes are in royal palaces.
• Isaiah 64:6All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a polluted garment; all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.
• Zechariah 3:3Now Joshua was dressed with filthy clothes as he stood before the angel.

Commentaries on James 2:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2If there come unto your assembly - · Into the synagogue. It appears from this that the apostle is addressing Jews who frequented their synagogues, and carried on their worship there and judicial proceedings, as the Jews were accustomed to do. Our word assembly does not express the original; and we cannot suppose that these synagogues were at this time occupied with Christian worship, but that the Christian Jews continued to frequent them for the purpose…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2For if there come into your assembly - Margin, as in Greek, “synagogue.” It is remarkable that this is the only place in the New Testament where the word “synagogue” is applied to the Christian church. It is probably employed here because the apostle was writing to those who had been Jews; and it is to be presumed that the word synagogue would be naturally used by the early converts from Judaism to designate a Christian place of worship, or a Christian…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2your meeting (literally your synagogue): This term refers to the gathering of people, not the building where they met. The rich wear fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, while the poor wear shabby clothes. This shows the difference in their socioeconomic status.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-32-3. "If there chance to have come" [Alford]. assembly--literally, "synagogue"; this, the latest honorable use, and the only Christian use of the term in the New Testament, occurs in James's Epistle, the apostle who maintained to the latest possible moment the bonds between the Jewish synagogue and the Christian Church. Soon the continued resistance of the truth by the Jews led Christians to leave the term to them exclusively (Re 3:9). The "synagogue"…Read the comment

Topics related to James 2:2

• Commandments
• Faith
• Poor
• Respect of Persons
• Synagogue
• Worldliness

In the dictionaries

• Convince
• Dead
• Draw
• Justify
• Offend
• Respect
• Rich
• Ring
• Sister
• Assembly

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