James 1:13

James 1:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
• New International Version (NIV)When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;
• English Standard Version (ESV)Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.

Context of James 1:13

11When the sun rises, its heat causes plants to become dry. Their flowers fall to the ground. They are no longer beautiful. In the same way, rich people will die when they are busy in their work. Then they will have nothing. 12Some people continue to trust God even when troubles happen. God will bless those people, if they show that they really trust him. He will give them the gift which is life with him. He has promised to give this gift to all people who love him. When troubles happen to you, you may want to do something bad. But do not say, ‘God is causing me to do wrong things.’ Nothing can make God do anything bad. And God does not try to make anyone do a wrong thing. 14It is our own thoughts that make us do bad things. When we want to do something wrong, our thoughts lead us in a bad way. 15We may agree to do what our bad thoughts tell us to do. When we do that, it becomes a sin. Then, we may not stop doing those bad things. If we continue to live like that, the result of our sins is death.

James 1:13 word by word

Μηδεὶς πειραζόμενος λεγέτω ὅτι ἀπὸ θεοῦ πειράζομαι· ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἀπείραστός ἐστιν κακῶν, πειράζει δὲ αὐτὸς οὐδένα·Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Let no manμηδείςmēdeis mēdemia mēden · nothingG3367
• sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• whenὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• he is temptedπειράζωpeirazō · to test/tempt: temptG3985
• ofἀπόapo · away fromG575
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• ·εἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• cannot be temptedἀπείραστοςapeirastos · untemptedG551
• with evilκακόςkakos · evil/harm: evilG2556
• neitherδέde · thenG1161
• heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• any manοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762

Cross-references for James 1:13

• James 1:2My Christian friends, remember to be happy, even when many kinds of trouble happen to you. Troubles can help you.
• Genesis 3:12The man said, ‘It was the woman that you put here with me. She gave me some fruit from the tree. So I ate it.’
• Isaiah 63:17Lord, why do you cause us to turn away from your ways? You make our minds become hard, so that we do not obey you. Please come back to help us, because we are your servants. We are the tribes that you have chosen for yourself!
• Habakkuk 2:12It will be very bad for anyone who kills people so that he can build a city for himself. It will be bad for anyone who does wicked things to make his town great.
• Romans 9:19One of you may say to me, ‘God always does what he wants to do. Nobody can change what God makes them do. So God should not say that people have done wrong things.’

Commentaries on James 1:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Let no man say - Lest the former sentiment should be misapplied, as the word temptation has two grand meanings, solicitation to sin, and trial from providential situation or circumstances, James, taking up the word in the former sense, after having used it in the latter, says: Let no man say, when he is tempted, (solicited to sin), I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he (thus) any man. Thus the author has explained…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God - See the remarks on the previous verse. The apostle here seems to have had his eye on whatever there was in trial of any kind to induce us to commit sin - whether by complaining, by murmuring, by apostacy, or by yielding to sin. So far as that was concerned, he said that no one should charge it on God. He did nothing in any way with a view to induce men to do evil. That was only an incidental thing…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-18Verses 12-18 It is not every man who suffers, that is blessed; but he who with patience and constancy goes through all difficulties in the way of duty. Afflictions cannot make us miserable, if it be not our own fault. The tried Christian shall be a crowned one. The crown of life is promised to all who have the love of God reigning in their hearts. Every soul that truly loves God, shall have its trials in this world fully recompensed in that world above…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13James is using diatribe, an old Greek rhetorical method where an imaginary opponent gives a different opinion. This lets him express and quickly counter the possible objections of the reader (also in 2:3, 16, 18; 4:13).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. when ... tempted--tried by solicitation to evil. Heretofore the "temptation" meant was that of probation by afflictions. Let no one fancy that God lays upon him an inevitable necessity of sinning. God does not send trials on you in order to make you worse, but to make you better (Jas 1:16, 17). Therefore do not sink under the pressure of evils (1Co 10:13). of God--by agency proceeding from God. The Greek is not "tempted by," but, "from," implying…Read the comment

Topics related to James 1:13

• God Continued...
• Temptation

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Entice
• Fade
• Lack
• Lay
• Liberally
• Lust
• Pure
• Receive

Commentaries on James 1

• 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
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• 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