James 1:21

James 1:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
• New International Version (NIV)Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

Context of James 1:21

19Understand this, my Christian friends: We must all be careful to listen. We should not be too quick to speak. We should not get angry quickly. 20God wants us to do what is right. But when someone is angry, they do not do those right things. So stop doing disgusting things. Stay away from the wicked things that are all around you. God has put his message deep inside you, and it can save you. So be careful to accept that message. 22But be careful to do what God says in his message. Do not only listen to it. Do not make that mistake! 23You must obey God's message. Do not be like a man who quickly looks at his face in a mirror.

James 1:21 word by word

διὸ ἀποθέμενοι πᾶσαν ῥυπαρίαν καὶ περισσείαν κακίας ἐν πραΰτητι δέξασθε τὸν ἔμφυτον λόγον τὸν δυνάμενον σῶσαι τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Whereforeδιόdio · thereforeG1352
• lay apartἀποτίθημιapotithēmi · to put asideG659
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• filthinessῥυπαρίαrhuparia · filthG4507
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• superfluityπερισσείαperisseia · excessG4050
• of naughtinessκακίαkakia · evilG2549
• and receiveδέχομαιdechomai · to receiveG1209
• withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• meeknessπραΰτηςprautēs · gentlenessG4240
• the engraftedἔμφυτοςemphutos · implanted/ingraftedG1721
• wordλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
• is ableδύναμαιdunamai · be ableG1410
• to saveσῴζωsōzō · to saveG4982
• yourσύsu · youG4771
• soulsψυχήpsuchē · soulG5590

Cross-references for James 1:21

• Isaiah 2:20At that time, people will throw away their silver idols and their gold idols. They made those idols so that they could worship them. But now they will throw them into caves where rats and bats live.
• Isaiah 30:22Then you will destroy your idols and your images of false gods. You used silver or gold to make them beautiful. But now you will throw them away like a piece of dirty cloth. You will tell them, ‘Go away!’
• Ezekiel 18:31Stop doing all the sins that you have been doing. Instead, think with new thoughts. Live with a new spirit inside you. You do not need to die, Israel's people!
• Romans 13:12The night has nearly finished and the day is almost here. So we must stop doing the bad things that belong to the dark. Instead, we must take weapons like soldiers who are ready to fight in the light.
• Ephesians 4:22They taught you to change the way that you live. You must put away the nature that you had before. That old nature deceived you. As a result, you wanted to do things that would destroy you.
• Colossians 3:5Your old nature likes to do bad things that belong to this earth. But your old nature is dead, so do not do these bad things any more. Do not have sex with someone that you are not married to. Do not think bad, disgusting thoughts. Do not want to have sex in a wrong way. Do not want to do any kinds of bad things. Do not want to have many things for yourselves. That shows that you worship those things as your idol.
• Hebrews 12:1So we have learned about many people who trusted God long ago. They are like a very big crowd all round us and we should copy their example. We must be like people who run in a race. We must throw away everything that stops us from running well. The sins that we do make us fall down very easily. We must not let those sins rule us. God has prepared the way that is in front of us. We must continue to be strong while we run along that way. We must choose to run that race well.
• 1 Peter 2:1So you must refuse to do any evil things. Do not tell lies to deceive people. Do not be hypocrites. Do not be jealous of other people. Do not say bad things against other people.
• James 4:8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Be clean in the way that you live. Stop doing wrong things. Make your minds clean. You cannot love sin and love God at the same time.
• Ezekiel 36:25You will become pure, as if I splash you with clean water. I will remove all the things that make you unclean. I will take away the idols that you worship.
• 2 Corinthians 7:1So, my friends, God has promised these things to us. So we must keep ourselves clean from everything that makes our bodies or our spirits unclean. We must respect and obey God. Then we will become more and more like him.
• Ephesians 5:4Do not speak in a way which uses dirty words. Do not talk about silly things, like fools do. It is not right for God's people to talk like that. Instead, you should speak in a way which shows that you are thanking God.
• Psalms 25:9He is a guide for humble people, so that they know what is right. He teaches them to follow his way.
• Isaiah 29:19And the Lord will make weak people happy again. Poor people will sing with joy, because of what the Holy God of Israel has done.
• Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Almighty Lord is on me, because he has chosen me to serve him. He has sent me to tell good news to poor people. He has sent me to comfort people who are very upset. He has sent me to tell prisoners that they are now free. They can go out of their prisons!

Commentaries on James 1:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21All filthiness - ̔ . This word signifies any impurity that cleaves to the body; but applied to the mind, it implies all impure and unholy affections, such as those spoken of James 1:15, which pollute the soul; in this sense it is used by the best Greek writers. Superfluity of naughtiness - · The overflowing of wickedness. Perhaps there is an allusion here to the part cut off in circumcision, which was the emblem of impure desire; and to lessen that…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Wherefore - In view of the fact that God has begotten us for his own service; in view of the fact that excited feeling tends only to wrong, let us lay aside all that is evil, and submit ourselves wholly to the influence of truth. Lay apart all filthiness - The word here rendered filthiness, occurs nowhere else in the New Testament, It means properly filth; and then is applied to evil conduct considered as disgusting or offensive. Sin may be contemplated…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-21Verses 19-21 Instead of blaming God under our trials, let us open our ears and hearts to learn what he teaches by them. And if men would govern their tongues, they must govern their passions. The worst thing we can bring to any dispute, is anger. Here is an exhortation to lay apart, and to cast off as a filthy garment, all sinful practices. This must reach to sins of thought and affection, as well as of speech and practice; to every thing corrupt and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21get rid (literally putting off) of all moral filth (compare Ephesians 4:22; 1 Peter 2:1). the word planted in you, which can save your souls: James emphasizes that Christians should respond to a word God has placed within us. This fulfills Jeremiah 31:31–34. The sould refers to the whole person (also in James 5:20; see Genesis 2:7; 1 Peter 3:20).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. lay apart--"once for all" (so the Greek): as a filthy garment. Compare Joshua's filthy garments, Zec 3:3, 5; Re 7:14. "Filthiness" is cleansed away by hearing the word (Joh 15:3). superfluity of naughtiness--excess (for instance, the intemperate spirit implied in "wrath," Jas 1:19, 20), which arises from malice (our natural, evil disposition towards one another). 1Pe 2:1 has the very same words in the Greek. So "malice" is the translation, Ep 4:31…Read the comment

Topics related to James 1:21

• Commandments
• Gospel
• Holiness
• Malice
• Meekness
• Salvation
• Word of God

In the dictionaries

• Entice
• Fade
• Lack
• Lay
• Liberally
• Lust
• Pure
• Receive
• Religion
• Swift

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