James 2:1

James 2:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
• New International Version (NIV)My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.
• English Standard Version (ESV)My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
• New King James Version (NKJV)My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

Context of James 2:1

My Christian friends, you must be kind to everyone. You trust the Lord Jesus Christ, who is great in heaven. So do not think that anyone is more valuable than any other person. 2When you are meeting together as believers, maybe two men will come to join with you. One of them is wearing beautiful clothes, and he has gold rings on his hands. The other man is poor, and he is wearing old clothes that are dirty. 3You are kind to the man who is wearing beautiful clothes. You say to him, ‘Please sit here in this good place.’ But you say to the poor man, ‘Go and stand over there.’ Or you may say to him, ‘Sit on the floor near my feet.’

James 2:1 word by word

Ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ ἐν προσωπολημψίαις ἔχετε τὴν πίστιν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς δόξης.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Myἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• notμήmē · notG3361
• the faithὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
• Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• of gloryδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
• withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• respect of personsπροσωποληψίαprosōpolēpsia · favoritismG4382

Cross-references for James 2:1

• Acts 20:21I have taught the same things both to Jewish people and to Gentiles. I have said clearly to them all, “You must stop doing wrong things. Change the way that you live and turn to God. Believe in our Lord Jesus.”
• Acts 24:24After some days, Felix came with Drusilla, his Jewish wife. He told his soldiers to bring Paul to them. Paul talked to them, and they listened to everything that he said. Paul spoke about how people believed in Jesus, the Messiah.
• Colossians 1:4We thank God because people have told us good things about you. You continue to trust Christ Jesus. You also love all God's people.
• 1 Timothy 1:19You must continue to trust God. Always do what you know to be right. Some people have refused to do what is right, even when they know what they should do. As a result, they no longer believe God's true message.
• 2 Peter 1:1This letter is from me, Simon Peter. I am Jesus Christ's servant and his apostle. I am writing to you people who believe in Jesus Christ, as we do. That is a valuable gift that God has given to us all. He has done this because Jesus is completely good and right. Jesus is the one who saves us. He is the God that we serve.
• Revelation 14:12This means that God's people must go on being patient and strong. They must continue to obey God's rules. They must continue to trust Jesus.
• Psalms 24:7Old gates of the city, wake up! Open now, to leave a wide path! Then the great king will come in.
• 1 Corinthians 2:8None of the rulers of this world understood God's wise plan. If they had understood, they would not have killed Jesus on a cross. He is the Lord who rules heaven and earth.
• Hebrews 1:3The Son shows us completely what God is like. He shines with God's great glory. His nature is the same as God's nature. The Son's powerful word causes everything to continue. He himself made it possible for us to be clean from our sins. After he had done that, he returned to heaven. He went and he sat at the right side of God, who rules with all authority.
• James 2:3You are kind to the man who is wearing beautiful clothes. You say to him, ‘Please sit here in this good place.’ But you say to the poor man, ‘Go and stand over there.’ Or you may say to him, ‘Sit on the floor near my feet.’
• James 3:17But if God makes you really wise, you will live in a completely good way. That is the most important thing. Also, you will live in a way that brings peace. You will be kind to other people so that they become your friends. You will listen to them and not argue. You will forgive them and do many good things to help them. You will not choose between people. And you will not be a hypocrite.
• Leviticus 19:15You must be fair to other people when you judge them. You must not be more kind to a rich person than to a poor person. You must be fair to everyone.
• Deuteronomy 1:17When you judge them, do not make any difference between important people and poor people. Listen to all of them in a careful way. Do not be afraid of anyone. God is the one who decides what is right. If it is too difficult for you to decide who is right, bring it to me. I will listen and then I will decide what is right.’
• Deuteronomy 16:19Judges must do what is right for every person, rich or poor. They must not accept any bribes. A bribe may hide the truth even from a wise man. It can make honest people tell lies.
• 2 Chronicles 19:7Respect the Lord's authority. Be careful to do your job well. The Lord our God is always fair. So be fair to everyone, whoever they are. Do not cheat people. Do not accept bribes.’
• Proverbs 24:23These are more things that wise people have said: When you judge people, be fair. It is not good to respect some people more than others.

Commentaries on James 2:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1My brethren, have not - This verse should be read interrogatively: My brethren, do ye not make profession of the faith or religion of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with acceptance of persons? That is, preferring the rich to the poor merely because of their riches, and not on account of any moral excellence, personal piety, or public usefulness. , faith, is put here for religion; and , of glory, should, according to some critics, be construed with it as…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1My brethren - Perhaps meaning brethren in two respects - as Jews, and as Christians. In both respects the form of address would be proper. Have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ - Faith is the distinguishing thing in the Christian religion, for it is this by which man is justified, and hence, it comes to be put for religion itself. Notes, 1 Timothy 3:9. The meaning here is, “do not hold such views of the religion of Christ, as to lead you to manifest…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Chapter Outline All professions of faith are vain, if not producing love and justice to others. (1-13) The necessity of good works to prove the sincerity of faith, which otherwise will be of no more advantage than the faith of devils. (14-26) Verses 1-13 Those who profess faith in Christ as the Lord of glory, must not respect persons on account of mere outward circumstances and appearances, in a manner not agreeing with their profession of being disciples…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1My brothers (Greek adelphoi): The Greek word here means members of the same family. In this case, it refers to fellow Christians of either sex. James often starts a new section with this loving greeting, seeking their loyal response (1:2, 16; 2:14; 3:1; 5:7, 19). James contrasts our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with the glory of a well-dressed man (2:2). The glory of Christ includes his resurrection from the dead, his exalted position in heaven, and his…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-26James illustrates "the perfect law of liberty" (Jas 1:25) in one particular instance of a sin against it, concluding with a reference again to that law (Jas 2:12, 13). 1. brethren--The equality of all Christians as "brethren," forms the groundwork of the admonition. the faith of ... Christ--that is, the Christian faith. James grounds Christian practice on Christian faith. the Lord of glory--So 1Co 2:8. As all believers, alike rich and poor, derive all…Read the comment

Topics related to James 2:1

• Commandments
• Faith
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Respect of Persons
• Worldliness

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Jesus Christ
• Respect of Persons
• Convince
• Dead
• Draw
• Justify

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