James 2:10

James 2:10 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
• New International Version (NIV)For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.

Context of James 2:10

8But the message of God's kingdom is this: ‘Love other people as much as you love yourself.’ That is what the Bible says. If you really do that, you do well. 9But if you are kind to some people and you are not kind to others, then you are doing a bad thing. God's Law shows that you are wrong. Even if you fail to obey only one rule in God's Law, it means that you are guilty. It is the same as if you fail to obey all God's Law. 11For example, God has said in his Law, ‘You must not have sex with anyone who is not your husband or your wife.’ But God has also said, ‘Do not kill another person.’ Perhaps you do not have sex in a wrong way like that. But if you then murder someone, God's Law shows that you are still wrong. 12Remember that God will judge you one day. When he does that, he will use a law which makes us free. So remember this in everything that you say and in everything that you do.

James 2:10 word by word

ὅστις γὰρ ὅλον τὸν νόμον τηρήσῃ, πταίσῃ δὲ ἐν ἑνί, γέγονεν πάντων ἔνοχος.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• whosoeverὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• shall keepτηρέωtēreō · to keep: observeG5083
• the wholeὅλοςholos · allG3650
• lawὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• and yetδέde · thenG1161
• offendπταίωptaiō · to stumbleG4417
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
• he isγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• guilty ofἔνοχοςenochos · liable forG1777
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956

Cross-references for James 2:10

• Deuteronomy 27:26‘God will curse anyone who refuses to obey all the words of this law.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Yes, we agree!’
• Matthew 5:18I tell you this: One day, even the earth and the sky will finish. But while they remain, God's Law will also remain. Nobody can remove even the smallest thing from it. The Law will remain until everything in it has happened.
• Galatians 3:10But some people try to obey all the rules of God's Law. They think that they will become right with God if they do this very well. But God will speak against people like that and he will punish them. It is written in the Bible: ‘God will punish everyone who does not always obey all the rules in his Law completely.’

Commentaries on James 2:10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10For whosoever shall keep the whole law, etc. - This is a rabbinical form of speech. In the tract Shabbath, fol. 70, where they dispute concerning the thirty-nine works commanded by Moses, Rabbi Yochanan says: But if a man do the whole, with the omission of one, he is guilty of the whole, and of every one. In Bammidar rabba, sec. 9, fol. 200, and in Tanchum, fol. 60, there is a copious example given, how an adulteress, by that one crime, breaks all the ten…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10For whosoever shall keep the whole law - All except the single point referred to. The apostle does not say that this in fact ever did occur, but he says that if it should, and yet a man should have failed in only one particular, he must be judged to be guilty. The case supposed seems to be that of one who claimed that he had kept the whole law. The apostle says that even if this should be admitted for the time to be true in all other respects, yet, if he…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-13James uses the Bible to argue against the common practice of favoring wealthy and powerful people.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. The best manuscripts read, "Whosoever shall have kept the whole law, and yet shall have offended (literally, 'stumbled'; not so strong as 'fall,' Ro 11:11) in one (point; here, the respecting of persons), is (hereby) become guilty of all." The law is one seamless garment which is rent if you but rend a part; or a musical harmony which is spoiled if there be one discordant note [Tirinus]; or a golden chain whose completeness is broken if you break one…Read the comment

Topics related to James 2:10

• Commandments
• Faith
• Obedience
• Religion
• Sin
• Works

In the dictionaries

• Convince
• Dead
• Draw
• Justify
• Offend
• Respect
• Rich
• Sister
• Guilty
• Offence; Offend

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