James 4:15

James 4:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
• New International Version (NIV)Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

Context of James 4:15

13Some of you say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to a certain city. We will stay there for a year. We will buy and sell things, and we will become rich.’ If you say things like that, listen to me. 14You do not know what will happen tomorrow. Your life is like a cloud which appears for a short time and then it quickly goes away. So what you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord agrees and we are still alive, then we will do this or that.’ 16But instead, you talk about what you have decided to do. You speak as if you have the power to make it happen. It is wrong to speak like that. 17So you know the right thing that you ought to do. But if you know that and you do not do the right thing, then you have done a wrong thing.

James 4:15 word by word

ἀντὶ τοῦ λέγειν ὑμᾶς· ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ καὶ ζήσομεν καὶ ποιήσομεν τοῦτο ἢ ἐκεῖνο.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• For thatἀντίanti · forG473
• yeσύsu · youG4771
• to sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• Ifἐάνean · ifG1437
• the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• willθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• ·καίkai · andG2532
• we shall liveζάωzaō · to liveG2198
• doποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• orἤē · orG2228
• thatἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565

Cross-references for James 4:15

• 2 Samuel 15:25Then the king said to Zadok, ‘Take the Covenant Box back into the city. If the Lord is pleased with me, he will bring me back here again. The Lord will let me see the Covenant Box again, as well as his home.
• Proverbs 19:21You may have lots of ideas about what you want to do. But it is the Lord's plans that are important.
• Lamentations 3:37The Lord causes things to happen. Nobody can cause things to happen without him.
• Acts 18:21Before he left, he said to them, ‘If God wants me to come back, I will return to you.’ Then Paul got in a ship and he sailed from Ephesus to Caesarea.
• Romans 1:10Every time that I pray for you, I ask God for a chance that I might visit you soon. I pray that he will make it possible if that is what he wants.
• Romans 15:32If God agrees, I will then be able to come to you, and we will be happy together. I will enjoy having some rest while I stay there with you.
• 1 Corinthians 4:19But I will come to visit you again soon, if the Lord wants me to. Then I will find out what these proud people are really like. It is not just the words that they say. I will find out if they have the power of God.
• 1 Corinthians 16:7If I come now, I would only have a short time with you. But I want to stay with you for a longer time, if the Lord will let me do that.
• Hebrews 6:3Yes, we must choose to go on from those early lessons! God is ready to help us to do that.

Commentaries on James 4:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15For that ye ought to say - ̔· Instead of saying, or instead of which ye should say, If the Lord will, we shall live - I think St. James had another example from the rabbins in view, which is produced by Drusius, Gregory, Cartwright, and Schoettgen, on this clause: "The bride went up to her chamber, not knowing what was to befall her there." On which there is this comment: "No man should ever say that he will do this or that, without the condition If God…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15For that ye ought to say - Instead of what you do say, “we will go into such a city,” you ought rather to recognise your absolute dependence on God, and feel that life and success are subject to his will. The meaning is not that we ought always to be saying that in so many words, for this might become a mere ostentatious form, offensive by constant unmeaning repetition; but we are, in the proper way, to recognise our dependence on him, and to form all our…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-17Verses 11-17 Our lips must be governed by the law of kindness, as well as truth and justice. Christians are brethren. And to break God's commands, is to speak evil of them, and to judge them, as if they laid too great a restraint upon us. We have the law of God, which is a rule to all; let us not presume to set up our own notions and opinions as a rule to those about us, and let us be careful that we be not condemned of the Lord. "Go to now," is a call to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15The Lord controls life and death (Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:6; Matthew 10:28).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. Literally, "instead of your saying," &c. This refers to "ye that say" (Jas 4:13). we shall live--The best manuscripts read, "We shall both live and do," &c. The boasters spoke as if life, action, and the particular kind of action were in their power, whereas all three depend entirely on the will of the Lord.Read the comment

Topics related to James 4:15

• Commandments
• Confidence
• Covetousness
• Death
• Life
• Presumption

In the dictionaries

• Adulterer
• Amiss
• Consume
• Enmity
• Flee
• Hence
• Lust
• Providence
• Resist
• Sin

Commentaries on James 4

• 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