English Standard Version
James 1:8
8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James 1:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
- New International Version (NIV)Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
- New King James Version (NKJV)he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.
Context of James 1:8
6But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. 7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. 9Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, 10and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away.
Read all of James 1James 1:8 word by word
ἀνὴρ δίψυχος ἀκατάστατος ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for James 1:8
- James 4:8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
- 1 Kings 18:21And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word.
- 2 Kings 17:33So they feared the Lord but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away.
- Isaiah 29:13And the Lord said: "Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
- Hosea 7:8Ephraim mixes himself with the peoples; Ephraim is a cake not turned.
- Hosea 10:2Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt. The Lord will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.
- Matthew 6:22"The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,
- 2 Peter 2:14They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!
- 2 Peter 3:16as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
Commentaries on James 1:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8A double-minded man - · The man of two souls, who has one for earth, and another for heaven; who wishes to secure both worlds; he will not give up earth, and he is loth to let heaven go. This was a usual term among the Jews, to express the man who attempted to worship God, and yet retained the love of the creature. Rabbi Tanchum, fol. 84, on Deuteronomy 26:17, said: "Behold, the Scripture exhorts the Israelites, and tells them when they pray, לבבות שתי…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8A double minded man - The word here used, ́ dipsuchosoccurs only here and in James 4:8. It means, properly, one who has two souls; then one who is wavering or inconstant. It is applicable to a man who has no settled principles; who is controlled by passion; who is influenced by popular feeling; who is now inclined to one opinion or course of conduct, and now to another. Is unstable in all his ways - That is, not merely in regard to prayer, the point…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8He is a double-minded man: James might have created the Greek word used here. He emphasizes the importance of trusting only in God.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. double-minded--literally, "double-souled," the one soul directed towards God, the other to something else. The Greek favors Alford's translation, "He (the waverer, Jas 1:6) is a man double-minded, unstable," &c.; or better, Beza's. The words in this Jas 1:8 are in apposition with "that man," Jas 1:7; thus the "us," which is not in the original, will not need to be supplied, "A man double-minded, unstable in all his ways!" The word for "double-minded"…Read the comment
Topics related to James 1:8
In the dictionaries
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries