English Standard Version
James 4:4
4You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
James 4:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
- New International Version (NIV)You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
- New Living Translation (NLT)You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
Context of James 4:4
2You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? 6But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
Read all of James 4James 4:4 word by word
μοιχαλίδες, οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἡ φιλία τοῦ κόσμου ἔχθρα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐστιν; ὃς ἐὰν οὖν βουληθῇ φίλος εἶναι τοῦ κόσμου, ἐχθρὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καθίσταται.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Ye adulterersμοιχόςmoichos · adultererG3432
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- adulteressesμοιχαλίςmoichalis · adulterousG3428
- know yeεἴδωeidō · to perceive: understandG1492
- notοὐou · noG3756
- thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
- the friendshipὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the friendshipφιλίαphilia · friendshipG5373
- of the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- enmityἔχθραechthra · hostilityG2189
- with Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- whosoeverὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- whosoeverἄνan · ifG302
- thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
- willβούλομαιboulomai · to planG1014
- a friendφίλοςphilos · friendly/friendG5384
- isκαθίστημιkathistēmi · to appoint/conductG2525
- the enemyἐχθρόςechthros · enemyG2190
Cross-references for James 4:4
- Psalms 50:18If you see a thief, you are pleased with him, and you keep company with adulterers.
- Psalms 73:27For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
- Isaiah 57:3But you, draw near, sons of the sorceress, offspring of the adulterer and the loose woman.
- Jeremiah 9:2Oh that I had in the desert a travelers' lodging place, that I might leave my people and go away from them! For they are all adulterers, a company of treacherous men.
- Hosea 3:1And the Lord said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins."
- Matthew 12:39But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
- Matthew 16:4An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah." So he left them and departed.
- John 7:7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.
- John 15:19If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
- John 17:14I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
- 1 John 2:15Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- Genesis 3:15I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
- Romans 8:7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.
- Galatians 1:10For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
- Psalms 21:8Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you.
- Luke 19:27But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.'"
Commentaries on James 4:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Ye adulterers and adulteresses - The Jews, because of their covenant with God, are represented as being espoused to him; and hence their idolatry, and their iniquity in general, are represented under the notion of adultery. And although they had not since the Babylonish captivity been guilty of idolatry; according to the letter; yet what is intended by idolatry, having their hearts estranged from God, and seeking their portion in this life and out of God…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Ye adulterers and adulteresses - These words are frequently used to denote those who are faithless towards God, and are frequently applied to those who forsake God for idols, Hosea 3:1; Isaiah 57:3, Isaiah 57:7; 1 John 2:15. The term world here is to be understood not of the physical world as God made it, for we could not well speak of the “friendship” of that, but of the community, or people, called “the world,” in contradistinction from the people of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4You adulteresses: James uses this prophetic imagery to challenge his audience (see, for example, Jeremiah 3:6; Hosea 3:1). They were seeking what friendship with the world could offer them. This included: social acceptance (James 2:1–4), prestige (3:1), or wealth (4:13). Divided loyalty toward God is like being unfaithful to a spouse (4:8). In ancient times, “friend” was a title for special and exclusive relationships (Luke 23:12, Herod and Pilate). John…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. The oldest manuscripts omit "adulterers and," and read simply, "Ye adulteresses." God is the rightful husband; the men of the world are regarded collectively as one adulteress, and individually as adulteresses. the world--in so far as the men of it and their motives and acts are aliens to God, for example, its selfish "lusts" (Jas 4:3), and covetous and ambitious "wars and fightings" (Jas 4:1). enmity--not merely "inimical"; a state of enmity, and that…Read the comment
Topics related to James 4:4
In the dictionaries
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
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