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 brothers and sisters, practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ by not favoring one person over another. 2For example, two men come to your worship service. One man is wearing gold rings and fine clothes; the other man, who is poor, is wearing shabby clothes. 3Suppose you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say to him, “Please have a seat.” But you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor at 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 warned Jews and Greeks to change the way they think and act and to believe in our Lord Jesus.
• Acts 24:24Some days later Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faith in Christ Jesus.
• Colossians 1:4We thank God because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people.
• 1 Timothy 1:19Some have refused to let their faith guide their conscience and their faith has been destroyed like a wrecked ship.
• 2 Peter 1:1From Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. To those who have obtained a faith that is as valuable as ours, a faith based on the approval that comes from our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
• Revelation 14:12In this situation God’s holy people, who obey his commands and keep their faith in Jesus, need endurance.
• Psalms 24:7Lift your heads, you gates. Be lifted, you ancient doors, so that the king of glory may come in.
• 1 Corinthians 2:8Not one of the rulers of this world has known it. If they had, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory.
• Hebrews 1:3His Son is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact likeness of God’s being. He holds everything together through his powerful words. After he had cleansed people from their sins, he now holds the honored position—the one next to the majestic God [the Father] on the heavenly throne.
• James 2:3Suppose you give special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say to him, “Please have a seat.” But you say to the poor man, “Stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor at my feet.”
• James 3:17However, the wisdom that comes from above is first of all pure. Then it is peaceful, gentle, obedient, filled with mercy and good deeds, impartial, and sincere.
• Leviticus 19:15“Don’t be corrupt when administering justice. Never give special favors to poor people, and never show preference to important people. Judge your neighbor fairly.
• Deuteronomy 1:17Be impartial in your decisions. Listen to the least important people the same way you listen to the most important people. Never be afraid of anyone, since your decisions come from God. You may bring me any case that’s too hard for you, and I will hear it.”
• Deuteronomy 16:19Never pervert justice. Instead, be impartial. Never take a bribe, because bribes blind wise people and deny justice to those who are in the right.
• 2 Chronicles 19:7May you have the fear of the Lord in you. Be careful about what you do. The Lord our God is never unjust. He is impartial and never takes bribes.”
• Proverbs 24:23These also are the sayings of wise people: Showing partiality as a judge is not good.

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