James 2:9

James 2:9 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
• New International Version (NIV)But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
• New King James Version (NKJV)but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

Context of James 2:9

7Don’t they curse the good name ⌞of Jesus⌟, the name that was used to bless you? 8You are doing right if you obey this law from the highest authority: “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” If you favor one person over another, you’re sinning, and this law convicts you of being disobedient. 10If someone obeys all of God’s laws except one, that person is guilty of breaking all of them. 11After all, the one who said, “Never commit adultery,” is the same one who said, “Never murder.” If you do not commit adultery but you murder, you become a person who disobeys God’s laws.

James 2:9 word by word

εἰ δὲ προσωπολημπτεῖτε, ἁμαρτίαν ἐργάζεσθε ἐλεγχόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου ὡς παραβάται.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• ye have respect to personsπροσωποληπτέωprosōpolēpteō · to favorG4380
• ye commitἐργάζομαιergazomai · to workG2038
• sinἁμαρτίαhamartia · sinG266
• and are convincedἐλέγχωelegchō · to rebukeG1651
• ofὑπόhupo · by/under: byG5259
• the lawὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• transgressorsπαραβάτηςparabatēs · transgresorG3848

Cross-references for James 2:9

• James 2:1My brothers and sisters, practice your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ by not favoring one person over another.
• 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.
• John 8:9One by one, beginning with the older men, the experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees left. Jesus was left alone with the woman.
• John 16:8He will come to convict the world of sin, to show the world what has God’s approval, and to convince the world that God judges it.
• 1 Corinthians 14:24Now suppose you speak what God has revealed. When unbelievers or outsiders come in you will show them where they are wrong and convince them that they are sinners.
• Jude 1:15He has come to judge all these people. He has come to convict all these ungodly sinners for all the ungodly things they have done and all the harsh things they have said about him.”
• Romans 3:20Not one person can have God’s approval by any effort to follow the laws in the Scriptures. These laws show what sin is.
• Romans 7:7What should we say, then? Are the laws in Moses’ Teachings sinful? That’s unthinkable! In fact, I wouldn’t have recognized sin if those laws hadn’t shown it to me. For example, I wouldn’t have known that some desires are sinful if Moses’ Teachings hadn’t said, “Never have wrong desires.”
• Galatians 2:19When I tried to obey the laws in the Scriptures, those laws killed me. As a result, I live in a relationship with God. I have been crucified with Christ.
• 1 John 3:4Those who live sinful lives are disobeying God. Sin is disobedience.

Commentaries on James 2:9

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9But if ye have respect to persons - In judgment, or in any other way; ye commit sin against God, and against your brethren, and are convinced, , and are convicted, by the law; by this royal law, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself; as transgressors, having shown this sinful acceptance of persons, which has led you to refuse justice to the poor man, and uphold the rich in his oppressive conduct.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin - You transgress the plain law of God, and do wrong. See the references on James 2:1. And are convinced of the law as transgressors - Greek “By the law.” The word convinced is now used in a somewhat different sense from what it was formerly. It now commonly refers to the impression made on a man‘s mind by showing him the truth of a thing which before was doubted, or in respect to which the evidence was not…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9Favoritism opposes the command to love your neighbor (2:8).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. Respect of persons violates the command to love all alike "as thyself." ye commit sin--literally, "ye work sin," Mt 7:23, to which the reference here is probably, as in Jas 1:22. Your works are sin, whatever boast of the law ye make in words (see on Jas 2:8). convinced--Old English for "convicted." as transgressors--not merely of this or that particular command, but of the whole absolutely.Read the comment

Topics related to James 2:9

• Commandments
• Faith
• Neighbor
• Poor
• Religion
• Respect of Persons
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Convince
• Dead
• Draw
• Justify
• Offend
• Respect
• Rich
• Sister
• Convict; Conviction
• Papyrus

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