James 4:11

James 4:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
• New International Version (NIV)Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

Context of James 4:11

9Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into gloom. 10Humble yourselves in the Lord’s presence. Then he will give you a high position. Brothers and sisters, stop slandering each other. Those who slander and judge other believers slander and judge God’s laws. If you judge God’s teachings, you are no longer following them. Instead, you are judging them. 12There is only one who creates laws and judges on the basis of them. He is able to save or destroy you. So who are you to judge your neighbor? 13Pay attention to this! You’re saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go into some city, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money.”

James 4:11 word by word

Μὴ καταλαλεῖτε ἀλλήλων, ἀδελφοί· ὁ καταλαλῶν ἀδελφοῦ ἢ κρίνων τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καταλαλεῖ νόμου καὶ κρίνει νόμον· εἰ δὲ νόμον κρίνεις, οὐκ εἶ ποιητὴς νόμου ἀλλὰ κριτής.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Speakκαταλαλέωkatalaleō · to slanderG2635
• notμήmē · notG3361
• one of anotherἀλλήλωνallēlōn · one anotherG240
• brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• He thatὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• judgethκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• of the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• butδέde · thenG1161
• ifεἰei · ifG1487
• thou artεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• notοὐou · noG3756
• a doerποιητήςpoiētēs · doerG4163
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• a judgeκριτήςkritēs · judgeG2923

Cross-references for James 4:11

• Psalms 140:11Do not let slanderers prosper on earth. Let evil hunt down violent people with one blow after another.
• Ephesians 4:31Get rid of your bitterness, hot tempers, anger, loud quarreling, cursing, and hatred.
• 1 Timothy 3:11Their wives must also be of good character. They must not be gossips, but they must control their tempers and be trustworthy in every way.
• 2 Timothy 3:3and lack normal affection for their families. They will refuse to make peace with anyone. They will be slanderous, lack self-control, be brutal, and have no love for what is good.
• 1 Peter 2:1So get rid of every kind of evil, every kind of deception, hypocrisy, jealousy, and every kind of slander.
• Matthew 7:1“Stop judging so that you will not be judged.
• Luke 6:37“Stop judging, and you will never be judged. Stop condemning, and you will never be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
• Romans 2:1No matter who you are, if you judge anyone, you have no excuse. When you judge another person, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.
• Romans 14:3People who eat all foods should not despise people who eat only vegetables. In the same way, the vegetarians should not criticize people who eat all foods, because God has accepted those people.
• 1 Corinthians 4:5Therefore, don’t judge anything before the appointed time. Wait until the Lord comes. He will also bring to light what is hidden in the dark and reveal people’s motives. Then each person will receive praise from God.
• 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.”
• James 1:22Do what God’s word says. Don’t merely listen to it, or you will fool yourselves.
• Romans 2:13People who merely listen to the laws in Moses’ Teachings don’t have God’s approval. Rather, people who do what those laws demand will have God’s approval.

Commentaries on James 4:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Speak not evil one of another - Perhaps this exhortation refers to evil speaking, slander, and backbiting in general, the writer having no particular persons in view. It may, however, refer to the contentions among the zealots, and different factions then prevailing among this wretched people, or to their calumnies against those of their brethren who had embraced the Christian faith. He that speaketh evil of his brother - It was an avowed and very general…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Speak not evil one of another, brethren - It is not known to whom the apostle here particularly refers, nor is it necessary to know. It is probable that among those whom he addressed there were some who were less circumspect in regard to speaking of others than they should be, and perhaps this evil prevailed. There are few communities where such an injunction would not be proper at any time, and few churches where some might not be found to whom the…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. 11do not slander one another: This appeal for peace among Christians means they must not speak badly about one another. Speaking badly about a neighbor is like speaking badly about God's law. This is because the law forbids slander and requires loving your neighbor (2:8; Leviticus 19:16–18; Matthew 7:1–5).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. Having mentioned sins of the tongue (Jas 3:5-12), he shows here that evil-speaking flows from the same spirit of exalting self at the expense of one's neighbor as caused the "fightings" reprobated in this chapter (Jas 4:1). Speak not evil--literally, "Speak not against" one another. brethren--implying the inconsistency of such depreciatory speaking of one another in brethren. speaketh evil of the law--for the law in commanding, "Love thy neighbor as…Read the comment

Topics related to James 4:11

• Charitableness
• Commandments
• Doer
• Slander
• Speaking
• Uncharitableness

In the dictionaries

• Evil One
• Adulterer
• Amiss
• Consume
• Enmity
• Evilspeaking
• Flee
• Hence
• Lust
• Persecution

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