God’s Word Translation
James 4:13
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 4:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
- New International Version (NIV)Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit"—
- New King James Version (NKJV)Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”;
Context of James 4:13
11Brothers 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? Pay attention to this! You’re saying, “Today or tomorrow we will go into some city, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money.” 14You don’t know what will happen tomorrow. What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears. 15Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and carry out our plans.”
Read all of James 4James 4:13 word by word
Ἄγε νῦν οἱ λέγοντες· σήμερον ἢ αὔριον πορευσόμεθα εἰς τήνδε τὴν πόλιν καὶ ποιήσομεν ἐκεῖ ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ ἐμπορευσόμεθα καὶ κερδήσομεν·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Go toἄγωagō · to bringG71
- nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
- yeὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- that sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- To dayσήμερονsēmeron · todayG4594
- orκαίkai · andG2532
- to morrowαὔριονaurion · tomorrowG839
- we will goπορεύωporeuomai · to travelG4198
- intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- suchὅδεhode hēde tode · thisG3592
- a cityπόλιςpolis · cityG4172
- continueποιέωpoieō · to do/make: spend(TIME)G4160
- thereἐκεῖekei · thereG1563
- aεἷςheis · oneG1520
- yearἐνιαυτόςeniautos · yearG1763
- buy and sellἐμπορεύομαιemporeuomai · to traffic inG1710
- get gainκερδαίνωkerdainō · to gainG2770
Cross-references for James 4:13
- James 5:1Pay attention to this if you’re rich. Cry and moan about the misery that is coming to you.
- Genesis 11:3They said to one another, “Let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used bricks as stones and tar as mortar.
- Ecclesiastes 2:1I thought to myself, “Now I want to experiment with pleasure and enjoy myself.” But even this was pointless.
- Isaiah 5:5Now then, let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will tear away its hedge so that it can be devoured and tear down its wall so that it can be trampled.
- Proverbs 27:1Do not brag about tomorrow, because you do not know what another day may bring.
- Isaiah 56:12⌞Each one cries,⌟ “Let me get some wine, and we’ll fill ourselves with liquor. And tomorrow will be like today, only better.”
- Luke 12:17He thought, ‘What should I do? I don’t have enough room to store my crops.’
- Isaiah 24:2The same will happen to people and priests, male slaves and masters, female slaves and masters, buyers and sellers, lenders and borrowers, debtors and creditors.
- Isaiah 56:11These dogs have huge appetites. They are never full. They are the shepherds, but they don’t understand. All of them have turned to go their own ways. Each one seeks his own gain.
- Ezekiel 7:12The time is coming. The day is near. Buyers will not rejoice, and sellers will not mourn, because ⌞my⌟ fury will be against the whole crowd.
- 1 Corinthians 7:30Those who have eyes filled with tears should live as though they have no sorrow. Those who are happy should live as though there was nothing to be happy about. Those who buy something should live as though they didn’t own it.
Commentaries on James 4:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13Go to now - · Come now, the same in meaning as the Hebrew הבה habah, come, Genesis 11:3, Genesis 11:4, Genesis 11:7. Come, and hear what I have to say, ye that say, etc. To-day, or to-morrow, we will go - This presumption on a precarious life is here well reproved; and the ancient Jewish rabbins have some things on the subject which probably St. James had in view. In Debarim Rabba, sec. 9, fol. 261, 1, we have the following little story; "Our rabbins tell…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13Go to now - The apostle here introduces a new subject, and refers to another fault which was doubtless prevalent among them, as it is everywhere, that of a presumptuous confidence respecting the future, or of forming plans stretching into the future, without any proper sense of the uncertainty of life, and of our absolute dependence on God. The phrase “go to now,” ( ̓́ ͂ age nunis a phrase designed to arrest attention, as if there were something that…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. 13-16Traveling merchants relied on their own determination to overcome poverty and low social status. James encourages acknowledging God's providence. He also warns against making arrogant plans beyond one's control.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. Go to now--"Come now"; said to excite attention. ye that say--boasting of the morrow. To-day or to-morrow--as if ye had the free choice of either day as a certainty. Others read, "To-day and to-morrow." such a city--literally, "this the city" (namely, the one present to the mind of the speaker). This city here. continue ... a year--rather, "spend one year." Their language implies that when this one year is out, they purpose similarly settling plans…Read the comment
Topics related to James 4:13
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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