James 4:4

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• 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.

Context of James 4:4

2You lust and do not have, so you commit murder. And you are envious 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 with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose, “He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”? 6But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

James 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

• adulteressesμοιχαλίςmoichalis · adulterousG3428
• that friendshipφιλίαphilia · friendshipG5373
• the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
• toward Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• Thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• whoeverὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• whoeverἐάνean · ifG1437
• wantsβούλομαιboulomai · to planG1014
• to be a friendφίλοςphilos · friendly/friendG5384
• makesκαθίστημιkathistēmi · to appoint/conductG2525
• himself an enemyἐχθρόςechthros · enemyG2190

Cross-references for James 4:4

• Psalms 50:18When you see a thief, you become friends with him, And you associate with adulterers.
• Psalms 73:27For, behold, those who are far from You will perish; You have destroyed all those who are unfaithful to You.
• Isaiah 57:3“But come here, you sons of a sorceress, Offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute!
• Jeremiah 9:2Oh that I had in the desert A travelers’ lodging place; So that I might leave my people And go away from them! For all of them are adulterers, An assembly of treacherous people.
• Hosea 3:1Then the Lord said to me, “Go again, love a woman who is loved by her husband, yet is committing adultery, as the Lord loves the sons of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.”
• Matthew 12:39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign; and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet;
• Matthew 16:4An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign; and so a sign will not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah.” And He left them and went away.
• John 7:7The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify about it, that its deeds 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, because of this 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 nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
• Genesis 3:15And I will make enemies Of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel.”
• Romans 8:7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
• Galatians 1:10For am I now seeking the favor of people, or of God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
• Psalms 21:8Your hand will find all your enemies; Your right hand will find 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 in my presence.’”

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

• Carnal Mindedness
• Godlessness
• Holiness
• Worldliness

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Adulterer
• Amiss
• Consume
• Enmity
• Flee
• Hence
• Lust
• Resist

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