James 1:8

James 1:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
• New International Version (NIV)Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
• English Standard Version (ESV)he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
• New King James Version (NKJV)he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Context of James 1:8

6But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind. 7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways. 9Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position. 10But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow.

James 1:8 word by word

ἀνὴρ δίψυχος ἀκατάστατος ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• A double mindedδίψυχοςdipsuchos · double-mindedG1374
• manἀνήρanēr · manG435
• unstableἀκατάστατοςakatastatos · restlessG182
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• waysὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• waysὁδόςhodos · roadG3598

Cross-references for James 1:8

• James 4:8Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded.
• 1 Kings 18:21Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the Lord is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word.
• 2 Kings 17:33They were worshiping the Lord and at the same time serving their own gods in accordance with the practices of the nations from which they had been deported.
• Isaiah 29:13The sovereign master says, “These people say they are loyal to me; they say wonderful things about me, but they are not really loyal to me. Their worship consists of nothing but man-made ritual.
• Hosea 7:8Ephraim has mixed itself like flour among the nations; Ephraim is like a ruined cake of bread that is scorched on one side.
• Hosea 10:2Their heart is slipping; soon they will be punished for their guilt. The Lord will break their altars; he will completely destroy their fertility pillars.
• Matthew 6:22“The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
• 2 Peter 2:14Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; they entice unstable people. They have trained their hearts for greed, these cursed children!
• 2 Peter 3:16speaking of these things in all his letters. Some things in these letters are hard to understand, things the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures.

Commentaries on James 1:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8A double-minded man - · The man of two souls, who has one for earth, and another for heaven; who wishes to secure both worlds; he will not give up earth, and he is loth to let heaven go. This was a usual term among the Jews, to express the man who attempted to worship God, and yet retained the love of the creature. Rabbi Tanchum, fol. 84, on Deuteronomy 26:17, said: "Behold, the Scripture exhorts the Israelites, and tells them when they pray, לבבות שתי…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8A double minded man - The word here used, ́ dipsuchosoccurs only here and in James 4:8. It means, properly, one who has two souls; then one who is wavering or inconstant. It is applicable to a man who has no settled principles; who is controlled by passion; who is influenced by popular feeling; who is now inclined to one opinion or course of conduct, and now to another. Is unstable in all his ways - That is, not merely in regard to prayer, the point…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8He is a double-minded man: James might have created the Greek word used here. He emphasizes the importance of trusting only in God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. double-minded--literally, "double-souled," the one soul directed towards God, the other to something else. The Greek favors Alford's translation, "He (the waverer, Jas 1:6) is a man double-minded, unstable," &c.; or better, Beza's. The words in this Jas 1:8 are in apposition with "that man," Jas 1:7; thus the "us," which is not in the original, will not need to be supplied, "A man double-minded, unstable in all his ways!" The word for "double-minded"…Read the comment

Topics related to James 1:8

• Character
• Heart
• Hypocrisy
• Indecision
• Instability

In the dictionaries

• Entice
• Fade
• Lack
• Lay
• Liberally
• Lust
• Pure
• Receive
• Religion
• Swift

Commentaries on James 1

• 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
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• 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