New English Translation
James 1:9
9Now the believer of humble means should take pride in his high position.
James 1:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
- New International Version (NIV)Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation,
Context of James 1:9
7For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord, 8since he is a double-minded individual, unstable in all his ways. Now 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. 11For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away.
Read all of James 1James 1:9 word by word
καυχάσθω δὲ ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὁ ταπεινὸς ἐν τῷ ὕψει αὐτοῦ,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for James 1:9
- James 2:5Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him?
- Deuteronomy 15:7If a fellow Israelite from one of your villages in the land that the Lord your God is giving you should be poor, you must not harden your heart or be insensitive to his impoverished condition.
- Psalms 62:9Men are nothing but a mere breath; human beings are unreliable. When they are weighed in the scales, all of them together are lighter than air.
- Proverbs 17:5The one who mocks the poor insults his Creator; whoever rejoices over disaster will not go unpunished.
- Proverbs 19:1Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is perverse in his speech and is a fool.
- Luke 1:52He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position;
- Jeremiah 9:23The Lord says, “Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast that they are rich.
- Romans 5:2through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory.
- Philippians 3:3For we are the circumcision, the ones who worship by the Spirit of God, exult in Christ Jesus, and do not rely on human credentials
- 1 Samuel 2:8He lifts the weak from the dust; he raises the poor from the ash heap to seat them with princes and to bestow on them an honored position. The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord, and he has placed the world on them.
- Psalms 113:7He raises the poor from the dirt, and lifts up the needy from the garbage pile,
- Luke 9:48and said to them, “Whoever welcomes this child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me, for the one who is least among you all is the one who is great.”
- Luke 10:20Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names stand written in heaven.”
- Romans 8:17And if children, then heirs (namely, heirs of God and also fellow heirs with Christ) – if indeed we suffer with him so we may also be glorified with him.
- 2 Corinthians 6:10as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
- Philippians 3:14with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
Commentaries on James 1:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Let the brother of low degree - The poor, destitute Christian may glory in the cross of Christ, and the blessed hope laid up for him in heaven; for, being a child of God, he is an heir of God, and a joint heir with Christ.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9Let the brother of low degree - This verse seems to introduce a new topic, which has no other connection with what precedes than that the apostle is discussing the general subject of trials. Compare James 1:2. Turning from the consideration of trials in general, he passes to the consideration of a particular kind of trials, that which results from a change of circumstances in life, from poverty to affluence, and from affluence to poverty. The idea which…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9should exult: In the New Testament, boasting is often seen as negative (3:14; 4:16; Ephesians 2:9). But here it refers to being proud of what God has done (James 2:5; Romans 15:18; 1 Corinthians 1:31; Galatians 6:14).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 9-109-10. Translate, "But let the brother," &c. that is, the best remedy against double-mindedness is that Christian simplicity of spirit whereby the "brother," low in outward circumstances, may "rejoice" (answering to Jas 1:2) "in that he is exalted," namely, by being accounted a son and heir of God, his very sufferings being a pledge of his coming glory and crown (Jas 1:12), and the rich may rejoice "in that he is made low," by being stripped of his goods…Read the comment
Topics related to James 1:9
In the dictionaries
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
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