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.
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.

Context of James 4:11

9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 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. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor? 13Now 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.”

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 140:11May slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down the violent.
• Ephesians 4:31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
• 1 Timothy 3:11In the same way, the women are to be worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything.
• 2 Timothy 3:3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
• 1 Peter 2:1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
• Matthew 7:1“Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
• Luke 6:37“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
• Romans 2:1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
• Romans 14:3The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them.
• 1 Corinthians 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
• Romans 7:7What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”
• James 1:22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
• Romans 2:13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.

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