James 2:1

James 2:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
• New International Version (NIV)My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.
• English Standard Version (ESV)My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
• New King James Version (NKJV)My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.

Context of James 2:1

My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others? 2For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes. 3If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well,

James 2:1 word by word

Ἀδελφοί μου, μὴ ἐν προσωπολημψίαις ἔχετε τὴν πίστιν τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῆς δόξης.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Myἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
• haveἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• notμήmē · notG3361
• the faithὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
• Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• of gloryδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
• withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• respect of personsπροσωποληψίαprosōpolēpsia · favoritismG4382

Cross-references for James 2:1

• Acts 20:21I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.
• Acts 24:24A few days later Felix came back with his wife, Drusilla, who was Jewish. Sending for Paul, they listened as he told them about faith in Christ Jesus.
• Colossians 1:4For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people,
• 1 Timothy 1:19Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.
• 2 Peter 1:1This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.
• Revelation 14:12This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.
• Psalms 24:7Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter.
• 1 Corinthians 2:8But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.
• Hebrews 1:3The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.
• James 2:3If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well,
• James 3:17But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and the fruit of good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.
• Leviticus 19:15“Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.
• Deuteronomy 1:17and impartial in your judgments. Hear the cases of those who are poor as well as those who are rich. Don’t be afraid of anyone’s anger, for the decision you make is God’s decision. Bring me any cases that are too difficult for you, and I will handle them.’
• Deuteronomy 16:19You must never twist justice or show partiality. Never accept a bribe, for bribes blind the eyes of the wise and corrupt the decisions of the godly.
• 2 Chronicles 19:7Fear the Lord and judge with integrity, for the Lord our God does not tolerate perverted justice, partiality, or the taking of bribes.”
• Proverbs 24:23Here are some further sayings of the wise: It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.

Commentaries on James 2:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1My brethren, have not - This verse should be read interrogatively: My brethren, do ye not make profession of the faith or religion of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with acceptance of persons? That is, preferring the rich to the poor merely because of their riches, and not on account of any moral excellence, personal piety, or public usefulness. , faith, is put here for religion; and , of glory, should, according to some critics, be construed with it as…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1My brethren - Perhaps meaning brethren in two respects - as Jews, and as Christians. In both respects the form of address would be proper. Have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ - Faith is the distinguishing thing in the Christian religion, for it is this by which man is justified, and hence, it comes to be put for religion itself. Notes, 1 Timothy 3:9. The meaning here is, “do not hold such views of the religion of Christ, as to lead you to manifest…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Chapter Outline All professions of faith are vain, if not producing love and justice to others. (1-13) The necessity of good works to prove the sincerity of faith, which otherwise will be of no more advantage than the faith of devils. (14-26) Verses 1-13 Those who profess faith in Christ as the Lord of glory, must not respect persons on account of mere outward circumstances and appearances, in a manner not agreeing with their profession of being disciples…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1My brothers (Greek adelphoi): The Greek word here means members of the same family. In this case, it refers to fellow Christians of either sex. James often starts a new section with this loving greeting, seeking their loyal response (1:2, 16; 2:14; 3:1; 5:7, 19). James contrasts our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with the glory of a well-dressed man (2:2). The glory of Christ includes his resurrection from the dead, his exalted position in heaven, and his…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-26James illustrates "the perfect law of liberty" (Jas 1:25) in one particular instance of a sin against it, concluding with a reference again to that law (Jas 2:12, 13). 1. brethren--The equality of all Christians as "brethren," forms the groundwork of the admonition. the faith of ... Christ--that is, the Christian faith. James grounds Christian practice on Christian faith. the Lord of glory--So 1Co 2:8. As all believers, alike rich and poor, derive all…Read the comment

Topics related to James 2:1

• Commandments
• Faith
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Respect of Persons
• Worldliness

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• Jesus Christ
• Respect of Persons
• Convince
• Dead
• Draw
• Justify

Commentaries on James 2

• 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