James 2:19

James 2:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
• New International Version (NIV)You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
• English Standard Version (ESV)You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
• New King James Version (NKJV)You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

Context of James 2:19

17So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. 18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe—and shudder! 20But do you want to know, you empty person, that faith without works is dead? 21Wasn’t Abraham our father proved righteous by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

James 2:19 word by word

σὺ πιστεύεις ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ θεός· καλῶς ποιεῖς· καὶ τὰ δαιμόνια πιστεύουσιν καὶ φρίσσουσιν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thouσύsu · youG4771
• believestπιστεύωpisteuō · to trust (in)G4100
• thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• there isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• thou doestποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• wellκαλῶςkalōs · wellG2573
• the devilsδαιμόνιονdaimonion · demonG1140
• alsoκαίkai · andG2532
• trembleφρίσσωphrissō · to shudderG5425

Cross-references for James 2:19

• Deuteronomy 6:4“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one .
• Isaiah 43:10“You are My witnesses” —it is a declaration of Adonai— “and My Servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me no God was formed, and there will none after Me.
• Isaiah 44:6Thus says Adonai, Israel’s King and his Redeemer, Adonai-Tzva’ot: “I am the first, and the last, and there is no God beside Me.
• Isaiah 45:6so they may know, from the rising to the setting of the sun, that there is no one besides Me. I am Adonai—there is no other.
• Isaiah 46:9Remember the former things of old: For I am God—there is no other. I am God, and there is none like Me—
• Zechariah 14:9Adonai will then be King over all the earth. In that day Adonai will be Echad and His Name Echad.
• Mark 12:29Yeshua answered, “The first is, ‘Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
• John 17:3And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Yeshua the Messiah, the One You sent.
• Romans 3:30Since God is One, He will set right the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
• 1 Corinthians 8:4Therefore concerning the eating of idol sacrifices, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one.
• Galatians 3:20Now an intermediary is not for one party alone—but God is one.
• Ephesians 4:5one Lord, one faith, one immersion;
• 1 Timothy 2:5For there is one God and there is one Mediator between God and men—a human, Messiah Yeshua,
• Jude 1:4For certain people have secretly slipped in—those who from long ago have been marked out for this judgment. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into indecency and deny our only Master and Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.
• James 2:8If, however, you fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well.
• Jonah 4:4Yet Adonai said, “Is it good for you to be so angry?”

Commentaries on James 2:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19Thou believest that there is one God - This is the faith in which these persons put their hope of pleasing God, and of obtaining eternal life. Believing in the being and unity of God distinguished them from all the nations of the world; and having been circumcised, and thus brought into the covenant, they thought themselves secure of salvation. The insufficiency of this St. James immediately shows. The devils also believe, and tremble - It is well to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 19Thou believest that there is one God - One of the great and cardinal doctrines of religion is here selected as an illustration of all. The design of the apostle seems to have been to select one of the doctrines of religion, the belief of which would - if mere belief in any doctrine could - save the soul; and to show that even this might be held as an article of faith by those who could be supposed by no one to have any claim to the name of Christian. He…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-26Verses 14-26 Those are wrong who put a mere notional belief of the gospel for the whole of evangelical religion, as many now do. No doubt, true faith alone, whereby men have part in Christ's righteousness, atonement, and grace, saves their souls; but it produces holy fruits, and is shown to be real by its effect on their works; while mere assent to any form of doctrine, or mere historical belief of any facts, wholly differs from this saving faith. A bare…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19that God is one (or there is one God): This is the core belief of Israel's faith (see Deuteronomy 6:4). the demons believe: They know there is one God, and he is their enemy (Mark 1:24).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. Thou--emphatic. Thou self-deceiving claimant to faith without works. that there is one God--rather, "that God is one": God's existence, however, is also asserted. The fundamental article of the creed of Jews and Christians alike, and the point of faith on which especially the former boasted themselves, as distinguishing them from the Gentiles, and hence adduced by James here. thou doest well--so far good. But unless thy faith goes farther than an…Read the comment

Topics related to James 2:19

• Demons
• Faith
• Fear of God
• Hypocrisy
• Religion
• Righteousness
• Works

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Convince
• Daemon
• Dead
• Draw
• Justify
• Offend
• Respect
• Rich

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