The Pulpit Commentary — James — Section 62

Ver. 7.-ReRd, but rwt, eto. (&,,.,-/cr,.11.-. "One only ie the Lawgiver e.nd Judge:" the 3,), N, A, B, Coptic, Vulgate. le.et words, ,cul ,cp,.-,i,s, omitted in the Reoeived Ver. 8.-Draw nigh to God (lyylcra,., ...,; Text, being found in N, A, B, and most 8,q,). A phrase used of e.pproe.ch to God versions, the Latin, Syriac, e.nd Ooptio. In under the old oovene.nt (see Exod. xix. 22; the last clause also the Received Toxt xi:xiv. 30; Lev. x. 3). Eque.lly neces8ary requires correction. Read, :I/, 1$~ .-ls ,I (insert under the new covenant is it for those who 3,, N, A, B, L, K, Latin, Syrlao, Ooptio) 6 dnw near to God to have "clean hands and rcplv&>v ... ~., ..-'A.-1,"'°" (N, A, B), a pure heart" (Ps. xxiv. 4). Hence the Vere. 18-17.-DENUNOIATION 01' OVER- following injunc-tion : "Cleanse your he.ode, WEENING 0oNFIDENOBI IN OUB OWN PLAlll ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye AND OUB ABILITY TO PBIBFORH THRM, double-minded." Ver. 18.-Go to; • A-y,, properly, the im- Yer. 9.-St. James's version of" Blessed perative, but here used adverbially, a are t!Jey that mourn: for they she.11 be usage common in Greek prose, e.nd found comforted" (Matt. v. 4). Be aftlioted. again in eh. v. 1. (For the word, comp. Ta>..a,..-o,p-1,craT•: only here in the New Testa- Judg. xix. 6; 2 Kings iv. 24; and for similar ment, occasionnJly in the LXX. :e:eavi- instances of the singular where more than nus. KaT1)(/><1a: another /i,ra{ 'A..-y&µ,11011, one person is referred to, see W etstein, vol. ii. apparently never found in the LXX. or p. 676.) The Received Text (Stephens) in the apostolic Fo.thers ; it is, however, requires some correction in this verse. used by Josephns and Philo. It is equiva- Read, crfiµ•po11 f) allp,011 with N, B: the futures lent to "dejection," and " exe.ctly describes 'ltop•6croµ•0a, 'lto1-/,1Toµ•11, lµwop,v<Tdµ,6~ and the attitude of the publioan, who would not ,c,p8-l,croµ& (B, Latt., Syrie.c) instead of the lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, 1Ubjunctives; and omiU11aafterl11,aw611, with Luke xnii. 13" (Plumptre). N, B, Latl, Coptic. Continue there a year ; Ver. 10.-:e:umble yourselves, eto. A rather, spend a year there, /111awo11 being further parallel with our Lord's· teaching, the object of the verb and not the aocnsative St. James's words being perhaps suggested of duration. For ,ro«i11, used of time, of. by the saying recorded in Matt. x.riii. 12, Acts xv. 83; xviii. 23; :u:. 3; 2 Cor. xi. 25. "Whosoever shall humble himself shall be The Le.tins use facio in the same way: e.g. e:rol.ted " ( b,j,w0-l,cr..,-a,, e.e here, " He shall Cicero,' Ad Attic.,' v. xx, "Ape.mea quinque lift you up," b,j,wu<1). In the Bight of the dies morati . . . Iconii decem fecimue." Lord (b,w,rwv Kvplov). The article (Toii) in Ver. 14 fortifies the rebuke of ver.18 by the Received Text is certainly wrong. It is showing the folly of their action ; of. Prov. wanting in N, A, B, K.. The anarthrons nvii. 1, "Boast not thyself of to-morrow (Ta K6pws i1l used by St. James here and in eh. •is allpwv), for thou lmowestnot what ade.y v. 4, 10 (with which contro.st ver. 14), and may bring forth." Whereas ye know not; 11, as equivalent to the "Jehovah" of the rather, ,eeing that, or, inaamuch a, ye know not, Old Testament, which is represented in the etc. (of,.,.,,. oil,c i1rl1TTacr6,). The text in this LXX. by K6pws without the article. verse a.gain in a somewhat disorge.nized con- Vers. 11, 12.-Waming against censorioua dition, but the general drift is clear. We depreciation of other,. should probably read, or,.,v•s a~" l,r{<T,.a1T60 Ver.11.-Spea.knotevil. KaTa'A.a'A.,iv: only -ro T;js allpwv· 1r0la 11 (w~ ,J~,,; l.Tµls -ya.p ICT'T•,; here and I Pet. ii 12 ; iii. 16. V ulga.te, ..-pbr o>J-yo11 (/>a1110µ<1/T/ t.,, ..,.a real cl(/>a11,(oµl1171, detrahere. But the context shows that the R.V., "Whereas ye know not what shall be writt:r is thinking rather of hanh censorions on the morrow. What is your life? For ye judging. R.V., "Speak not one against a.re e. vapour that appeareth for e. little time another." Andjndgeth; rather, or judgeth; '1 e.nd then vanisheth away." (1t,A,B, Vulgate, Syrie.c, Coptic)for,cal of the Ver. 15.-For that Ja ought to ■ay (&.,.,.1 Telttns Receptue. Spea.keth evil of the law. Toii 'A.l-y,w); literally, instead of your aaying; What law? According to Dean Plumptre, c1;.,,.1 Toii, with the infinitive, "Blllpe apud "the royal law of Christ, which forbids Grmcos " (Grimm). This verse follows in judging (Matt. vii. 1-5)." Alford: "The thought on ver. 13, ver. 14 having been le.w of Christian life: the old moral La.w, parenthetice.l. "Go to now, ye that s11y. , , glorified and amplified by Christ: the 11&µor instead of your saying (a1 ye ought), If the fJa,rtAJ.,cos of eh. ii 8; vOJI.Os Tijs i'A.<vB,pltis Lord will," etc. Once more the text of eh. i. 25." Buther: " the law of Christian requires correction, as the futures (,j1Toµu, life which, according to its contentB, ia none and ,ro,-1,uoµ,v should be read (with N, A, B), other than the law of love." instead of the subjunctives of the Received Ver. 12.-To play the part of e. censor is Text. It is genero.lly agreed now the.t the to BIIHume the office of a judge. But this is verse should be rendered, " If the Lord will, un office which belongs to God and not to we shall both live and da,this or tbe.t." J"an (cf. Rom. xiv. 3, 4). The first words of But it is possible to divide it differently, ,1;., \'1;:rse should be rendered e.s follow•: and to render as follows : " If the Lord .,.,ni, Oit. lV. 1-17.j THE GENERAL EPISTLE OF JAMES. 57