1From where come disputes and from where come quarrels among you? Is it not from here — out of your passions that war in your members? [4:2] You desire and do not have; you murder and covet and are not able to obtain; you quarrel and wage war. You do not have because of your not asking. [4:3] You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, that you may spend it on your passions. [4:4] Adulteresses! Do you not know that the friendship of the world is hostility with God? Whoever therefore shall choose to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. [4:5] Or do you think that the Scripture speaks in vain? The Spirit that he made to dwell in us yearns to the point of envy — [4:6] but he gives greater grace. Therefore it says: "God opposes the proud, but to the humble he gives grace."
JAS 4:1-6
A Warning against Pride
In the world it was spoken into
In the Greco-Roman world, honor and social status were deeply tied to public reputation and material success. Disputes and quarrels often arose from competition for these limited resources, fueled by envy and desire . The term (pleasures) carried a negative connotation, associated with indulgence in sensual desires, which philosophers like the Stoics warned against as destructive to virtue. The accusation of 'adulteresses' draws on the Old Testament metaphor of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, framing their worldly desires as spiritual infidelity. The (world) here refers not to creation but to the human-centered system opposed to God’s purposes. The warning against 'friendship with the world' reflects the tension between aligning with societal norms and remaining loyal to God, a common theme in Jewish and early Christian thought. The passage critiques the pursuit of personal gain at the expense of communal harmony, a sharp rebuke in a culture where communal identity was paramount.
›See the receipts
How other translations render this
JAS 4:1
- KJV
- From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
- BSB
- What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Donʼt they come from the passions at war within you?
- Koinōnos
- From where come disputes and from where come quarrels among you? Is it not from here — out of your passions that war in your members?
JAS 4:2
- KJV
- Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
- BSB
- You crave what you do not have; you kill and covet, but are unable to obtain it. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask.
- Koinōnos
- You desire and do not have; you murder and covet and are not able to obtain; you quarrel and wage war. You do not have because of your not asking.
JAS 4:3
- KJV
- Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
- BSB
- And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.
- Koinōnos
- You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, that you may spend it on your passions.
JAS 4:4
- KJV
- Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
- BSB
- You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.
- Koinōnos
- Adulteresses! Do you not know that the friendship of the world is hostility with God? Whoever therefore shall choose to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
JAS 4:5
- KJV
- Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
- BSB
- Or do you think the Scripture says without reason that the Spirit He caused to dwell in us yearns with envy?
- Koinōnos
- Or do you think that the Scripture speaks in vain? The Spirit that he made to dwell in us yearns to the point of envy —
JAS 4:6
- KJV
- But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
- BSB
- But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Koinōnos
- but he gives greater grace. Therefore it says: "God opposes the proud, but to the humble he gives grace.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Where the historical framing draws from
- Josephus, AntiquitiesAntiquities 20.6.3
›Josephus, Antiquities Antiquities 20.6.3
“Now Cumanus, and the principal of the Samaritans, who were sent to Rome, had a day appointed them by the emperor whereon they were to have pleaded their cause about the quarrels they had one with another.”
Cited to ground: Disputes and quarrels often arose from competition for these limited resources, fueled by envy and desire .
Translator's notes
JAS 4:1
- passions:The word translated 'passions' here refers specifically to sensual desires or pleasures, often with a negative connotation of self-indulgence.
JAS 4:2
- you kill:The term translated 'you kill' is a strong word, meaning to murder, and implies intentional taking of life, not accidental death.
JAS 4:4
- adulterers —:The word translated 'adulterers' (feminine plural) is used metaphorically here to describe unfaithfulness to God, drawing on the Old Testament imagery of Israel as God's unfaithful bride.
- friendship:The word translated 'friendship' here refers to the 'world' in the sense of the fallen human system or society that is opposed to God, not merely social connections.