14
you whoοἵτινεςdo notοὐκknowἐπίστασθεwhatτὸtomorrowτῆς αὔριονwill bring.Whatποίαisyour life?ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶνForγάρyou areἐστεa vaporἀτμὶςthatἡappearsφαινομένηforπρὸςa little whileὀλίγονand thenἔπειτα καὶvanishes.ἀφανιζομένη
James 4:14
Study it in the app“you who do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”
James says no one knows what tomorrow will bringDeath and Eternal Life
With the Greek beneath
James 4:14, word by word
- knowἐπίστασθεepistasthe
understand
Understand, know.
Where else “epistasthe” appears- tomorrowαὔριονaurion
tomorrow
Tomorrow, the next day.
Where else “aurion” appears- Whatποίαpoia
what kind of?
Which? what kind of?
Where else “poia” appears- your lifeζωὴzōē
eternal life
What God gives to live with him without end.
Where else “zōē” appears- you areἐστεeste
be
To be: says who or what something is.
Where else “este” appears- a vaporἀτμὶςatmis
vapor
Vapor, mist, a cloud of smoke.
Where else “atmis” appears- appearsφαινομένηphainomenē
appear
To be seen, show itself.
Where else “phainomenē” appears- a little whileὀλίγονoligon
briefly
For a little while, in few words.
Where else “oligon” appears- and thenἔπειταepeita
then, afterward
Then, afterward.
Where else “epeita” appears- vanishesἀφανιζομένηaphanizomenē
vanish
Pass out of sight, be lost.
Where else “aphanizomenē” appears
The context
13Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit,
14 · This verse (above)
15Instead of your saying, If the Lord wills, we will both live and do this or that.
To study James 4 in a group
1. What it says
Where does James say the fights and quarrels among you come from (v. 1-3)?
2. What it means
James says "draw near to God, and he will draw near to you" (v. 8). What other instructions does he give around that phrase (v. 7-10)?
3. How I live it
James invites us to make plans saying "if the Lord wills" (v. 15). What plan of yours today can you put in God's hands?