James 4:8–10
James: draw near to God and he will draw near to you
Study it word by word8Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into gloom.
10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
In its context
6But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says, God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
7Submit then to God. And resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
…
11Do not speak against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12There is one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Its words in the original
- ἐγγίσατεengisate· come near
Come near, draw near; be at hand.
- θεῷtheōi· God, god
God. In the plural or in another sense, "gods".
- καθαρίσατεkatharisate· cleanse, purify
To cleanse, purify; of a leper, to heal him and declare him clean.
- χεῖραςcheiras· hand
Hand.
- ἁμαρτωλοίhamartōloi· sinner
Sinner; in the Pharisees' mouth, someone who did not keep the law.
- ἁγνίσατεhagnisate· purify
Purify; purify oneself according to the law in order to take part in worship.
- καρδίαςkardias· heart
Heart: the center of the person, where one thinks, feels and decides.
- δίψυχοιdipsychoi· double-minded
Double-minded: divided between two minds, wavering.
- ταλαιπωρήσατεtalaipōrēsate· be miserable
Be miserable, feel one's wretchedness; suffer hardship.
- πενθήσατεpenthēsate· mourn
Mourn, grieve for the dead or for a loss.
- κλαύσατεklausate· weep
Weep, cry.
- γέλωςgelōs· laughter
Laughter.
- πένθοςpenthos· mourning
Mourning, grief.
- χαρὰchara· joy
Joy, gladness.
- κατήφειανkatēpheian· gloom
Gloom, dejection.
- ταπεινώθητεtapeinōthēte· humble, bring low
Humble, bring low, abase; humble oneself, make oneself small.
- ἐνώπιονenōpion· before, in front of
In front of, in the presence of.
- κυρίουkyriou· Lord, lord
Lord, master, owner. Said of God, the Lord; in Old Testament quotations it stands for the name YHWH.
- ὑψώσειhypsōsei· lift up
Lift up, raise high; exalt.