James 5:1–4
James warns the rich: the wages held back from workers cry out
Study it word by word1Come now, you rich, weep, wailing aloud over your miseries that are coming upon you.
2Your wealth has rotted, and your clothes have become moth-eaten.
3Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be a testimony against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have stored up treasure in the last days.
4Look, the wages of the workers who mowed your fields, withheld by you, cry out, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Tsevaot.
In its context
…
5You have lived in luxury on the earth and in self-indulgence; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
6You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous one; he does not oppose you.
Its words in the original
- ἌγεAge· lead, bring
Lead, bring, take along.
- πλούσιοιplousioi· rich
Rich; a rich person.
- κλαύσατεklausate· weep
Weep, cry.
- ὀλολύζοντεςololyzontes· wail
Wail, cry aloud in pain.
- ταλαιπωρίαιςtalaipōriais· misery
Misery, suffering, distress.
- ἐπερχομέναιςeperchomenais· come upon, arrive
Come upon, arrive; of an event, come upon someone, overtake; of a time, come.
- πλοῦτοςploutos· wealth
Riches, wealth.
- σέσηπενsesēpen· rot
Rot, decay.
- ἱμάτιαhimatia· cloak, clothes
Cloak, the outer garment; in the plural, clothes.
- σητόβρωταsētobrōta· moth-eaten
Moth-eaten.
- γέγονενgegonen· become, happen
Become, happen, come about; be born.
- χρυσὸςchrysos· gold
Gold; also things made of gold.
- ἄργυροςargyros· silver
Silver.
- κατίωταιkatiōtai· be corroded
Be corroded, rust.
- ἰὸςios· poison, rust
Poison, venom; also rust.
- μαρτύριονmartyrion· testimony, evidence
Testimony, evidence.
- ἔσταιestai· be
Be, exist.
- φάγεταιphagetai· eat
Eat.
- σάρκαςsarkas· flesh
Flesh: the body, and weak human nature; "flesh and blood", a human being with only human strength.
- πῦρpyr· fire
Fire.
- ἐθησαυρίσατεethēsaurisate· store up
Store up, lay up treasure, keep.
- ἐσχάταιςeschatais· last
Last.
- ἡμέραιςhēmerais· day
Day. "In the days of" someone: in their time.
- μισθὸςmisthos· wages, reward
Pay, wages; reward.
- ἐργατῶνergatōn· worker, laborer
Worker, laborer, especially a hired worker in the fields; also one who does something.
- ἀμησάντωνamēsantōn· mow, reap
Mow, reap a field.
- χώραςchōras· region, country
Region, country; countryside, field.
- κράζειkrazei· cry out
Shout, cry out.
- βοαὶboai· cry
Cry, outcry.
- θερισάντωνtherisantōn· reap, harvest
Reap, harvest.
- ὦταōta· ear
Ear.
- ΚυρίουKyriou· Lord, lord
Lord, master, owner. Said of God, the Lord; in Old Testament quotations it stands for the name YHWH.
- ΣαβαὼθSabaōth· Tsevaot
Tsevaot: a Hebrew word, "of armies", in the title of God, "the Lord Tsevaot"; Greek writes it "Sabaoth".
- εἰσεληλύθασινeiselēlythasin· enter, go in
Enter, go in, come in.