Tiago 4
John Gill · Citado em PreceptAustin
Tiago 4:5
Gill explains that it "seems best of all to conclude that the apostle has no regard to any one particular passage of Scripture, in which the following words are expressly had, since no such passage appears; but that his meaning is, the sense of the Scripture everywhere, where it speaks of this matter, is to this purpose: nor does it say this, or any thing else in vain; whatever is written there is to answer some end, as for learning, edification, and comfort, for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness." (Gill's Expositional Notes) Hiebert goes on to add that "When the first part of Jas 4:5 is accepted as a separate question, by (his use of the phrase) the Scripture James is seen to refer to the teaching of the Scriptures as a whole, which supports the truth already declared in Jas 4:4, that man cannot love both God and the world at the same time. If the readers are prone to question the truth of what James had just said, as might be implied from their conduct, does that mean that they regard the teaching of Scripture—that worldliness and godliness cannot exist together—as without abiding authority? We accept the rendering of the ASV which makes two sentences of verse 5, as the most probable solution. (James - Highly Recommended) No purpose (2756) (kenos) means literally to be without something material and thus means empty or without content. It was used with the literal meaning (as in Mk 12:3 "they took him and beat him and sent him away empty handed"). Figuratively, kenos refers to endeavors, labors, acts, which result in nothing and thus are vain, fruitless, without effect and will not succeed. Kenos can also refer to that which is devoid of intellectual, moral, or spiritual value. It appears then that in the present passage James is asking his readers if they think the Scripture lacks effectiveness, is useless, is of no purpose or is unable to produce results. When the passage is read in this way, it becomes essentially a rebuke to the readers. He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us: pros phthonon epipothei (3SPAI) to pneuma o katokisen (3SAAI) en hemin: Genesis 4:5,6; 6:5; 8:21; 26:14; 30:1; 37:11; Nu 11:29; Ps 37:1; 106:16; Pr 21:10; Eccl 4:4; Isa 11:13; Acts 7:9; Ro 1:29; Titus 3:3 James 4 Resources Related Passages: Exodus 34:14 –for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God– Zechariah 8:2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion, yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her.’ 2 Corinthians 11:2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. Ezekiel 36:5-6 therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, “Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey.” 6 ‘Therefore, prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the ravines and to the valleys, “Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Behold, I have spoken in My jealousy and in My wrath because you have endured the insults of the nations.’ Genesis 2:7 Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. John 14:17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you. Romans 8:9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 1 Corinthians 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? Ezekiel 36:27 “And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. The interpretation of the latter portion of James 4:5 is even more difficult than the first section and there is no clear consensus. There are at least 4 points of difficulty: (1) Is the word spirit the subject or the object of the main verb desires? (2) Is the spirit to be written with a little or big "s"? In other words is James referring to the Holy Spirit (which would be his only reference in the book) or to the spirit of man? (3) Is the phrase jealously desires to be understood in a good or bad sense? (4) Finally, is James making a statement or asking a question? In the Greek this sentence begins with the preposition pros which generally describes direction toward and in this case would describe the direction toward which the jealousy (or envy) is directed. For example, the NIV renders this phrase "tends toward envy" while the New English Bible renders it "turns towards envious desires". One can readily see from these renderings that jealously desires has a negative connotation and this would indicate the passage could hardly refer to the Holy Spirit! One wordsmith, Bishop Trench, in fact has written (somewhat dogmatically) of phthonos (see below) that it "is used always and only in an evil signification." To reiterate, if one interprets jealously in this way, the NAS rendering would be difficult to accept (but see discussion under jealously). The KJV marginal reading is not far from the NAS, reading "the Spirit that dwelt in us loveth us to jealousy" (Jas 4:5, KJV, marginal reading) Jealously (5355) (phthonos) in most NT uses describes not just wanting what another person has, but also resenting that person for having it. Phthonos thus is generally given a negative connotation in biblical usage. Carson says that phthonos was occasionally used in secular Greek to describe "the jealous feeling of a lover towards a rival." Such a meaning would be compatible with the NAS interpretation that it is the Spirit of God Who jealously desires. Hiebert adds that "the nouns phthonos [envy] and zelos [zeal, jealousy] were sometimes used interchangeably. "Phthonos was occasionally used in Greek writers of the jealousy of the Olympian gods," (Douglas Moo - "The Letter of James") and both terms were "often used for the `jealousy' of God (1Mac. 8:16; T Sim. 4.5; T. Gad. 7.2; 1 Clem. 3.2; 4.7; 5.2)." (Ralph Martin, Word Biblical Commentary) So understood, the expression (jealously desires, NAS) could be used to describe God's unwillingness to share man's affections with the world (Ed: The affection for which James has just warned his readers in Jas 4:4+). (James - Highly Recommended) Dobson, et al write that pros phthonos "when taken adverbially, “the Spirit that dwells in us lusts jealously,” speaks of divine jealousy, a familiar doctrine to these Jews (Ex 20:5; 34:14; Zech 8:2). (Online KJV Bible Commentary) Desires (1971) (epipotheo from epi = intensifies + potheo = to yearn) means to have a strong desire for something, with implication of need. It mean to long for, have great affection for, yearn for someone or something. The present tense indicates this strong desire is continual. Epipotheo is used elsewhere in the NT always to express longing in a good sense and not to express an evil desire (See the 9 NT uses: Ro 1:11; 2Co 5:2; 9:14; Php 1:8; 2:26; 1Th3:6; 2Ti 1:4; Jas 4:5; 1Pe 2:2). Ropes remarks that epipotheo was even used to describe "the longing affection of the lover." (cp uses of epipotheo in the Lxx - Ps 42:1, Ps 119:20, 131) The Greek scholar A T
Tiago 4:6
Gill - God resisteth the proud: or scorns the scorners; he rejects them that trust in themselves that they are righteous, and despise others; that say, Stand by thyself, I am holier than thou; that are proud of themselves, their enjoyments, their gifts, their external righteousness, and holiness, and are full, and rich, and increased with goods, and stand in need of nothing; these he opposes, he sets himself against, he thrusts them away from him, he sends them away empty, and scatters them in the imagination of their own hearts; and in the things in which they deal proudly, he is above them; he sits in the heavens and laughs at them, and frustrates all their schemes: Matthew