James 4:2

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:1-10

James 4:1-2 Samuel : . The climax of the last paragraph leads to a diagnosis of the disease that poisoned quarrelsome Jewish communities. Faction fights were the logical outcome of unbridled passions; they “ campaign against man’ s self” ( 1 Peter 2:11), and weaken his power of control. James 4:2 is best rendered, “ You covet, and miss what you want— then you murder. Aye, you are envious and cannot get your desire— then you fight and wage war.” It is hard to see how faction that would not... read more

Matthew Poole

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible - James 4:2

Ye lust; passionately and greedily desire. And have not; either soon lose, or rather cannot get, what ye so lust after. Ye kill; some copies have it, ye envy, and many suppose that to be the better reading, as agreeing with the context, and with James 3:14; envy being the cause of strife there, and joined with emulation, or a desire of having, here. We read it according to other copies, ye kill, which, if he speaketh of wars in a proper sense, James 4:1, was, no doubt, the effect of them; and... read more

Joseph Exell

Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary - James 4:1-4

THE LOWER AND THE HIGHER LIFECRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTESJames 4:1. Lusts.—Pleasures, but viewed on their evil side. Desires that are ill regulated. Compare 1 Peter 2:11; Romans 7:23. Evidently James was much distressed by the strife of parties, and the personal quarrellings, in the Jewish communities. Disputing was a besetting sin of the Jewish race. Members.—Organs of sense and action. “The conflict within, in which the evil passion gets the mastery, causes a predisposition to contention,... read more

Chuck Smith

Chuck Smith Bible Commentary - James 4:1-17

Chapter 4This chapter could be entitled how to win friends and influence people. Guard your tongue, bring your tongue under control, use it for good, use it to encourage to build up, don't use it to tear down, to destroy, to cut, to hurt. Your wisdom, let it be Godly wisdom let it be demonstrated in your manner of life, that is your life let it be pure. Let your life be peaceable, merciful. Now this fruit of righteousness that we desire is actually sown in peace and that fruit of righteousness... read more

Joseph Sutcliffe

Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments - James 4:1-17

James 4:1-2 . From whence come wars and fightings among you? St. James saw in the Spirit the bloody and cruel wars which would rise among christian powers, much the same as among the heathen. He had a clear conviction that the cause of wars is uniformly the same, namely, evil concupiscence, pride, avarice, revenge. The prophet Isaiah assigns the same reason for all wars, the pride of the human heart, Judah envying Ephraim, and Ephraim vexing Judah. Isaiah 11:13. He also adds the promise,... read more

Joseph Exell

The Biblical Illustrator - James 4:1-3

James 4:1-3From whence come wars and fightings?--Wars and fighting--whence they proceedI. THE QUESTION PROPOSED (James 4:1). We have no very particular information as to the nature of these contests, the parties by whom they were waged, or the matters to which they related. Able interpreters have connected them with the civil, political conflicts which agitated the Jewish people at this period of their history, and prepared the way for the memorable destruction which soon came on them at the... read more

John Trapp

John Trapp Complete Commentary - James 4:2

2 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. Ver. 2. Ye lust and have not ] viz. To the satisfying of your lusts; for that is an endless piece of work. Lust still cries Give, give; and is ever sick of a spiritual dropsy; the barren womb, the horseleech’s daughter, the grave, is nothing to this gulf, to this curse of unsatisfiableness. Because ye ask not ] He must be of a sedate spirit that prays to purpose.... read more

Samuel Bagster

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge - James 4:2

lust: James 5:1-Deuteronomy :, Proverbs 1:19, Ecclesiastes 4:8, Habakkuk 2:5, 1 Timothy 6:9, 1 Timothy 6:10 kill: or, envy because: James 1:5, Isaiah 7:12, Matthew 7:7, Matthew 7:8, Luke 11:9-1 Chronicles :, John 4:10, John 16:24 Reciprocal: Genesis 8:21 - the imagination Judges 12:1 - we will burn 1 Kings 3:11 - hast not 1 Kings 12:14 - My father made 1 Kings 21:6 - Because 2 Chronicles 10:14 - My father Psalms 78:18 - by asking meat Isaiah 43:22 - thou hast not Ezekiel 36:37 - I will yet... read more

John Wesley

Wesley's Explanatory Notes - James 4:2

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.Ye kill — In your heart, for "he that hateth his brother is a murderer." Ye fight and war - That is, furiously strive and contend.Ye ask not — And no marvel; for a man full of evil desire, of envy or hatred, cannot pray. read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - James 4:2

2. Ye lust Ye desire, crave. The objects of most of the verbs in the passage are to be supplied, the apostle leaving our minds to conceive how varied they are. Have not In spite of your craving and violent efforts to obtain. They desired wealth, but poverty was the order of the day. They desired domination, but were enslaved by the Romans. They desired emancipation, but every bloody effort led to a bloodier destruction. Kill In predatory assaults and political insurrections. Desire to... read more

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