Bible Commentaries
James 5

Verses 1-20

V:1-6 Woe to the Rich— We have here a prophetic denunciation of the rich as a class, beginning with a call to attention: ’See here now, ye rich’. The warning is given, probably not to wealthy Christians, but to such men as make the quest of riches their chief aim in life. They may seem prosperous and happy to the casual observer, but in reality their lot is such as will make them weep and howl.

2. The riches they accumulated with so much toil and care, and from which they promised themselves so much, will soon crish through the most insignificant agencies of nature. 3. They will lose what they treasured so highly, and a pain as severe as fire will be the remorse brought on by the guilt incurred in accumulating their wealth. On the day of judgement they will perish with their wealth. 4-6. Three reasons are indicated for this severe judgement: first, injustice was practised in acquiring riches, e.g. wages were withheld from labourers; secondly, wealth was abused in the pursuit of pleasures and luxury. With a threat of judgement hanging over their heads, they lived like senseless cattle, that continue to graze peacefully till the hour of slaughter. Thirdly, they condemned and put to death inoffensive men, who offered no resistance. Not our Lord, but his persecuted followers, are the objects of this injustice.

7-11 Comfort for the Oppressed— The victims of the rich, and all who suffer the trials of life, are now exhorted to wait with trustful patience and submission the arrival of the day of deliverance, termed ’the day of the coming of the Lord’. The reference seems to be to the coming of the Son of Man about which the disciples asked Christ on Mount Olivet, Matthew 24:1-42. eternal salvation; hence, we may rightly infer that it The prophecy uttered on that occasion was partly fulfilled when the Romans captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish temple. This happened so short a time after this letter was written, that the Apostle could say: ’the coming of the Lord is at hand’. The complete fulfilment must await the day of final judgement, when all wrong will be righted, all patient endurance rewarded, cf. §§ 670-1.

9. ’Murmur not, brethren, one against another’: that would be yielding to impatience and irritability, and might lead to recriminations and rash judgements, to merit a severe sentence from the righteous Judge, who is so near that he seems to be standing at the door.

10-11. Seek encouragement from the example of the OT prophets and Job, who endured so much in the proper spirit, and were liberally rewarded for their conduct.

12 Avoid Swearing— Oaths are not forbidden in court, or on other solemn occasions; but swearing in common conversation, or for trifling matters, is sinful, and must be avoided by Christians, whose simple word should be enough to vouch for the truth of what is said.

13-18 Occasions for Prayer— Many are the vicissitudes of life. Prayer is the first and best remedy for any person suffering from sadness and desolation. It is not easy to pray at such times, but to do so furnishes speedy relief. If, on the contrary, one is in a happy mood, let him praise God in song. Just as prayer saves a man from despair in time of desolation, so prayer will rescue him from pride in time of consolation. 14. When a serious bodily ailment confines one to bed, ’let him call the priests of the church’, says the Apostle. ’They are to pray over the sick man, and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord’. That there is question here of the religious rite of Extreme Unction, and not a corporal remedy only, may be gathered from the fact that ’the priests of the church’, and not a physician, are called; that the anibinting is carried out ’in the name of the Lord’, i.e. with the power and the authority conferred by the Lord; that it is intimately related to ’the prayer of faith’, i.e. the prayer said by the priests in the name of the Church, not the prayer of the sick man. 15. As a result of the prayer and the anointing, God ’shall save the sick man, and raise him up; and if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him’. What is the meaning of these three phrases? ’Save’ occurs 1:21; 2:14; 4:12 and 5:20 in the sense of acquiring has that meaning here. ’To raise up’ means that, in addition to spiritual succour, God will restore the sick man to health, if he sees fit. Forgiveness of sins, the third effect mentioned, seems to indicate that the spiritual result to be obtained is the main purpose for administering the rite. For a further explanation cf. § 946c.

There is considerable difference of opinion about the meaning of 16. ’Therefore’ which is found in the oldest MSS seems to join this admonition to the preceding one; yet it is hard to see what connexion a mutual confession of sins has with the anointing of the sick. Perhaps ’therefore’ has reference to the next clause, ’pray for one another’ as Camerlynck, 72, suggests. Then the sense would be: If the prayer of faith over the sick, together with the anointing, is able to save the sick man; and ’if he be in sins, they shall be forgiven him’, then it is expedient to ’pray one for another that you may be saved’, i.e. eternally. For the purpose of convincing one another of the need of mutual prayer, a mutual confession of sin is recommended. Older interpreters, like St Thomas, S. T. Suppl. q. 6, a. 6, and St Robert Bellarmine, De Poenit. lib. 3, c. 4; regard this passage as an exhortation to sacramental confession, thereby assigning a very restricted meaning to the phrase, ’confess your sins one to another’, namely, confession of sins to a delegated priest. Interpreters, who defend this restricted meaning, cite as examples, Romans 15:7; 1 Thes 5:11; Ephesians 5:21. In these passages, they claim, the restricted meaning of’ one another’ is borne out by the context. But only the last instance allows such a meaning, and it is doubtful whether it ’may be applied in the present context.

17. In order to encourage the practice of mutual prayer, St James calls attention to the efficacy of a just man’s prayer, and cites as an outstanding example the results obtained by the prophet Elias, 3 Kg 17 and 18. /par/par19-20 Conclusion— The Epistle ends with a final recommendation to work for the conversion of the erring brethren, promising as a reward for such zeal a full remission of sins a final salvation.