James 4:1

Now I will tell you why you are fighting among yourselves and quarreling with each other [RHQ]. It is [RHQ] because each of you wants to do evil things [PRS]. You keep on wanting to do things that are not what God wants you to do.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

In Context

2There are things that you very much desire to have, but you do not get those things, so you want to kill [HYP] those who hinder you from getting them. You desire what other people have, but you are unable to get what you desire, so you quarrel and fight with one another [HYP]. You do not have what you desire because you do not ask God for it.

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Cross References

Jeremiah 17:9Human minds are extremely corrupt/deceitful, and you cannot change that. It is also completely impossible [RHQ] for anyone to understand that.

Mark 7:21Specifically, it is people’s innermost being that causes them to think things that are evil; they act immorally, they steal things, they commit murder.

Romans 7:5When our self-directed nature controlled us, desires that led us to sin were acting in our bodies. Those desires were increased because of our knowing God’s laws [PRS]. As a result we did evil things [IDM] that caused us to be separated from God.

Romans 8:7Let me explain this. To the extent that people [PRS] think about and are concerned about what their self-directed nature desires, they are acting contrary to God. They do not obey the laws of God. In fact, they are not even able to obey his laws.

Colossians 3:5Get rid of your evil practices/deeds [MET, MTY] as though they were enemies whom you were killing (OR, Stop doing evil things [MET, MTY], just as dead people do not do what is evil). Specifically, do not practice sexual immorality. Do not commit unnatural sexual acts. Do not desire to act like that, and do not desire to do anything that is evil. Do not desire to have more things than you need, because, if you do that, you are ◄worshipping material things instead of worshipping God/making material things to become your god►.

Titus 3:3Remind your congregations about these things because formerly we believers ourselves were also foolish, just like all people who do not believe in Christ are now. We did not obey ◄ God/God’s message►. We let others deceive us. We ◄spent all our time doing/continually did► what is evil and could not stop ourselves from doing all the things that our bodies liked [DOU]. We were ◄envying others/desiring to have what others have►. We were causing people to hate us and we were hating one another.

Matthew Henry on James 4:1

In this chapter we are directed to consider, I. Some causes of contention, besides those mentioned in the foregoing chapter, and to watch against them, ver. 1-5 . II. We are taught to abandon the friendship of this world, so as to submit and subject ourselves entirely to God, ver. 4-10 . III. All detraction and rash judgment of others are to be carefully avoided, ver. 11, 12 . IV. We must preserve a constant regard, and pay the utmost deference to the disposals of divine Providence, ver. 13, to the end . Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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