James 4:3

And even when you do ask him, he does not give you what you ask for because you are asking for the wrong reason. You are asking for things in order that you may use them just to ◄enjoy yourselves/make yourselves happy►.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

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.

4Like a woman who is unfaithful to her husband, you are being unfaithful to God and not obeying him any more [MET]. Those who are behaving as evil people do [MTY] (OR, Those who love the evil pleasures of this world) are hostile toward God. Perhaps you do not realize that [RHQ]. So those who decide to act as evil people do [MTY] become enemies of God.

Read all of James 4

Cross References

Job 27:8When it is time for God to get rid of godless/wicked people and to cause them to die, there is absolutely nothing good [RHQ] that they can confidently expect to happen to them.

Psalms 18:41They called out for someone to help them, but no one saved them.

Proverbs 1:28Wisdom also says, “When foolish people call to me to help them, I will not answer them. They will search for me diligently/everywhere, but they will not find me.

Proverbs 21:13There are people who refuse to listen when poor people cry out for help; but some day they themselves will cry out for help, and no one will hear them.

Isaiah 1:15So, when you lift up your hands when you pray to me, I will not even look at you. Even if you pray to me very frequently, I will not listen to you, because it is as though your hands are covered with the blood of people whom you have killed.

Jeremiah 11:14Jeremiah, do not pray for these people, and do not plead with me to rescue them. If you plead with me, I will not pay attention; and if they cry out to me for help when they are in distress, I will not listen to them.”

Matthew Henry on James 4:2-11

Origin of War and Contention; Against Pride; Submission to God. ( a. d. 61.) 1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 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. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever… Read the whole commentary →

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