James 4:5

◄Surely you remember that God told us in the Scriptures that he eagerly desires that his Spirit, who lives in us, will help us to love God only!/Do you think that it is for no reason that God told us in the Scriptures that he strongly desires that his Spirit, who lives in us, will help us to love God only?► [RHQ] God has a reason for desiring that.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

In Context

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.

6It is because he is kind to us and he wants very much to help us. That is why ◄someone said/ King Solomon wrote► in the Scriptures, “God opposes those who are proud, but he helps those who are humble.”

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Cross References

Genesis 6:5Yahweh saw that people on the earth had become very wicked, and that everything they thought about evil things continually.

Genesis 26:14He had large herds of sheep and goats and cattle, and many slaves. Because of that, the Philistine people envied him.

Genesis 37:11Joseph’s older brothers were furious/angry with him, but his father just kept thinking about what the dream meant.

Numbers 11:29But Moses/I replied, “◄Are you worried that they might injure my reputation/Do you think that I want to be the only one who prophesies► [RHQ]? I wish that all Yahweh’s people could ◄prophesy/speak messages from Yahweh►. I wish that Yahweh would give the power of his Spirit to all of them!”

Psalms 106:16Later when some of the men became jealous of Moses and his older brother Aaron, who was dedicated to serve Yahweh by being a priest,

Ecclesiastes 4:4I also thought about all the hard work that people do and the skills that they have. And I thought about how they compete with each other because they are envious of others, and I concluded that this also is something that is not accomplishing anything useful, like chasing the wind.

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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