James 4:5

Whether ye guess, that the scripture saith vainly, (or Do ye think, that the Scripture saith emptily, or for no purpose), The spirit that dwelleth in you, coveteth to envy?

Wycliffe Modern Spelling

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

4Adulterers, know not ye, that the friendship of this world is enemy to God? [+or that the friendship of this world is enmity to God?] (or that friendship with this world, or love of or for this world, is enmity to God?) Therefore whoever will be the friend of this world, is made the enemy of God.

6But he giveth the more grace; for which thing he saith, God withstandeth proud men, but to meek men he giveth grace, (or God opposeth the proud, but he giveth grace to the humble).

Read all of James 4

Cross References

Genesis 6:5Soothly God saw that much malice of men was in [the] earth, and that all the thought of their heart was attentive, either given (over), to evil in all time, (And God saw that there was much malice in people on the earth, and that all the thoughts of their hearts were given over to evil all the time,)

Genesis 26:14Also he had possessions of sheep and of great beasts, and full much of menials. For this thing Palestines had envy to him, (And he had possessions of sheep and of great beasts, and many servants and slaves. And because of this, the Philistines envied him,)

Genesis 37:11Therefore his brethren had envy to him. Forsooth the father beheld privily the thing, (And so his brothers envied him, but his father privately considered it all.)

Numbers 11:29And Moses said, What, hast thou envy for me? who giveth, whether not God, that all the people prophesy, and that God give his spirit to them? (And Moses said, Why, hast thou envy for me? O that God would give his spirit to everyone, and make all the people prophesy!)

Psalms 106:16And they wrathed (against) Moses in the castles; (and against) Aaron, the holy (man) of the Lord. (And they envied Moses in their tents; and also Aaron, the holy man of the Lord.)

Ecclesiastes 4:4Again I beheld all the travails of men, and busynesses; and I perceived that those be open to [the] envy of the neighbour; and therefore in this is vanity, (or and so this is emptiness and futility), and superfluous busyness.

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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