James

5:7-12

9. Instructions on general matters, 5:7-12

Patience in the face of suffering and oaths

Having addressed the heartless conduct of the rich, James now sets out to encourage those struggling through the difficulties of life by calling for patience and forbearance. "His words are intended to bring them comfort and encouragement in the humiliations they are suffering and the exasperation and resentment which they cannot but feel", Mitton.

The sayings stitched together in this thematic unit concerning patience do not develop a coherent argument, but together, do encourage the believer to pace their life in the sure knowledge of the coming day of glory.

Instruction #1, v7-8. "Encouragement to patience and constancy .... in view of the certainly and nearness of the coming of the Lord", Ropes.

makroqumhsate (makroqumew) aor. imp. "be patient" - Lit. "be long tempered", possibly meaning "endure", but also "patient" in the sense of waiting patiently on the Lord in humble dependence. The sense James intends is unclear, so possibly a combination of "long-tempered", Mayor, of putting up with a brother or sister, ie. "forbearance", and patiently waiting for something, ie. "endurance". So, an endurance that consists of both "patience and long-suffering", Johnson.

oun "then" - therefore. The word is possibly "therefore", ie. what follows is a deduction based on James' warning to the rich in v1-6, namely, that the rich will be judged, so therefore, the faithful poor should wait patiently for the Lord's vindication of their cause. Yet, as is so often the case in James, such conjunctions are often just used to ease the movement from one saying to another. "Arm yourselves with patience, my brothers", Cassirer.

adelfoi (oV) "brothers" - "Brothers and sisters in the Lord."

eJwV + gen. "until" - A temporal sense is best, rather than purpose.

thV parousiaV (a) gen. "coming" - appearing [of the Lord]. The arrival, revelation, appearing ... of an important person. The use of "coming" here is most likely of a coming in judgment (either of God or Jesus - "Lord" can mean either in James). Is this the coming of the Son of Man to the Ancient of Days in the heavenly realm? Such a coming inevitably involves the vindication of the faithful poor. Those who have argued that James is not a Christian book have noted that the language of the "Lord's coming" is simply Jewish and refers to the coming judgment.

ekdecetai (ekdecomai) pres. "waits" - awaits. The farmer waits patiently for the harvest. The present tense is used to express a genralization (gnomic), ie. all farmers do this.

timion adj. "valuable" - choice, precious

kapon (oV) "crop" - fruit. Crop, harvest, produce.

eJwV + subj. "until" - Forming an indefinite temporal clause.

labh/ (lambanw) subj. "it receives" - it may receive. The subject being the "land" rather than "crop" or "farmer".

proimon kai oyimon "the autumn and spring rains" - the early and late rain. "The seasonal rains to fall", TH. A Mediterranean climate receives most of its rain through winter into early Spring. The important rains are those that fall in late Spring as the crop is ripening, but this rainfall is precarious.

kai uJmeiV "you too" - and you. "You also" = "as the farmer is patient, so must you also be patient."

sthrixate (sthrizw) aor. imp. "stand firm" - establish, strengthen, make stable. In a figurative sense, "strengthen the heart." You too must "have an unwavering confidence", TH; be "stout-hearted", NEB.

oJti "because" - Introducing an explanatory (epexegetic) clause, so NIV, or possibly a noun clause "be certain in your hearts that the Lord's coming is near", Johnson.

hggiken (eggizw) perf. "is near" - has drawn near. "Is at hand", RSV, the Lord's coming will be soon. The same word is used in the gospel statement "the kingdom of God is at hand (near)."

Instruction #2, v9. "Encouragement ..... to mutual forbearance", Ropes. Of this verse which warns against grumbling, Dibelius notes that "this warning noticeably disrupts the continuity, since it has scarcely any material connection with the admonition to patience". This is somewhat harsh since a saying against grumbling fits a situation where patience is called for. In difficult times it is easy to turn on each other, cf. Moo.

mh stenazete (stenazw) pres. imp. "don't grumble" - do not groan. Having the object "each other" gives a sense of "murmur", "complain", "blame", rather than the primary sense of "groan", as in the groaning of creation under the weight of sin. The negation of a present tense indicates a call to cease doing something habitually.

iJna + subj. "so that [you may not]"- so that [not]. Forming a negated purpose clause, "so that you will not be judged."

idou "-" - behold. "See", NRSV; "watch out".

oJ krithV "the Judge" - Possibly still speaking in general terms of God, rather than Christ, particularly when James makes the point in 4:12 that there is only one Judge.

pro + gen. "at" - before. The Judge has already arrived at the city gate, that's how close he is, ie. it's five minutes to midnight.

Instruction #3, v10-11. "Encouragement to patience and constancy ........ in view of the great examples of the prophets and Job, and of their reward", Ropes.

labete (lambanw) imp. "as [an example]" - take, receive. Lit. "take an example", ie. consider, emulate, imitate; "remember the prophets", TEV.

uJpodeigma (a) "example" - Example, in the sense of a pattern or model to follow. "If you want a pattern", NEB.

kai "and" - and. Lit. "[suffering] and [patience]", although probably here epexegetic, where "patience" explains something of the "hardship", ie. "suffering in/with patience."

thV kakopaqiaV (a) "in the face of suffering" - of hardship, adversity, ill-treatment

touV profhtaV (hV) "prophets" - Again calling for patience, James draws on the example of the prophets who rested on the Lord's words through their suffering and did so patiently and expectantly.

en tw/ onomati kuriou "in the name of the Lord" - The prophets spoke on behalf of God and with his authority.

idou "as you know" - look, pay attention. The strength of the interjection is somewhat lost in most of the translations. James is making a point that carries an obvious conclusion, which point should be acted upon. "And remind yourselves, too, that ...", Cassirer.

makarizomen (makarizw) pres. "we consider blessed" - we call/reckon/count blessed/happy. "Remember, it is usually those who have patiently endured to whom we accord the word 'blessed'", Phillips.

touV uJpomeinantaV (uJpomenw) aor. part. "those who have persevered" - the ones having endured, remained patient in adverse circumstances. The participle functions as a substantive; "we consider happy the ones who stand steadfast, stand firm."

thn uJpomonhn IwB "Job's perseverance" - the endurance of Job. "The patience of Job", AV; "Job's patient endurance", Phillips. In his suffering, Job did not lose faith. Obviously, James is aware of Job's complaining, so his "endurance" here is not related to his complaining.

eidete (eidon oJraw) aor. "have seen" - you saw. "You know/understand." Some textual variants exist, eg. imperative and indicative "you see."

to teloV kuriou "what the Lord finally brought about" - the end from Lord. Either: i] A subjective genitive, taking "end" in the sense of "purpose", "the purpose of the Lord", NRSV. Job's suffering carried in it an intended divine purpose, namely, a deeper realization of God's person. ii] An objective genitive, taking "end" in the sense of "result," "outcome". The "outcome" was the restoration of Job's family and property, "how the Lord treated him in the end", NEB, ie. it all turned out for good. See Johnson for the range of possible meanings, p320, particularly the long-held view that "the end of the Lord" is a reference to Christ's death.

polusplagcnoV adj. "full of compassion" - full of tender compassion, kindness, pity, sympathy. Lit. "many inward parts / entrails", the stomach being the center of one's emotions.

Instruction #4, v12. Avoid giving oaths, rather let your yes be yes and your no be no. This saying stands on its own with only a limited thematic link with the previous verses. Possibly "James begins this final section of the letter with exhortations centering on the positive function of speech (plain talk, prayer, confessing, correction)", Johnson. James, as usual, stitches it to the preceding saying, again with de, but the link is superficial and simply provides a smooth entrance into the saying. There is, of course, a strong literary relationship between this saying and Matthew 5:34-37. Some argue that "above all" and the final warning of "condemnation" indicates that James knew he was quoting Jesus' words, but the issue is inconclusive, see Dibelius. The prohibition on taking oaths has legal implications and has prompted some believers to refuse to take an oath in a court of law. In many countries an affirmation of truth is allowed, but this option does not always exist. As to whether James is prohibiting all oaths remains an issue of contention.

pro pantwn "above all" - before all. "Before" in preferential terms, rather than temporal.

mh omnuete (omnw) pres. imp. "do not swear" - do not swear. Possibly "stop taking oaths", but better "do not take an oath". Mitton suggests that the issue here is honesty in speech. Lying was so prevalent that oath taking was necessary to gain the truth, but then it had itself become a means of supporting the lie. Such, of course, profanes the name of God. "When you make a promise you must not use an oath", Barclay.

mhte allon tina oJrkon "or anything else" - nor any other oath. Jesus had identified the hypocrisy of oath-taking that avoided the name of God by using some other important symbol to support the veracity of their statement. Here James gives a blanket direction, "do not take oaths at all."

htw (eimi) pres. imp. "let" - let be [your yes yes]. As noted above, commentators argue back and forth as to whether these words reflect the oral tradition recorded in Matthew's gospel. This does seem likely, but many commentators disagree, eg. Ropes, "unlikely and unnecessary". The point being made is simple enough, "our truthfulness should be so consistent and dependable that we need no oath to support it", Moo.

iJna mh + subj. "or" - lest [you fall under judgment]. Forming a negated purpose clause, "in order that you don't ..." Note the variant "lest you fall into hypocrisy". James is not slow in reminding his readers that we have to answer for our behavior; "for fear you draw down judgment on yourselves", REB.

James Introduction

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