The passage
      v13. The concluding words of this letter begin with a simple observation: the person who is suffering distress needs to commit their troubles to the Lord, while the person who is in good spirits needs to rejoice in the Lord. The troubles may range from inner distress to a misfortune like persecution. In the face of trouble it is easy to turn to either stoicism or righteous indignation, but James calls for prayer.
      v14. James now identifies one particular trouble, namely, sickness. Actually, the Greek word for "sick" means "weakness" or "incapacity" and it can be used of a physical weakness, an inner spiritual weakness, or mental weakness. Most commentators think James is addressing the issue of physical weakness and its cure through the prayer of faith, but in the wider context of his concluding words, it is clear he is concerned with a sickness of the soul, a soul entrapped by unconfessed sin. James' readers, who, having read his letter (or better, his sermon on Christian ethics), can now see their state of loss, "dragged away and enticed" "to sin (and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death)". The solution to this condition of loss is provided by the ministers of the church ("elders") who through the grace of prayer can administer forgiveness. They can also anoint the brother with the oil of gladness as a sign of restitution and forgiveness.
      v15. The prayer of faith, that is, a prayer based on the promises of God, is an effective prayer. Forgiveness is promised to those who repent and so the spiritually sick brother will be saved (made "well" through forgiveness) and raised up from the oppression of past sins.
      v16. Therefore, those convicted of sin by this letter need to confess their sins, hand the matter over to the Lord in prayer, supported by the ministers of the church, and they will be renewed ("healed"). The person who trusts the Lord (the "righteous man"), will find that their prayers are effective.
      v17-18. Elijah was just such a man; a flesh and blood person who trusted the Lord. God revealed there would be a drought and revealed when it would end, 1Ki.18:1. Elijah prayed, believing, and saw his prayer answered.
      v19-20. James rounds off his letter by restating the truth of v13-18. His letter has covered in detail the Christian way, and in these final verses he makes the point that a brother who has turned from the way, wandered "from the truth", a brother who is soul-sick, needs to turn from their error. The ministers of the church are well positioned to lead the brother through their repentance and by the prayer of faith, declare forgiveness for "a multitude of sins." A brother who has turned, is saved from death.

Saved from death
      It's a funny thing about sin. In itself, sin cannot separate us from God while our eyes are set on Jesus for our eternal salvation. To some degree, all believers are murders and adulterers; we all sin; our righteousness is but filthy rags. Any believer who is not convinced that they have "fallen short of the glory of God" should read James again. Yet, no matter how far we have "fallen short", if we are holding onto Jesus our salvation is secure.
      The trouble is habitual sin (sometimes called recurrent sin), or even worse, denied sin, can indeed undermine our salvation by turning our eyes from Christ. Constant rebellion against our Lord can easily undermine our reliance upon Christ for salvation. A life of selfishness turns us from the Lord, and once our eyes are no longer on Jesus, our eternal salvation is compromised. The other danger, namely, denial of sin, is far more subtle, and just as dangerous. A person who believes that their standing in the sight of God is maintained by their personal righteousness, ends up having to deny the compromised state of their Christian walk. This thinking inevitably moves a person away from the foot of the cross, from the truth that salvation is by grace through faith and not works of the law.
      James' letter has the potential of confronting a believer with their faults, and particularly the state of their eternal standing. For a brother, sensing they have turned from the Lord, his advice is simple enough:
        i] Seek out those with a pastoral ministry in the congregation;
        ii] Confess the sin that has prompted the separation from the Lord;
        iii] Participate in the prayer for forgiveness;
        iv] Accept God's offer of forgiveness.
      Remember, the Lord willingly raises up those who have fallen.

v13
      kakopaqei (kakopaqew) pres. "[is any one of you] in trouble?" - is suffering physical pain, hardship and distress*. The phrase may be a statement rather than a question, but either way, both serve the imperative "pray". The distress is general rather than a specific. Given the wider context, the distress is possibly self inflected, in the sense of abandonment by God, or possibly chastisement for the sins James has already identified in this letter. It should be noted that most commentators see the trouble as some form of persecution or external suffering.
      euqumei (euqumew) pres. "is [anyone] happy" - is happy, encouraged. In a state of inner cheerfulness, in good spirits.

v14
      asqenei (asqenew) pres. "is [anyone of you] sick" - is [anyone among you] in a state of weakness and incapacity, sick, ill, disabled*. Most commentator's suggest some form of physical malady is intended here, but some commentators, eg. Donald Robinson, suggest that James has in mind a sickness of the heart, a sickness of the mind, guilt. The problem James is addressing is sin, not sickness. Taken figuratively, the word would mean "spiritually weak", cf. Rom.14:2, 1Cor.8:11-12. Note how Paul reminds the Corinthians that maladies have emerged in the congregation due to their improper handling of the Lord's Supper, 1Cor.11:29-30. So, it is possible that James has in mind some physical malady flowing from the spiritual weakness of his readers, but the physical is not the issue. "[is there any one of you] spiritually weak?"
      proskalesasqw (proskaleomai) aor. imp. "he should call" - call to oneself, summon. Urgency is implied.
      touV presbuterous (oV) "the elders" - Aged members are not intended, rather the term is used for those who minister in the congregation - bishop, overseer. No specific form of congregational eldership is demanded and so we are left to work within our own form of pastoral ministry.
      proseuxaswsan (proseucomai) aor. imp. "to pray over him" - let them pray over them. Are the ministers to pray for healing or forgiveness? Forgiveness seems far more likely. This passage is about bringing back a brother who has gone astray. It is not about faith healing.
      aleiyanteV (aleifw) aor. part. "anoint" - having anointed. The participle possibly forms a temporal clause, "after anointing." James gives us little insight into the purpose of this anointing with oil. It may be a symbol of prayer, but this is unlikely. The laying on of hands is a more common symbol of prayer. Olive oil was certainly used for medicinal purposes and so this may be the intention. There are those today who use olive oil in the healing ministry. Martin notes that "the idea of oil-anointing as a mark of honor and joy, derived from God's electing mercy, is well attested in the Jewish and NT literature, cf. Deut.28:40, Am.6:6 etc." In this sense the anointing would be an "outward tangible sign of God's covenant faithfulness", a sign of "restoration and forgiveness." It would be difficult to argue that we should use this sign today, particularly as chrism and unction are now associated with baptismal and funeral rites.

v15
      hJ euch thV pistewV "the prayer of faith" - A prayer that rests on God's revealed intentions. Biblical faith is substantially a reliance on the revealed word of God and is not an expression of wishful thinking. As there is no Word from the Lord promising physical healing for the asking, we will need to be careful how we interpret the words "make the sick person well" and "raise him up."
      swsei (swzw) fut. "will make [the sick person] well" - will make whole, save. In the New Testament the word is most often used of salvation, making whole spiritually, and there is little doubt that this sense is intended here.
      ton kamnonta (kamnw) pres. part. "the sick person" - the sick/very sick one, ill, worn-out, wasting away. The word also has the meaning to lose one's motivation to accomplish some goal, to become discouraged, to become tired of*. The second meaning, in the sense of being overcome (with guilt), well suits the context.
      egerei (egeirw) fut. "will raise [him] up" - will raise up, lift up. Normally taken in this passage to mean recovery from illness, or possibly even the resurrection. Raised up from the oppression of guilt is most likely intended.
      afeqhsetai (afihmi) fut. pas. "he will be forgiven" - Rather than taking this phrase as a new idea or as a linking idea (a connection between sin and sickness), James is most likely further developing the central point of this passage, v13-20, namely, that the sickness of sin for a believer is overcome through repentance and the prayer of faith leading to God's forgiveness, which may be expressed outwardly in the anointing of oil as a sign of that forgiveness. None-the-less, as noted above, sickness of the soul may be expressed outwardly in a sickness of the body. The two are not necessarily mutually exclusive, although sin is forgiven in the asking, not so healing.

v16
      exomologeisqe (exomologew) pres. imp. "confess" - Sin and suffering (sickness) are certainly linked throughout the Bible and public confession was seen as a way through suffering in Judaism and the early church. Yet, sin is the issue, suffering is but a sign of sin (although not necessarily so, eg. Job, Jn.9:2,3.)
      oJpwV + subj. "so that" - Probably forming a purpose clause, as NIV, although it may serve to introduce the actual content of the prayer, "may you be healed."
      iaqhte (iaomai) subj. pas. "healed" - cause someone to become well again after having been sick, but the word also has a figurative meaning in the sense of cause something to change to an earlier, correct, or appropriate state, to renew*. So, here again it is quite possible that James primarily intends a figurative sense of healing, of getting well, a healing of the soul through forgiveness.
      dikaiou adj. "a righteous man" - just or righteous one. In the context, the righteous person is the person who trusts the Lord, who relies on God's revealed will. He is the person who can pray the prayer of faith.
      energoumenh (energew) mid/pass. part. "effective" - being engaged in some activity or function, with possible focus upon the energy or force involved, cause or make possible a particular function*. In the middle voice "the prayer is very powerful in its working", or in the passive voice the "prayer is very powerful when it is energized by the Spirit." Either way, the prayer for forgiveness by the righteous person is effective for the forgiveness of sins.

v17
      oJmoiopaqhV "like" - of like nature. A man with the "same limitations" as every other human person, "of like nature." Elijah was a person just like us, flesh and blood, and he prayed a prayer of faith and saw the prayer answered, 1 Kings 17, 18. So, Elijah serves as an example for us. The interesting feature of his prayer is that it was based on the revealed word of God. The Lord told him there would be a drought and later told him that it would rain, cf. 18:1. So, his prayer was answered because it was a prayer of faith, a prayer that rested on God's revealed will. Similarly, a prayer for forgiveness will be answered because God has promised to forgive. Of further interest is the fact that we are not told in first Kings that Elijah prayed for drought, although it can be argued that he prayed for rain in 18:42.
      proseuch/ proshuxato (proseucomai) "he prayed earnestly" - in prayer he prayed. The dative "in prayer" is instrumental. Elijah's prayer was not answered because of his earnestness; it was answered because it was God's will. "Elijah prayed intensely and earnestly desiring."
      eniautouV treiV kai mhnaV ex "three and a half years" - years three and six months. This period possibly reflects the symbolic period of judgment, Dan.7:25, 12:7.

v19
      ean + subj. "if" - introducing a conditional clause, 3rd class, where the stated condition has the possibility of becoming a reality.
      planhqh/ (planaomai) aor. pas. subj. "wander from [the truth]" - wanders, to no longer believe what is true, but to start believing what is false, to stray from the truth, to wander from the truth, to go astray from*. This verse is often treated as if a final word from James, generally unrelated to v13-18. Yet, v13-18 are concerned with the sickness of sin, of going astray, and of restoration through the prayer of faith. So, actually v13-20 is a single whole and serves as the conclusion of the letter. The sins addressed by James in the letter include misuse of the tongue, jealousy, lack of concern for the poor, worldliness, quarrelling ...., all serve to lead us from the truth.
      epistreyh/ (epistrefw) aor. subj. "[someone] should bring [him] back" - turn back, return ..... to cause a person to change belief, with focus upon that to which one turns, to cause to change belief, to cause to turn to*. This was the function performed by the elders in v14.