OET interlinear YAC (JAM) 2:14

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

τί τὸ ὄφελος, ἀδελφοί μου, ἐὰν πίστιν λέγῃ τις, ἔχειν ἔργα, δὲ μὴ ἔχῃ?

what_‹is› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί ὄφελος ἀδελφοί μου ἐὰν πίστιν λέγῃ τις ἔχειν ἔργα δὲ μὴ ἔχῃ μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν)

James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question by translating his words as a statement. Alternate translation: “It does no good, my brothers, for someone to say he has faith if he does not have works.”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

τί τὸ ὄφελος

what_‹is› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: τί ὄφελος ἀδελφοί μου ἐὰν πίστιν λέγῃ τις ἔχειν ἔργα δὲ μὴ ἔχῃ μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν)

This is an idiom. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use here. Alternate translation: “What good would it do”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἀδελφοί μου

brothers ˱of˲_me

See how you translated the term brothers in 1:2. Alternate translation: “my fellow believers”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἐὰν πίστιν λέγῃ τις, ἔχειν ἔργα, δὲ μὴ ἔχῃ

if faith /may_be/_saying anyone /to_be/_having works but not /may_be/_having

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the abstract nouns faith and works by stating the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: “if someone said he believed in God but he did not do what God wanted him to do”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν

not not /is/_able the faith /to/_save him

In context, James is clearly asking not about faith in general, but about faith that is not demonstrated in works. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly. Alternate translation: “That kind of faith is not able to save him, is it”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν

not not /is/_able the faith /to/_save him

The first word of this sentence in Greek is a negative word that can be used to turn a statement into a question that expects a negative answer. ULT shows this by adding “is it?” Your language may have other ways of asking a question that expects a negative answer, for example, by changing the word order of a positive statement. Alternate translation: “Is that kind of faith able to save him”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν?

not not /is/_able the faith /to/_save him

James is using the question form as a teaching tool. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question by translating his words as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “That kind of faith is certainly not able to save him!”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

μὴ δύναται ἡ πίστις σῶσαι αὐτόν?

not not /is/_able the faith /to/_save him

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the abstract noun faith by stating the ideas behind it with a verb such as “believe.” Alternate translation: “Will merely believing in God save him?”

σῶσαι αὐτόν

/to/_save him

Your language may require you to specify what this kind of faith cannot save a person from. Alternate translation: “save him from God’s judgment”