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Yacob/(James) Intro C1 C2 C3 C4 C5
Yac 2 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26
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OET (OET-RV) But the vain person still wants to know if faith without good deeds is wasted?
OET-LV But you_are_wanting to_know, Oh person vain, that the faith apart_from the works idle is?
SR-GNT Θέλεις δὲ γνῶναι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ, ὅτι ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν; ‡
(Theleis de gnōnai, ō anthrōpe kene, hoti haʸ pistis ⱪōris tōn ergōn argaʸ estin?)
Key: yellow:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor, magenta:vocative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
ULT But do you wish to know, O foolish man, that the faith without the works is idle?[fn]
Some older versions read the faith without the works is dead
UST Also, you foolish person, I will give you proof that if someone says he believes in Jesus but he does not do anything that demonstrates that, then what he says does not help him in any way.
BSB § O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless?[fn]
2:20 BYZ and TR dead
BLB But do you want to come to know, O foolish man, that faith apart from works is worthless?
AICNT But do you want to know, O empty man, that faith apart from works is {useless}?[fn]
2:20, useless: Later manuscripts read “dead.” ℵ(01) A(02) BYZ TR
OEB Now do you really want to understand, fool, how it is that faith without actions leads to nothing?
WEB But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?
NET But would you like evidence, you empty fellow, that faith without works is useless?
LSV And do you wish to know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?
FBV You foolish people! Don't you know that trust in God without doing what's right is worthless?
TCNT Do yoʋ want to be shown, O foolish man, that faith without works is [fn]dead?
2:20 dead 98.2% ¦ useless CT 1.6%
T4T Also, you foolish person, I will [RHQ] prove to you (sg) that if someone says, “I trust in God,” but he does not do good things, what that person says will not benefit him.
LEB But do you want to know, O foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
BBE Do you not see, O foolish man, that faith without works is of no use?
MOF No MOF YAC (JAM) book available
ASV But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren?
DRA But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
YLT And dost thou wish to know, O vain man, that the faith apart from the works is dead?
DBY But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
RV But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren?
WBS But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
KJB But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
(But wilt/will thou/you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? )
BB But wylt thou knowe, O thou vayne man, that that fayth which is without workes, is dead?
(But wilt/will thou/you know, O thou/you vayne man, that that faith which is without works, is dead?)
GNV But wilt thou vnderstand, O thou vaine man, that the faith which is without workes, is dead?
(But wilt/will thou/you understand, O thou/you vaine man, that the faith which is without works, is dead? )
CB Wilt thou vnderstode o thou vayne man that faith with out dedes is deed:
(Wilt thou/you understood o thou/you vayne man that faith with out dedes is dead:)
TNT Wilt thou vnderstonde o thou vayne man that fayth with out dedes is deed?
(Wilt thou/you understood o thou/you vayne man that faith with out dedes is dead? )
WYC But wolt thou wite, thou veyn man, that feith with out werkis is idul?
(But wolt thou/you wite, thou/you veyn man, that faith with out works is idul?)
LUT Willst du aber wissen, du eitler Mensch, daß der Glaube ohne Werke tot sei?
(Willst you but wissen, you eitler Mensch, that the Glaube without Werke tot sei?)
CLV Vis autem scire, o homo inanis, quoniam fides sine operibus mortua est?[fn]
(Vis however scire, o human inanis, quoniam fides without operibus mortua est?)
2.20 Vis autem scire, o homo inanis? BED. Probato, quod fides sine operibus mortua est, etc., usque ad imitentur in tentatione et in operatione.
2.20 Vis however scire, o human inanis? BED. Probato, that fides without operibus mortua it_is, etc., usque to imitentur in tentatione and in operatione.
UGNT θέλεις δὲ γνῶναι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ, ὅτι ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν?
(theleis de gnōnai, ō anthrōpe kene, hoti haʸ pistis ⱪōris tōn ergōn argaʸ estin?)
SBL-GNT θέλεις δὲ γνῶναι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ, ὅτι ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ⸀ἀργή ἐστιν;
(theleis de gnōnai, ō anthrōpe kene, hoti haʸ pistis ⱪōris tōn ergōn ⸀argaʸ estin? )
TC-GNT Θέλεις δὲ γνῶναι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ, ὅτι ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων [fn]νεκρά ἐστιν;
(Theleis de gnōnai, ō anthrōpe kene, hoti haʸ pistis ⱪōris tōn ergōn nekra estin?)
2:20 νεκρα 98.2% ¦ αργη CT 1.6%
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).
2:14-26 James explains why Christians need to be concerned about the judgment of their actions (2:12-13): Real faith must be accompanied by good deeds (see 1:22-25).
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
θέλεις δὲ γνῶναι, ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ, ὅτι ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν?
˱you˲_/are/_wanting but /to/_know O person vain that ¬the faith apart_from ¬the works idle is
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: “But I can show you, O foolish man, that faith without works is idle.”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
θέλεις & γνῶναι
˱you˲_/are/_wanting & /to/_know
This is an idiom. It means “I can show you” by suggesting implicitly, “If you really want to know, I can show you.” Alternate translation as a statement: “I can show you”
ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ
O person vain
James is addressing this hypothetical man in the vocative after an exclamation. If your language has a vocative case, it would be appropriate to use it here. If not, you could express the meaning in another way that would be natural in your language. Alternate translation: “you foolish man”
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
ὦ ἄνθρωπε κενέ
O person vain
James is using the term man in a generic sense that could mean any person, male or female. Alternate translation: “you foolish person”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / personification
ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν
¬the faith apart_from ¬the works idle is
James is speaking of faith as if it were a living thing that would be lazily doing nothing if it did not have works. Alternate translation: “a person’s faith is useless if he does not express it through works” or “a person’s faith is unproductive if he does not express it through works”
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν
¬the faith apart_from ¬the works idle is
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: “it is useless for a person to say that he believes in God if he does not do what God wants him to do”
Note 6 topic: translate-textvariants
ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν
¬the faith apart_from ¬the works idle is
See the discussion of textual issues at the end of the General Notes to this chapter to decide whether to use this reading in your translation or a different reading, “faith without works is dead.” The note below discusses a translation issue in that reading, for those who decide to use it.
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / personification
ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων ἀργή ἐστιν
¬the faith apart_from ¬the works idle is
If the reading “faith without works is dead” is accurate, then James is speaking of faith as if it would be alive if it had works but it would not be alive if it did not have them. Alternate translation: “a person’s faith is not genuine if he does not express it through works”