OET interlinear YAC (JAM) 1:12

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς ὑπομένει πειρασμόν

blessed_‹is› /the/_man who /is/_enduring trial

Blessed is indicates that God is giving favor to someone or that his situation is positive or good. Alternate translation: [The person who endures trial receives God’s favor] or [The person who endures trial is in a positive situation]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ἀνὴρ

/the/_man

James is using the term man in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Alternate translation: [the person]

ὑπομένει πειρασμόν

/is/_enduring trial

Here, trial could mean one of two things. See the discussion of the word in the General Notes to this chapter. James may actually want his readers to hear both senses in this case, as this verse is making a transition from a discussion of testing into a discussion of temptation. (1) The word trial could mean the same thing as in 1:2–3, where it describes the “testing” of “faith.” The reading of UST expresses this interpretation. (2) The word could refer to being tempted, that is, being led by one’s desires to do something wrong, which James discusses in the following verses. Alternate translation: [resists temptation]

δόκιμος γενόμενος

approved /having/_become

How you translate this will depend on how you translate trial earlier in the sentence. (In your translation, you could also focus on the way that God approves of this person, as UST does.) Alternate translation: [once he has demonstrated his faithfulness] of “once he has demonstrated his obedience”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

λήμψεται τὸν στέφανον τῆς ζωῆς

˱he˲_/will_be/_receiving the crown ¬the ˱of˲_life

James is using the possessive form not to refer to a crown that belongs to life but to describe life as if it were a crown. Alternate translation: [he will receive the crown that is life]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

λήμψεται τὸν στέφανον τῆς ζωῆς

˱he˲_/will_be/_receiving the crown ¬the ˱of˲_life

James is using the image of a crown to indicate that God will honor this person. Alternate translation: [God will honor him by giving him life]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

λήμψεται τὸν στέφανον τῆς ζωῆς

˱he˲_/will_be/_receiving the crown ¬the ˱of˲_life

James is likely not speaking of physical life but of spiritual life, that is, of living forever in the presence of God after physical death. Alternate translation: [God will honor that person by giving him everlasting life in his presence]

Note 6 topic: writing-pronouns

ὃν ἐπηγγείλατο τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν

that ˱he˲_promised ˱to˲_the_‹ones› loving him

In this last clause in the verse, the words he and him refer to God, not to the person who endures trial. Alternate translation: [which God promised to those who love him]