OET interlinear YAC (JAM) 1:2

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

πᾶσαν χαρὰν ἡγήσασθε

all joy consider_‹it›

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun joy with an adjective such as “happy.” Alternate translation: [You should be happy]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

πᾶσαν χαρὰν ἡγήσασθε

all joy consider_‹it›

James says all as an overstatement for emphasis. He does not mean that believers should be happy about all the bad things that happen to them when they encounter trials. Rather, he means that the trials provide a general occasion for them to rejoice because of the valuable things God that is developing in their lives. He describes these things in the next verse. Alternate translation: [You should be very happy]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἀδελφοί μου

brothers ˱of˲_me

James is using the term brothers to refer to fellow believers in Jesus. Alternate translation, as in UST: [my fellow believers]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

ἀδελφοί μου

brothers ˱of˲_me

James is using the term brothers in a generic sense that includes both men and women. Be sure that this is clear in your translation so that your readers do not get the impression that James is addressing only men. If you use a word such as “believers” to translate the metaphor brothers, you may need to use both the masculine and the feminine forms of that word in your language. If you retain the metaphor, you could state [my brothers and sisters]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

περιπέσητε ποικίλοις

˱you_all˲_˓may˒_fall_among various

James is speaking of trials as if they were a hole or pit that believers could fall into. Alternate translation: [you encounter different trials]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / you

περιπέσητε

˱you_all˲_˓may˒_fall_among

The pronoun you is plural here, since James is writing to believers in Jesus as a group. Generally throughout the letter, the pronouns “you” and “your” are plural for this same reason. These notes will identify the few places where they are singular instead.