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Yacob/(James) C1 C2 C3 C4 C5

Yac 2 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26

OET interlinear YAC (JAM) 2:17

◄ ← YAC (JAM) 2:17 ↓ → ► ║ ©

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

    1. Greek word
    2. Greek lemma
    3. OET-LV words
    4. OET-RV words
    5. Strongs
    6. Role/Morphology
    7. OET Gloss
    8. VLT Gloss
    9. CAPS codes
    10. Confidence
    11. OET tags
    12. OET word #
    1. Οὕτως
    2. houtōs
    3. Thus
    4. -
    5. 37790
    6. D·······
    7. thus
    8. thus
    9. S
    10. Y60
    11. 147208
    1. καί
    2. kai
    3. also
    4. -
    5. 25320
    6. D·······
    7. also
    8. also
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147209
    1. ἡ
    2. ho
    3. the
    4. -
    5. 35880
    6. E····NFS
    7. ¬the
    8. ¬the
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147210
    1. πίστις
    2. pistis
    3. faith
    4. faith
    5. 41020
    6. N····NFS
    7. faith
    8. faith
    9. -
    10. Y60; F147214; F147220
    11. 147211
    1. ἐάν
    2. ean
    3. if
    4. -
    5. 14370
    6. C·······
    7. if
    8. if
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147212
    1. μή
    2. mē
    3. not
    4. -
    5. 33610
    6. D·······
    7. not
    8. not
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147213
    1. ἔχῃ
    2. eχō
    3. it may be having
    4. -
    5. 21920
    6. VSPA3··S
    7. ˱it˲ ˓may_be˒ having
    8. ˱it˲ ˓may_be˒ having
    9. -
    10. Y60; R147211
    11. 147214
    1. ἔργα
    2. ergon
    3. works
    4. -
    5. 20410
    6. N····ANP
    7. works
    8. works
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147215
    1. ἔχῃ
    2. eχō
    3. -
    4. -
    5. 21920
    6. VSPA3··S
    7. ˱it˲ ˓may_be˒ having
    8. ˱it˲ ˓may_be˒ having
    9. -
    10. -
    11. 147216
    1. νεκρά
    2. nekros
    3. dead
    4. dead
    5. 34980
    6. S····NFS
    7. dead
    8. dead
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147217
    1. ἐστίν
    2. eimi
    3. it is
    4. -
    5. 15100
    6. VIPA3··S
    7. ˱it˲ is
    8. ˱it˲ is
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147218
    1. καθʼ
    2. kata
    3. by
    4. -
    5. 25960
    6. P·······
    7. by
    8. by
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147219
    1. ἑαυτήν
    2. heautou
    3. itself
    4. -
    5. 14380
    6. R···3AFS
    7. itself
    8. itself
    9. -
    10. Y60; R147211
    11. 147220

OET (OET-LV) Thus also the faith, if not it_may_be_having works, dead it_is by itself.

OET (OET-RV) In other words, faith without the corresponding lifestyle is just dead.

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:14–26: Faith without good deeds is useless

In this section, James emphasized that true faith in Jesus is a matter of both believing and doing good deeds. There is no such thing as faith without good deeds to go with it. It is the good deeds that demonstrate that there is true faith. Faith without good deeds is not true faith at all.

James used examples from the lives of Rahab and Abraham to show that faith and good deeds always go together.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Faith and good deeds

If you really believe/trust you will also do good deeds

Real faith is proved by good deeds.

Paragraph 2:14–17

In this paragraph, James used three rhetorical questions to emphasize that faith without good deeds is useless.

2:17

In 2:17, James stated the lesson he was trying to teach in the illustration in 2:15–16.

2:17a

So too, faith by itself,

So too: The phrase So too introduces the general principle that 2:16 illustrates. Words of greeting are of no help to a cold and hungry man unless we also give him what he needs. So also, our faith is of no value unless we also do good deeds for God.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

So also (NET)

Even so (KJV)

So it is with faith (GNT)

Likewise

faith by itself: The word faith in this context refers to the act of trusting in or relying on Jesus Christ (as in 2:14b). The phrase by itself means “when faith is alone.” This indicates that a person only believes, but he has no deeds to accompany his belief.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

faith alone

only/just trusting

In some languages, it is more natural to use a verb instead of the noun faith. For example:

a person just trusts

you only believe in Jesus

See believe, meaning 2, in the Glossary.

2:17b

if it does not result in action,

if it does not result in action: This phrase means that the person does not also do good deeds that show that he believes in Jesus. Instead, he behaves the same way as people who do not believe in Jesus.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

if that faith does not cause him to do any good deeds

if he does not also do things which show that his faith/trust is genuine

if he fails to show that he believes by what he does

2:17c

is dead.

is dead: The phrase is dead is a metaphor. James meant that the person’s faith had no power to do anything and so was of no use. (Compare 2:14.) There are several ways to translate this phrase:

General Comment on 2:17a–c

In some languages, it may be natural to change the order of the clauses in 2:17. For example:

17aIn the same way, faith by itself 17cis dead 17bif it doesn’t cause you to do any good things. (GW)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

ἡ πίστις, ἐὰν μὴ ἔχῃ ἔργα, νεκρά ἐστιν καθ’ ἑαυτήν

¬the faith (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὕτως καί ἡ πίστις ἐάν μή ἔχῃ ἔργα νεκρά ἐστίν καθʼ ἑαυτήν)

James is speaking of faith as if it would be a living thing if it had works but not be alive if it did not have them. Alternate translation: [a person’s faith is not genuine by itself; he must express it through works]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἡ πίστις, ἐὰν μὴ ἔχῃ ἔργα, νεκρά ἐστιν καθ’ ἑαυτήν

¬the faith (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Οὕτως καί ἡ πίστις ἐάν μή ἔχῃ ἔργα νεκρά ἐστίν καθʼ ἑαυτήν)

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 a person says he believes in God but he does not do what God wants him to do, then he does not really believe in God]

TSN Tyndale Study Notes:

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).

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

    1. OET-LV words
    2. OET-RV words
    3. Strongs
    4. Greek word
    5. Greek lemma
    6. Role/Morphology
    7. OET Gloss
    8. VLT Gloss
    9. CAPS codes
    10. Confidence
    11. OET tags
    12. OET word #
    1. Thus
    2. -
    3. 37790
    4. S
    5. houtōs
    6. D-·······
    7. thus
    8. thus
    9. S
    10. Y60
    11. 147208
    1. also
    2. -
    3. 25320
    5. kai
    6. D-·······
    7. also
    8. also
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147209
    1. the
    2. -
    3. 35880
    5. ho
    6. E-····NFS
    7. ¬the
    8. ¬the
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147210
    1. faith
    2. faith
    3. 41020
    5. pistis
    6. N-····NFS
    7. faith
    8. faith
    9. -
    10. Y60; F147214; F147220
    11. 147211
    1. if
    2. -
    3. 14370
    5. ean
    6. C-·······
    7. if
    8. if
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147212
    1. not
    2. -
    3. 33610
    5. mē
    6. D-·······
    7. not
    8. not
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147213
    1. it may be having
    2. -
    3. 21920
    5. eχō
    6. V-SPA3··S
    7. ˱it˲ ˓may_be˒ having
    8. ˱it˲ ˓may_be˒ having
    9. -
    10. Y60; R147211
    11. 147214
    1. works
    2. -
    3. 20410
    5. ergon
    6. N-····ANP
    7. works
    8. works
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147215
    1. dead
    2. dead
    3. 34980
    5. nekros
    6. S-····NFS
    7. dead
    8. dead
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147217
    1. it is
    2. -
    3. 15100
    5. eimi
    6. V-IPA3··S
    7. ˱it˲ is
    8. ˱it˲ is
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147218
    1. by
    2. -
    3. 25960
    5. kata
    6. P-·······
    7. by
    8. by
    9. -
    10. Y60
    11. 147219
    1. itself
    2. -
    3. 14380
    5. heautou
    6. R-···3AFS
    7. itself
    8. itself
    9. -
    10. Y60; R147211
    11. 147220

OET (OET-LV) Thus also the faith, if not it_may_be_having works, dead it_is by itself.

OET (OET-RV) In other words, faith without the corresponding lifestyle is just dead.

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

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◄ ← YAC (JAM) 2:17 ↑ → ► ║ ©