YAC 2:4 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–13: Believers must avoid favoritism

The theme of this section is that Christians should not treat rich people better than poor people. They should treat everyone with kindness. This is one of the marks of a truly godly person.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Show mercy and honor to poor people and thereby fulfill the royal law of love

Obey the law of love by treating poor people with mercy and honor

Do not discriminate against poor people

Paragraph 2:1–4

In this paragraph, James taught that believers must not favor rich people over poor people.

2:4a–b

have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?: This is a rhetorical question. James was not asking for information but making an emphatic statement: “You certainly have discriminated.” He was also implying that they had done some things wrong, and he was rebuking them for it.

Some ways to translate this emphasis and rebuke are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
do you not see that you are discriminating among your members and judging by wrong standards? (REB)
You have discriminated among yourselves. You have become judges with evil thoughts. Why have you done that?
As a statement. For example:
You have certainly done wrong by discriminating among yourselves and becoming judges with evil thoughts.
That is the same as saying that some people are better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge. (CEV)

Translate this emphasis and rebuke in the way that is natural in your language for making a strong statement.

2:4a

have you not discriminated among yourselves

you^(plur) have discriminated among yourselves.
If you^(plur) act like that, you show that you think that some people are better than others.
When you^(plur) do that, you certainly show by your actions that you think that the rich people in your congregation are more important than the poor people.

have you not discriminated among yourselves: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as you…discriminated among yourselves means “you think that some people are better than others, and so you treat them better.” By treating the rich and the poor differently, they were creating distinctions within the fellowship of God’s people. The meaning is essentially the same as “show favoritism” in 2:1.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

have you not made distinctions among yourselves (RSV)

You are making some people more important than others (NCV)

You are treating some members of your congregation as if they were better than others

That is the same as saying that some people are better than others (CEV)

2:4b

and become judges with evil thoughts?

You^(plur) have become like judges with evil thoughts/motives. Why have you done that?
You^(plur) are acting like corrupt judges.
You^(plur) have judged/decided that one person is better than another. That is evil.

and become judges with evil thoughts: This is a metaphor. When people in the Christian community discriminated and favored the rich over the poor, they were acting like evil judges.There is also a word play in Greek that strengthens the comparison. When Christians judge in the sense that they discriminate (διακρινω), they are like evil judges (κριτης). Both words are built off the Greek root (κρινω) that means “to judge.” Some ways that these Christian people and judges with evil thoughts are similar are:

both make decisions about who is good/right and who is evil/wrong.
both prefer the rich. They unjustly make decisions that favor the rich.

When Christians act this way, they become like judges who have evil thoughts.

Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
and you would be acting like a crooked judge (CEV)
you have become like evil judges who mistreat good people
Keep the metaphor as in the BSB. In some languages, it may be necessary to translate the noun “judge” as a verb. For example:
you have become people who have evil thoughts and who judge the rich man better than the poor man
Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
You think that you can decide who is worthy of honor. That is a wrong way of thinking.
you favor the rich because of what you hope to receive from them. That is an evil way of thinking.

This phrase does not mean that these Christians had become judges who sit in a court.

See judge, meaning 1, in the Glossary.

with evil thoughts: The phrase with evil thoughts means evil in their way of thinking. It includes the idea that these people judge with an evil standard. This means that they make decisions based on someone’s wealth and social status. It also means that they decide with evil motives.Some commentators (Moo (2000), page 105; Martin, page 64; McCartney, pages 140 and 144) point out that in a legal context, it is also possible to interpret this as “evil verdicts.” They make decisions based on what they can get, such as a bribe.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

with evil motives (NASB)

using a corrupt standard (GW)

evil/corrupt judges

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hypo

οὐ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν?

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καί ἐγένεσθε κριταί διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν)

In this verse James describes the result of the hypothetical situation he has been describing since [2:2](../02/02.md). It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: [Then you have distinguished among yourselves and become judges of evil thoughts.]

Note 2 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

οὐ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καί ἐγένεσθε κριταί διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: [have you not become judges who think evil things and so begun to consider some people better than others]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

οὐ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν?

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καί ἐγένεσθε κριταί διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν)

As James describes this result, he uses the question form for emphasis. 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: [you have considered some people better than others, because you have become judges who think evil things!]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν

became (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καί ἐγένεσθε κριταί διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν)

James is using the possessive form to describe judges who are characterized by evil thoughts. He is not speaking of people who judge whether thoughts are evil. Alternate translation: [become judges who think evil things]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐγένεσθε κριταὶ διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν

became (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὒ διεκρίθητε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καί ἐγένεσθε κριταί διαλογισμῶν πονηρῶν)

James is describing something more than passively assuming a certain role and thinking in a certain way. He is describing taking action based on that way of thinking. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [made wrong judgments about how people should be treated and then treated them that way]

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

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.

OET interlinear YAC (JAM) 2:4

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

Section 2:1–13: Believers must avoid favoritism

Paragraph 2:1–4

2:4a–b

2:4a

2:4b

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