YAC 2:6 Interlinear View

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. ὑμεῖς
2. su
3. you all
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2N·P
7. you_all
8. you_all
9. -
10. Y60; R146985
11. 147012
1. Δέ
2. de
3. But
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. S
10. Y60
11. 147013
1. ἠτιμάσατε
2. atimazō
3. dishonoured
4. dishonour
5. 8180
6. VIAA2··P
7. dishonoured
8. dishonored
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147014
1. τόν
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147015
1. πτωχόν
2. ptōχos
3. poor
4. -
5. 44340
6. S····AMS
7. poor
8. poor
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147016
1. οὐχί
2. ouχi
3. -
4. -
5. 37800
6. T·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. -
11. 147017
1. Οὐχ
2. ou
3. Not
4. -
5. 37560
6. T·······
7. not
8. not
9. S
10. Y60
11. 147018
1. οἱ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMP
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147019
1. πλούσιοι
2. plousios
3. rich
4. -
5. 41450
6. S····NMP
7. rich
8. rich
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147020
1. καταδυναστεύουσιν
2. katadunasteuō
3. are oppressing
4. oppress
5. 26160
6. VIPA3··P
7. ˓are˒ oppressing
8. ˓are˒ oppressing
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147021
1. ὑμῶν
2. su
3. over you all
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2G·P
7. ˱over˲ you_all
8. ˱over˲ you_all
9. -
10. Y60; R146985
11. 147022
1. ὑμᾶς
2. su
3. -
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2A·P
7. you_all
8. you_all
9. -
10. -
11. 147023
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. But
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147024
1. αὐτοί
2. autos
3. they
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3NMP
7. they
8. they
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147025
1. ἕλκουσιν
2. helkō
3. are dragging
4. -
5. 16700
6. VIPA3··P
7. ˓are˒ dragging
8. ˓are˒ dragging
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147026
1. ὑμᾶς
2. su
3. you all
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2A·P
7. you_all
8. you_all
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147027
1. εἰς
2. eis
3. into
4. -
5. 15190
6. P·······
7. into
8. into
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147028
1. κριτήρια
2. kritērion
3. courts
4. court
5. 29220
6. N····ANP
7. courts
8. courts
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147029

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 2:5–7

In this paragraph, James wrote about two further reasons why Christians should not favor a rich person above a poor one. The reasons are:

that God honors poor people, and
that the enemies of Christ and the church are more likely to be rich people.

2:6a

But you have dishonored the poor.

But you,^(plur) you have dishonored that poor man!
But as for you,^(plur) you have shown no respect to the poor man! Why do you do that?

But: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as But here indicates a contrast. The contrast is between what God had done (chosen the poor) in 2:5, and what James’ readers had done (dishonored the poor) in 2:6.

you have dishonored: The Greek word that the BSB translates as dishonored refers to being rude to someone by what you do or say. The believers whom James was addressing should have realized that the poor person was important to God. Instead they treated him as someone who deserved no respect.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

you have insulted (NIV)

you have humiliated

you have treated shamefully

you have shown no respect

you: The pronoun you is emphatic in Greek. One way to translate this is:

as for you, you

the poor: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the poor is singular. So James was probably referring again to his example, and the poor is the poor man of 2:2–3. For example:

the poor man (NLT96)

2:6b–7b

The rhetorical questions in 2:6b–7b all imply that it was foolish to honor the rich, because they were the very ones who were being cruel to Christian believers. You may be able to show this by making some of this information explicit in 2:6. For example:

^2:6aBut you have dishonored the poor and honored the rich. Why?. ^2:6bIs it not the rich who are exploiting you?

^2:6aBut you have insulted the poor. ^2:6bYou are foolish! Is it not the rich who oppress you?

2:6b–c

In Greek and the BSB, 2:6b–c forms one rhetorical question. Some translations, however, translate 2:6b–c as two rhetorical questions. For example:

Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? (NIV)

Do whatever is clearest and easiest to understand in your language.

2:6b

Is it not the rich who oppress you

Is it not the rich people who are oppressing you^(plur)
It is rich people who are causing you^(plur) trouble, right?
You certainly know that it is rich people who cause you^(plur) to suffer!

Is it not the rich who oppress you: This is a rhetorical question. James used this rhetorical question to emphasize that it was the rich people who were exploiting the believers. He implied that his readers knew this very well. For that reason, their custom of treating the rich better than the poor did not make much sense.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
are not the rich your oppressors? (REB)
It is the rich people who are oppressing you, right?
As a statement. For example:
The rich are always trying to control your lives. (NCV)
You know that it’s the rich people who oppress you.

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

the rich: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the rich is plural. James was referring to rich people in general. For example:

rich people (GW)

oppress: The Greek word that the BSB translates as oppress means “oppressing, dominating, causing severe hardship.” James meant that rich people were using their power against the poor and making them suffer while helping themselves to become richer.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

taking advantage of you

mistreating you

control your lives (NCV)

causing you to suffer

2:6c

and drag you into court?

and forcing you^(plur) to go to court?
It is rich people who are taking you^(plur) to court, right?
You^(plur) know that they are the ones who force you to appear before judges.

and drag you into court?: This is a rhetorical question. James again emphasized that it was the rich people who were mistreating believers.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

As a rhetorical question. For example:
Is it not they who drag you into court? (NRSV)
It is the rich people who drag you into court, right?
As a statement. For example:
It is the rich people who are forcing you to appear before the law court.
They are the ones who take you to court. (NCV)

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

drag you into court: The Greek word that the BSB translates as drag means “forcing to go.” Rich people were taking poor people to court, making false accusations against them, and treating them unjustly.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

take you to court (NCV)

force you to go before the judges

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἠτιμάσατε τὸν πτωχόν

dishonored (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὑμεῖς Δέ ἠτιμάσατε τόν πτωχόν Οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν καί αὐτοί ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια)

What James means by this is clear from the example he gives in [2:2–3](../02/02.md). Alternate translation: [you have treated people who are poor much worse than you have treated people who are rich]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

τὸν πτωχόν

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὑμεῖς Δέ ἠτιμάσατε τόν πτωχόν Οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν καί αὐτοί ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια)

James is using the adjective poor as a noun to refer to a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [people who are poor]

Note 3 topic: writing-pronouns

οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια

The word that is translated themselves here is the same word that is translated they in the next verse. It is effectively the subject of a new independent clause, so you could translate this as two sentences. Alternate translation: [Do not the rich overpower you? Do they not drag you into court]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια?

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 or an exclamation. Alternate translation: [It is the rich who overpower you and drag you into court themselves!]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια?

James is implying that rich people do not deserve to be treated better by the believers to whom he is writing, since rich people have actually treated them badly. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [People who are rich do not deserve to have you treat them better than others. They are the ones who overpower you and drag you into court themselves!]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj

οἱ πλούσιοι

the rich

James is using the adjective rich as a noun to refer to a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: [people who are rich]

οὐχ οἱ πλούσιοι καταδυναστεύουσιν ὑμῶν

Alternate translation: [Is it not the rich who oppress you]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια

˓are˒_dragging you_all into courts

James is speaking of the rich as if they would physically drag the poor into court. Alternate translation: [force you to go to court]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἕλκουσιν ὑμᾶς εἰς κριτήρια

˓are˒_dragging you_all into courts

If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly why rich people were taking poor people to court. Alternate translation: [force you to go to court so that they can exploit you through lawsuits]

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) 2:6

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