YAC 2:9 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. εἰ
2. ei
3. if
4. -
5. 14870
6. C·······
7. if
8. if
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147062
1. Δέ
2. de
3. But
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. S
10. Y60
11. 147063
1. προσωπολημπτεῖτε
2. prosōpolēmpteō
3. you all are showing favouritism
4. showing favouritism
5. 43800
6. VIPA2··P
7. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ showing_favouritism
8. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ showing_favoritism
9. -
10. Y60; R146985
11. 147064
1. ἁμαρτίαν
2. hamartia
3. sin
4. sinning
5. 2660
6. N····AFS
7. sin
8. sin
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147065
1. ἐργάζεσθε
2. ergazomai
3. you all are doing
4. -
5. 20380
6. VIPM2··P
7. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ doing
8. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ doing
9. -
10. Y60; R146985
11. 147066
1. ἐλεγχόμενοι
2. elegχō
3. being rebuked
4. -
5. 16510
6. VPPP·NMP
7. ˓being˒ rebuked
8. ˓being˒ rebuked
9. -
10. Y60; R146985
11. 147067
1. ὑπό
2. hupo
3. by
4. -
5. 52590
6. P·······
7. by
8. by
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147068
1. τοῦ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····GMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147069
1. νόμου
2. nomos
3. law
4. law
5. 35510
6. N····GMS
7. law
8. law
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147070
1. ὡς
2. hōs
3. as
4. -
5. 56130
6. C·······
7. as
8. as
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147071
1. παραβάται
2. parabatēs
3. transgressors
4. -
5. 38480
6. N····NMP
7. transgressors
8. transgressors
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147072

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 2:8–11

This paragraph indicates that showing favor to rich people is breaking God’s law. God told us to love everyone as we love ourselves. If we do not treat poor people as well as we treat rich people, we are not loving poor people. So we are not loving everyone as we love ourselves. As a result, we break God’s law.

2:9a

But if you show favoritism,

But if you^(plur) favor certain people,
But if you^(plur) show more honor/respect to some people than to others,

But: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as But introduces a contrast. The contrast is between loving your neighbor and thus keeping the law (in 2:8) and showing favoritism and thus breaking the law (in 2:9).

if you show favoritism: The Greek word that the BSB translates as show favoritism refers to treating some people better than others because of their wealth or position in society.

The form of the Greek verb that the BSB translates as you show favoritism implies the person is habitually showing favoritism. This verb is from the same root as the noun that the BSB translates as favoritism in 2:1b. See the notes there for translation advice.

2:9b

you sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

you^(plur) are sinning, and God’s law convicts/condemns you as people who break the law.
you^(plur) are doing evil/wrong. You are guilty of disobeying God’s law.

you sin: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as you sin is literally “you do a sin.” In some languages, it may be more natural to translate this using the verb sin (as the BSB does).

Here James wrote that when a person shows favoritism, he disobeys God and God’s law. That is a sin.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

you do what is wrong/evil

you offend/disobey God

you are doing things against God

See also the note on “sin” at 1:15b.

are convicted by the law: The Greek word that the BSB translates as convicted means “shown or proven to be guilty.” This is a passive verb. There are at least two ways to translate it:

Use a passive verb. For example:
are convicted by the law (NET)
are shown to be guilty by the law
Use an active verb. For example:
the Law condemns you (GNT)
the Scriptures teach that you have sinned (CEV)

the law: The phrase the law refers to the same law that was called “the royal law” in 2:8a. Notice that in this verse the law is personified. This means that James said that the law did something as if it were a person. It “convicts” somebody just as a judge or prosecutor proves that somebody disobeyed a law of the government.

In some languages, it may be more natural not to personify the word law. If this is the case in your language, you could say something like:

You are guilty of breaking the law (NLT)

you deserve punishment for disobeying God’s commands

as transgressors: The Greek word that the BSB translates as transgressors means “people who do things contrary to what God commanded in the law.” It refers to people who deliberately disobey the law. In some languages, it may be more natural to translate this noun as a phrase. For example:

people who disobey God’s laws

a person who does not do what God told people to do

those who violate God’s laws

In some languages, it may be possible to translate the phrase “are convicted by the law” and the phrase “as lawbreakers” as one phrase. For example:

You are guilty of not obeying the law.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

προσωπολημπτεῖτε

˱you_all˲_˓are˒_showing_favoritism

Your language may require you to specify the object of favor. Alternate translation: [you favor the rich]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἐλεγχόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου ὡς παραβάται

˓being˒_rebuked (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ προσωπολημπτεῖτε ἁμαρτίαν ἐργάζεσθε ἐλεγχόμενοι ὑπό τοῦ νόμου ὡς παραβάται)

If your language does not use this passive form, you can express this with an active form. Alternate translation: [and the law convicts you as transgressors]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

ἐλεγχόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ νόμου ὡς παραβάται

James is speaking of the law as if it were a human judge. Alternate translation: [and you are guilty of breaking God’s law]

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) 2:9

SR Greek word order

Section 2:1–13: Believers must avoid favoritism

Paragraph 2:8–11

2:9a

2:9b

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