YAC 3:14 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. 147650
1. Δέ
2. de
3. But
4. -
5. 11610
6. C·······
7. but
8. but
9. S
10. Y60
11. 147651
1. ἄρα
2. ara
3. -
4. -
5. 6860
6. C·······
7. consequently
8. consequently
9. -
10. -
11. 147652
1. ζῆλον
2. zēlos
3. jealousy
4. jealousy
5. 22050
6. N····AMS
7. jealousy
8. jealousy
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147653
1. πικρόν
2. pikros
3. bitter
4. bitter
5. 40890
6. A····AMS
7. bitter
8. bitter
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147654
1. ἔχετε
2. eχō
3. you all are having
4. -
5. 21920
6. VIPA2··P
7. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ having
8. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ having
9. -
10. Y60; R147614; F147676
11. 147655
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. But
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147656
1. ἐριθείαν
2. eritheia
3. selfish ambition
4. selfish ambition
5. 20520
6. N····AFS
7. selfish_ambition
8. selfish_ambition
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147657
1. ἐν
2. en
3. in
4. -
5. 17220
6. P·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147658
1. τῇ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····DFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147659
1. ταῖς
2. ho
3. -
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····DFP
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. -
11. 147660
1. καρδίᾳ
2. kardia
3. heart
4. -
5. 25880
6. N····DFS
7. heart
8. heart
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147661
1. καρδίαις
2. kardia
3. -
4. -
5. 25880
6. N····DFP
7. hearts
8. hearts
9. -
10. -
11. 147662
1. ὑμῶν
2. su
3. of you all
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2G·P
7. ˱of˲ you_all
8. ˱of˲ you_all
9. -
10. Y60; R147614
11. 147663
1. μή
2. mē
3. not
4. don't
5. 33610
6. D·······
7. not
8. not
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147664
1. καυχᾶσθε
2. kauχaomai
3. -
4. -
5. 27440
6. VMPM2··P
7. ˓be˒ boasting
8. ˓be˒ boasting
9. -
10. -
11. 147665
1. κατακαυχᾶσθε
2. katakauχaomai
3. be boasting
4. boasting
5. 26200
6. VMPM2··P
7. ˓be˒ boasting
8. ˓be˒ boasting
9. -
10. Y60; R147614
11. 147666
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147667
1. ψεύδεσθε
2. pseudō
3. be lying
4. -
5. 55740
6. VMPM2··P
7. ˓be˒ lying
8. ˓be˒ lying
9. -
10. Y60; R147614
11. 147668
1. κατά
2. kata
3. against
4. -
5. 25960
6. P·······
7. against
8. against
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147669
1. τῆς
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····GFS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147670
1. ἀληθείας
2. alētheia
3. truth
4. truth
5. 2250
6. N····GFS
7. truth
8. truth
9. -
10. Y60
11. 147671
1. καί
2. kai
3. -
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. -
11. 147672
1. ψεύδεσθαι
2. pseudō
3. -
4. -
5. 55740
6. VNPM····
7. ˓to_be˒ lying
8. ˓to_be˒ lying
9. -
10. -
11. 147673

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:13–18: The wisdom of God is quite different from the wisdom of the devil

This section has three paragraphs. First, in 3:13 James introduced the topic of wisdom. Then he continued with two paragraphs. In each paragraph he discussed one type of wisdom. The first type he discussed (in 3:14–16) is the false wisdom that does not come from God. The second type he discussed (in 3:17–18) is the true wisdom that does come from God.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

True Wisdom Comes from God (NLT)

Two Kinds of Wisdom (NIV)

Paragraph 3:14–16

In 3:14–16, James discussed false wisdom. People who have envy and personal ambition show that the wisdom that they claim to have is false. It does not come from God.

3:14a–b

if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts: This clause begins with the word if. But James was assuming that some of his readers did have bitter envy and selfish ambition. In some languages, it may be best not to translate this as an “if” sentence. It may be better to say:

Some of you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts.

From the context, it seems that James was still addressing men who wanted to be recognized as teachers in the church. No doubt there was more than one teacher, and they were competing with one another. Every teacher and his supporters thought that their way was correct. They were dedicated to their way so much that they argued bitterly and fiercely with their opponents.

3:14a

But if you harbor bitter jealousy

¶ But if you^(plur) have a lot of envy
¶ But some of you^(plur) are extremely jealous of other people

But: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as But introduces a contrast with 3:13c. The “bitter envy and selfish ambition” that James saw in people are in contrast to the “humility” (3:13c) that he wanted to see.

you harbor: The Greek word that the BSB translates as harbor is literally “have” (as in the RSV). Some other ways to translate this word are:

you have (NET)

you are (NCV)

bitter jealousy: The Greek word that the BSB translates as bitter is often used to describe water that is not drinkable because of its bad taste (as it was used in 3:11). It is used figuratively here to refer to an attitude that is harsh, unpleasant, and resentful.

The Greek word that the BSB translates as jealousy also means “envy.” It is intense, negative feelings when someone else succeeds in ways that you have not succeeded.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

bitter envy (NIV)

severe envy

very jealous

extremely unhappy when others succeed

3:14b

and selfish ambition in your hearts,

and selfishness in your^(plur) hearts,
and selfish.

and selfish ambition: The Greek word that the BSB translates as selfish ambition can also be translated as “selfishness” (as in the NET). It refers to the attitude of someone who works to advance his own interests even if it harms or offends others.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

self-centered ambition (GW)

selfishness (NET)

and you want only you yourself to be dominant

and you only think about yourself

want to succeed more than others are succeeding

In this verse, James seems to have been warning teachers not to seek to increase the number of people in the church who supported them. He was also warning their groups of supporters not to promote their own teacher and try to destroy the reputation of the other teachers.

This same word occurs in Philippians 2:3–4.

in your hearts: The Greek word that the BSB translates as hearts refers to the part of a person where his thoughts and feelings come from. Some languages refer to this part of a person as the liver or stomach. In other languages, it may be most natural to omit this phrase altogether and leave the meaning implicit. For example:

if you are bitterly jealous and selfish

Or you may translate it in another way that refers to someone’s inward thoughts and attitudes. For example:

if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness inside yourself

if you are bitterly jealous and filled with self-centered ambition (GW)

3:14c

do not boast in it

do not boast of your wisdom. (JBP)
So do not brag and say that you^(plur) are wise.

do not boast in it: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as do not boast in it is literally “do not boast” (as in the RSV). Most scholars agree that the boast is a claim to be wise. You may want to make this clear in your translation. For example:

do not boast of your wisdom (JBP)

don’t brag about being wise (NLT96)

boast: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as boast here means to brag or say good things about oneself. James was telling his readers not to make confident or arrogant claims that they were wise.

3:14d

or deny the truth.

Do not lie^(plur) like that.
It’s not true.

or deny the truth: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as deny the truth is literally “do not lie against the truth.” There are several ways to interpret this clause. The two most common ways are:There is a third view: the truth which is contradicted is the truth that true wisdom is accompanied by meekness. When someone claims to be wise but is full of selfishness and jealousy, his life contradicts this truth. (See Martin, pages 130–131; Moo (2000), page 172; Laws, page 160–161.)

The word truth refers to the truth regarding the boast that they are wise. According to this interpretation, those who boasted that they were wise were not telling the truth. They were lying.Huther, page 167; Mayor, page 123; Mitton, page 137; Davids (1982), page 151. For example:
^14cDon’t say that you are wise ^14dwhen it isn’t true. (GW) (GW, NLT96; possibly REB, NLT, CEV, NCVThese last four versions which speak about hiding, covering up, or defying the truth may mean “do not cover up the truth that you are really full of jealousy and selfish ambition and so cannot have true wisdom.”)
The word truth refers to the truth that is found in the gospel or God’s word. (Or it may refer more specifically to the truth about what wisdom really is like.) According to this interpretation, those who boasted that they were wise “denied, contradicted, or hid from others” the truth of the gospel by the way they lived. They prevented or hindered people from knowing what real truth was.

Many English translations are ambiguous, and it is not possible to tell which interpretation they follow. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

This is a lie.

Do not lie like that.

You are lying. It’s not true.

when what you do contradicts the truth

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ζῆλον πικρὸν ἔχετε, καὶ ἐριθείαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν

jealousy (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ ζῆλον πικρόν ἔχετε καί ἐριθείαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν μή κατακαυχᾶσθε καί ψεύδεσθε κατά τῆς ἀληθείας)

James is using the heart to represent the thoughts and emotions. Alternate translation: [you have bitterly envious and ambitious thoughts and feelings]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ζῆλον πικρὸν ἔχετε, καὶ ἐριθείαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the abstract nouns jealousy and ambition by stating the ideas behind them with equivalent expressions. Alternate translation: [in your heart you resent what other people have and you want to be more successful than anyone else]

τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν

the heart ˱of˲_you_all

Since you and your are plural in this verse, if you retain the metaphor heart in your translation, it might be more natural in your language to use the plural form of that word. Alternate translation: [your hearts]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

μὴ κατακαυχᾶσθε καὶ ψεύδεσθε κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ ζῆλον πικρόν ἔχετε καί ἐριθείαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν μή κατακαυχᾶσθε καί ψεύδεσθε κατά τῆς ἀληθείας)

Since James says in the previous verse that someone who is truly wise will be humble, he could be saying here that if someone claims to be wise but is jealous and ambitious, he is showing that he is actually not wise. Alternate translation: [then do not boast that you are wise, because that would not be true]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ψεύδεσθε κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας

˓be˒_lying (Some words not found in SR-GNT: εἰ Δέ ζῆλον πικρόν ἔχετε καί ἐριθείαν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν μή κατακαυχᾶσθε καί ψεύδεσθε κατά τῆς ἀληθείας)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun truth with an adjective such as “true.” Alternate translation: [tell lies that are not true]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicitinfo

ψεύδεσθε κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας

In your language, it might seem that this phrase expresses unnecessary extra information. If so, you could express the same meaning in a different way. Alternate translation: [say things that are not true]

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) 3:14

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