YAC 5:3 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. Ὁ
2. ho
3. The
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. S
10. Y60
11. 148075
1. χρυσός
2. χrusos
3. gold
4. gold
5. 55570
6. N····NMS
7. gold
8. gold
9. -
10. Y60; F148086
11. 148076
1. ὑμῶν
2. su
3. of you all
4. Your your
5. 47710
6. R···2G·P
7. ˱of˲ you_all
8. ˱of˲ you_all
9. -
10. Y60; R148055
11. 148077
1. κατίωται
2. katioō
3. -
4. -
5. 27280
6. VIEP3··S
7. ˓have_been˒ corroded
8. ˓have_been˒ corroded
9. -
10. -
11. 148078
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148079
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148080
1. ἄργυρος
2. arguros
3. silver
4. silver
5. 6960
6. N····NMS
7. silver
8. silver
9. -
10. Y60; F148086
11. 148081
1. κατίωται
2. katioō
3. has been corroded
4. -
5. 27280
6. VIEP3··S
7. ˓has_been˒ corroded
8. ˓has_been˒ corroded
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148082
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148083
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148084
1. ἰός
2. ios
3. rust
4. -
5. 24470
6. N····NMS
7. rust
8. rust
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148085
1. αὐτῶν
2. autos
3. of them
4. -
5. 8460
6. R···3GMP
7. ˱of˲ them
8. ˱of˲ them
9. -
10. Y60; R148076; R148081
11. 148086
1. εἰς
2. eis
3. for
4. -
5. 15190
6. P·······
7. for
8. for
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148087
1. μαρτύριον
2. marturion
3. +a testimony
4. -
5. 31420
6. N····ANS
7. ˓a˒ testimony
8. ˓a˒ testimony
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148088
1. ὑμῖν
2. su
3. to you all
4. -
5. 47710
6. R···2D·P
7. ˱to˲ you_all
8. ˱to˲ you_all
9. -
10. Y60; R148055
11. 148089
1. ἔσται
2. eimi
3. will be
4. -
5. 15100
6. VIFM3··S
7. will_be
8. will_be
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148090
1. καί
2. kai
3. and
4. -
5. 25320
6. C·······
7. and
8. and
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148091
1. φαίνετε
2. fainō
3. -
4. -
5. 53160
6. VIPA2··P
7. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ revealing
8. ˱you_all˲ ˓are˒ revealing
9. -
10. -
11. 148092
1. φάγεται
2. esthiō
3. will be consuming
4. -
5. 20680
6. VIFM3··S
7. ˓will_be˒ consuming
8. ˓will_be˒ consuming
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148093
1. τάς
2. ho
3. the
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····AFP
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148094
1. σάρκας
2. sarka
3. fleshes
4. -
5. 45610
6. N····AFP
7. fleshes
8. fleshes
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148095
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; R148055
11. 148096
1. ὁ
2. ho
3. -
4. -
5. 35880
6. E····NMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. -
11. 148097
1. ἰός
2. ios
3. -
4. -
5. 24470
6. N····NMS
7. rust
8. rust
9. -
10. -
11. 148098
1. ὡς
2. hōs
3. like
4. -
5. 56130
6. C·······
7. like
8. like
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148099
1. πῦρ
2. pur
3. fire
4. fire
5. 44420
6. N····NNS
7. fire
8. fire
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148100
1. Ἐθησαυρίσατε
2. thēsaurizō
3. You all stored up
4. stored
5. 23430
6. VIAA2··P
7. ˱you_all˲ stored_up
8. ˱you_all˲ stored_up
9. S
10. Y60
11. 148101
1. ἐν
2. en
3. in
4. -
5. 17220
6. P·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148102
1. ἐσχάταις
2. esχatos
3. +the last
4. -
5. 20780
6. E····DFP
7. ˓the˒ last
8. ˓the˒ last
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148103
1. ἡμέραις
2. hēmera
3. days
4. -
5. 22500
6. N····DFP
7. days
8. days
9. -
10. Y60
11. 148104
1. ἐσχάταις
2. esχatos
3. -
4. -
5. 20780
6. E····DFP
7. ˓the˒ last
8. ˓the˒ last
9. -
10. -
11. 148105

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–6: James warned rich people who mistreat others

This section consists of a series of warnings that God is about to condemn rich people who have lived in luxury and exploited poor people. James wrote in the style of the Old Testament prophets using very harsh language and vivid, even frightening, images of God’s judgment. In your translation, you should use strong language that communicates the certainty of God’s judgment.

James wrote as though he were addressing rich people directly (“you rich people”). But he was not really expecting these rich people to read or to hear his letter. He was writing about rich people who were certainly unbelievers. They were not members of the Christian community. So this section is actually an encouragement to Christians. Many Christians were poor and were being exploited by wealthy landowners. James encouraged these Christians by telling them that, though they were suffering, God would judge the rich. He also wanted to warn them not to envy the rich and not to think or live like them.

In some languages, it will be more natural to use third person forms (“they,” “their,” “them”) throughout this section instead of second person forms (“you”). For example:

^1aRich people ^1bshould weep and wail ^1cbecause of the misery that is coming upon them. ^2aTheir wealth has rotted ^2band moths have eaten their clothes. ^3aTheir gold and silver are corroded. ^3bThis corrosion will testify against them ^3cand eat their flesh like fire. ^3dThey have hoarded wealth in the last days. ^4aLook! The wages they failed to pay the workmen who mowed their fields ^4bare crying out against them. ^4cThe cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. ^5aThey have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. ^5bThey have fattened themselves in the day of slaughter. ^6aThey have condemned and murdered innocent men, ^6bwho were not opposing them.

James does not condemn the rich simply because they are rich. He accuses them of specific things they have done wrong.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Warning to the Rich (GNT)

A warning to rich people who mistreat others

James encouraged the poor, mistreated believers by speaking about the judgment that will come to their rich oppressors

5:3a

Your gold and silver are corroded.

Your^(plur) gold and silver are rusted,
Your^(plur) fine/precious metal will rust,

gold and silver: The words gold and silver may refer here to coins made of gold and silver. But the phrase may also include jewelry and drinking cups or bowls made of gold and silver.

If your language does not have words for both gold and silver, it may be possible to say:

gold and other fine metal

money (CEV)

precious/expensive metals

corroded: The Greek word that the BSB translates as corroded literally means “rusted.” It is the process that forms a reddish coating on metals such as iron when they get damp. The word implies that the metal is being spoiled or destroyed.

Pure gold and silver do not rust. But the gold and silver that most people have is not 100% pure, so it can rust. In addition, silver can tarnish (become blackened).

Some other ways to translate this word are:

rusted (CEV)

tarnished/blackened

5:3b

Their corrosion will testify against you

and that rust will be like a witness against you^(plur) on the day that God will judge you.
and the rust will be evidence against you^(plur) that you have been greedy/selfish with your wealth.

Their corrosion will testify against you: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as Their corrosion will testify against you is literally “Their corrosion will be a witness to/for you.” For example:

their rust will be a witness against you (NET)

This sentence is a figure of speech called personification. In this personification, James speaks of corrosion as if it were a person who will testify in court. James meant that on the day when God will judge all people, the corrosion of the gold and silver will be evidence that rich people had misused their possessions. They misused their possessions by hoarding them.An alternate understanding of the sense in which the rust “will testify against them” is that the rust is evidence of the temporary and perishable (and therefore worthless) nature of riches. However, if this is the meaning, then the rust is less a condemning testimony in court and more a “teaching witness” that reveals the true nature and value of riches. But this is less in keeping with the context of judgment coming upon them in the last days. Rich people had more possessions than they needed, but they did not give them to help others.

There are at least two ways to translate this:

Keep the personification. For example:
their rust will be a witness against you (NASB)
their rust will speak against you^(plur) in court
Translate the meaning. For example:
the rust will be evidence against you (CEV)
the rust will be evidence to accuse you^(plur) on the day of judgment.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

that rust will be a proof that you were wrong (NCV)

their very tarnish will be the evidence of your wicked hoarding (JBP)

the rust will be the sign of your^(plur) sin of being greedy

that rust will make it clear that you^(plur) have been selfish with your wealth

Their corrosion: The phrase Their corrosion refers to the corrosion or rust of the gold and silver in 5:3a. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

the same corrosion (NJB)

their rust (RSV)

that rust (NCV)

this will be evidence

5:3c

and consume your flesh like fire.

It will burn your^(plur) bodies like fire burns.
and the same rust that destroyed your^(plur) wealth will destroy you too. It will attack your body like a fire.
Because of that, God will destroy you^(plur) like fire destroys.

and consume your flesh: The subject of this clause is “their corrosion” from 5:3b. The corrosion will consume your flesh. James connected the idea that their wealth is being destroyed by rust with the idea that they too will be destroyed. That is, they will be judged guilty by God and punished.

This whole expression is figurative language. Here “corrosion” (rust) refers to God’s judging and punishing rich people based on the evidence of their greed. The verb consume is used in an extended sense to mean “destroy.” The noun flesh refers to the entire “body.” (It does not refer to just the skin.) So this clause refers to God punishing (the bodies of) these rich people.

Some ways to translate this clause are:

Keep the figurative language. For example:
It will eat your bodies (NCV)
Keep some of the figurative language. For example:
it burns your body (CEV)
it will destroy your body (GW)
and that same rust that destroys your^(plur) wealth will destroy you^(plur) too
Translate the meaning without the figurative language. For example:
and because of this your^(plur) bodies will be consumed
and it will cause you^(plur) to be destroyed in hell
That rust will so certainly condemn you that it will be as if the rust itself destroys you
and God will punish you

like fire: The phrase like fire is a comparison called a simile. In this simile, rust is compared to fire. One way that they are similar is that both destroy or consume things. Fire is a common image of God’s judgment in both the Old Testament scriptures (see, for example, Isaiah 30:27, 33) and in Jesus’ teaching (see, for example, Matthew 25:41).

Some ways to translate this phrase are:

Keep the simile. For example:
like fire consumes/burns things
like the fire of God’s judgment
like the fire of hell
Translate the meaning without the simile. One way to do this is to translate the word fire with an adverb that strengthens your translation of the expression “will eat your flesh.” For example:
you^(plur) will be severely punished
God will harshly punish you

5:3d

You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

You^(plur) have foolishly stored up many possessions in the time of the last days of this world.
The world is about to end, and yet you^(plur) are gathering riches in case you may need them some day!
You^(plur) are storing up wealth for the future. But do you not realize that the world is about to end and God will begin to judge people right after that?

You have hoarded treasure: The Greek word that the BSB translates as You have hoarded treasure means “you have stored, gathered, or saved treasure.” This refers to all the possessions the rich people had gathered (in 5:2–3a).

Some other ways to translate this word are:

You have piled up riches (GNT)

You have stored up riches (GW)

you keep on storing up wealth (CEV)

You^(plur) have accumulated many things for yourselves

in the last days: There are two ways to interpret the phrase that the BSB translates as in the last days:

It means in the time of the last days. James believed that he was already living in the final days before the end of the world. He was implying that it was foolish for rich people to continue gathering more and more possessions. They ought to realize that God would soon judge everyone in the world. For example, the REB says:
in an age that is near its close (BSB, NIV, GNT, REB, NASB, ESV, NET, GW)
It means in preparation for the last days. According to this interpretation, the rich were hoarding wealth to prepare for the difficult times in the last days. For example, the RSV says:
for the last days (RSV, NJB, NCV, KJV, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The Greek preposition normally means “in” rather than “for.” Also, the expression “the last days” normally refers to all of the present age since the Day of Pentecost. James was implying that the days we live in will soon end with God’s Day of Judgment.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

during these last days

in this last period of time before God judges people

General Comment on 5:3d

James rebuked these rich people for hoarding wealth in the last days. This was a foolish thing to do. People hoard wealth in order to have it for the future. But if it is the last days, the world as they knew it would soon come to an end and judgment would follow. In your translation, you may want to show that hoarding wealth is not the wise or logical thing to do in the last days. For example:

You have foolishly hoarded wealth in the last days.

The world is about to end, but/yet you are storing up wealth.

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / pastforfuture

ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται

the the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὁ χρυσός ὑμῶν καί ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται καί ὁ ἰός αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται καί φάγεται τάς σάρκας ὑμῶν ὡς πῦρ Ἐθησαυρίσατε ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις)

James is using the past tense to refer to something that will happen in the future. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the future tense in your translation. Alternate translation: [Your gold and silver are going to be tarnished]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται

If your language does not use this passive form, you can express this with an active form. Alternate translation: [Your gold and silver have tarnished] or [Your gold and silver are going to tarnish]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται

Depending on the meaning of the statement You have stored up in the last days (See: the first note to that statement below), James may be saying that the gold and silver of the rich have become worthless. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that explicitly, as UST does.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

ὁ χρυσὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται

If you decide to indicate explicitly that James is saying that the gold and silver of the rich have become worthless, you could do that by expressing his past-for-future statement as a simile, as UST does.

Note 5 topic: translate-versebridge

καὶ ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὁ χρυσός ὑμῶν καί ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται καί ὁ ἰός αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται καί φάγεται τάς σάρκας ὑμῶν ὡς πῦρ Ἐθησαυρίσατε ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις)

If you created a verse bridge and you also combined the statement “your gold and silver have been tarnished” with the two clauses in [5:2](../05/02.md), it would be helpful to begin a new sentence here and to use a general expression that would apply to everything that these rich people own. Alternate translation: [The ruins of your possessions will be for a testimony against you] or [The ruins of your possessions will testify against you]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται

James is speaking of this rust as if it would be presented as evidence in a case against the rich people. Alternate translation: [the rust on your gold and silver will show that you did the wrong thing]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὁ ἰὸς αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται

If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what wrong thing these rich people have done, as evidenced by this rust. Alternate translation: [the rust of your gold and silver will show that you have done the wrong thing by devoting yourselves to accumulating wealth rather than to helping other people]

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

φάγεται τὰς σάρκας ὑμῶν ὡς πῦρ

˓will_be˒_consuming (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὁ χρυσός ὑμῶν καί ὁ ἄργυρος κατίωται καί ὁ ἰός αὐτῶν εἰς μαρτύριον ὑμῖν ἔσται καί φάγεται τάς σάρκας ὑμῶν ὡς πῦρ Ἐθησαυρίσατε ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις)

James is using the word flesh to mean the human body, by association with the way the body is made of flesh. Alternate translation: [it will eat your bodies]

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

φάγεται τὰς σάρκας ὑμῶν ὡς πῦρ

James is saying that this rust will corrode and consume the owners of the gold and silver that it is also corroding. Alternate translation: [it will consume you] or [it will ruin you]

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

ὡς πῦρ

like fire

It may be helpful to express the meaning of this simile more fully. Alternate translation: [just as fire consumes everything that it burns] or [just as fire ruins everything that it burns]

Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἐθησαυρίσατε ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις

If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state explicitly what these rich people have stored up and why it was wrong for them to do that. This could mean: (1) they have accumulated riches in the last days, that is, in the time just before Jesus returns. That would be wrong because once Jesus returns, earthly riches will no longer have any value. Instead of trying to get more and more wealth, these people should have been helping others with what they had. Alternate translation: [Instead of helping others, you have wrongly stored up wealth at a time when earthly riches are about to lose all of their value] (2) by their wrongdoing, such as he describes in [5:4–6](../05/04.md), these rich people have stored up punishment for themselves. Alternate translation: [God is just about to punish wrongdoers, and you have given God many reasons to punish you]

Note 12 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

ἐθησαυρίσατε ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις

If the first interpretation of this statement in the note just above is correct, then James is giving the reason for the results that he describes in the previous verse and in the earlier part of this verse. If you created a verse bridge as described in the first note to [5:2](../05/02.md), you could put this reason before the result by placing this statement first in that bridge.

Note 13 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις

˓the˒_last days

This is an idiom. Alternate translation: [the time just before Jesus returns]

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) 5:3

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

Section 5:1–6: James warned rich people who mistreat others

5:3a

5:3b

5:3c

5:3d

General Comment on 5:3d

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