YAC 1:6 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) but the person who’s asking should demonstrate their faith and not be doubting. That’s because a person who doubts is like a wave on the sea that’s just blown and tossed around

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one doubting has become like a wave of the sea, wind-blown and tossed.

UST But when you pray to God, you must trust him to answer you. Do not doubt that he will answer and help you. People who doubt God first decide to do one thing, but then they want to do something else. They never settle on a single course of action.

BLB But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for the one doubting is like a wave of the sea, being blown and being tossed by the wind.

AICNT But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.

OEB But they should ask with confidence, never doubting; for the person who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven here and there at the mercy of the wind –

WEBBE But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(5-8)If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

NET But he must ask in faith without doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by the wind.

LSV but let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for he who is doubting has been like a wave of the sea, driven by wind and tossed;

FBV But when you ask, remember to trust in God—don't have any doubts. Someone who doubts is like the crashing waves of the sea, tossed about and driven by the wind.

TCNT But he must ask in faith without doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed about.

T4T But when you ask God, you should firmly trust him. You should not doubt that he wants to help you always, because people who keep doubting God are unstable/changeable [SIM] like a wave of the sea that is blown back and forth by the wind {that goes back and forth when the wind blows} [DOU, SIM].

LEB But let him ask for it in faith, without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed about.

BBE Let him make his request in faith, doubting nothing; for he who has doubt in his heart is like the waves of the sea, which are troubled by the driving of the wind.

Moff Only, let him ask in faith, with never a doubt; for the doubtful man is like surge of the sea whirled and swayed by the wind;

Wymth But let him ask in faith and have no doubts; for he who has doubts is like the surge of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed into spray.

ASV But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

DRA But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind.

YLT and let him ask in faith, nothing doubting, for he who is doubting hath been like a wave of the sea, driven by wind and tossed,

Drby but let him ask in faith, nothing doubting. For he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven by the wind and tossed about;

RV But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.

SLT And let him ask in faith, being at variance in nothing. For he being at variance is like the surge of the sea being moved by the wind and put in motion.

Wbstr But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

KJB-1769 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

KJB-1611 But let him aske in faith, nothing wauering: for he that wauereth is like a waue of the sea, driuen with the wind, and tossed.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps But let hym aske in fayth, nothyng waueryng: For he that wauereth, is like a waue of the sea, tost of the wynde, and caryed with violence.
(But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: For he that wavereth, is like a wave of the sea, tost of the wind, and carried with violence.)

Gnva But let him aske in faith, and wauer not: for hee that wauereth, is like a waue of the sea, tost of the winde, and caried away.
(But let him ask in faith, and waver not: for he that wavereth, is like a wave of the sea, tost of the wind, and carried away. )

Cvdl But let him axe in faith and wauer not. For he that douteth, is lyke the wawes of ye See, tost of the wynde, and caried wt violence.
(But let him axe in faith and waver not. For he that douteth, is like the waves of ye/you_all See, tost of the wind, and carried with violence.)

TNT But let him axe in fayth and waver not. For he that douteth is lyke the waves of the see tost of the wynde and caried with violence.
(But let him axe in faith and waver not. For he that douteth is like the waves of the sea tost of the wind and carried with violence. )

Wycl But axe he in feith, and doute no thing; for he that doutith, is lijk to a wawe of the see, which is moued and borun a boute of wynde.
(But axe he in faith, and doubt no thing; for he that doutith, is like to a wave of the sea, which is moved and born a boute of wind.)

Luth Er bitte aber im Glauben und zweifle nicht; denn wer da zweifelt, der ist gleich wie die Meereswoge, die vom Winde getrieben und gewebet wird.
(He please but in_the faith and twofle not; because/than who there twofelt, the/of_the is even as/like the seawoge, the from_the winds driven and woven becomes.)

ClVg Postulet autem in fide nihil hæsitans: qui enim hæsitat, similis est fluctui maris, qui a vento movetur et circumfertur:[fn]
(Postulet however in/into/on with_faith nothing thesesitans: who/which because thesesitat, similar it_is fluctui of_the_sea, who/which from with_the_wind movetur and circumfertur: )

1.6 Qui autem hæsitat. Qui conscientia peccati pressus dubitat de præmiis cœlestibus, superveniente vento tentationum, facile deserit fidei statum, et secundum tentantis voluntatem, ad flatum venti per diversos vitiorum raptatur errores.

1.6 Who however thesesitat. Who conscience of_sin pressus doubts from/about prizess heavenly, superveniente with_the_wind temptations, facile abandons of_faith state, and after/second tentantis will, to flatum winds through diversos of_vices raptatur errors.

UGNT αἰτείτω δὲ ἐν πίστει, μηδὲν διακρινόμενος; ὁ γὰρ διακρινόμενος ἔοικεν κλύδωνι θαλάσσης, ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ.
(aiteitō de en pistei, maʸden diakrinomenos; ho gar diakrinomenos eoiken kludōni thalassaʸs, anemizomenōi kai ɽipizomenōi.)

SBL-GNT αἰτείτω δὲ ἐν πίστει, μηδὲν διακρινόμενος, ὁ γὰρ διακρινόμενος ἔοικεν κλύδωνι θαλάσσης ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ·
(aiteitō de en pistei, maʸden diakrinomenos, ho gar diakrinomenos eoiken kludōni thalassaʸs anemizomenōi kai ɽipizomenōi;)

RP-GNT Αἰτείτω δὲ ἐν πίστει, μηδὲν διακρινόμενος· ὁ γὰρ διακρινόμενος ἔοικεν κλύδωνι θαλάσσης ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ.
(Aiteitō de en pistei, maʸden diakrinomenos; ho gar diakrinomenos eoiken kludōni thalassaʸs anemizomenōi kai ɽipizomenōi.)

TC-GNT Αἰτείτω δὲ ἐν πίστει, μηδὲν διακρινόμενος· ὁ γὰρ διακρινόμενος ἔοικε κλύδωνι θαλάσσης ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ.
(Aiteitō de en pistei, maʸden diakrinomenos; ho gar diakrinomenos eoike kludōni thalassaʸs anemizomenōi kai ɽipizomenōi. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:2–11: James encouraged believers to continue to trust God during times of testing

The theme of this section is that it is important for Christians to continue to trust God when going through various kinds of trials or difficulties. These trials are a test of their faith (1:2–4). They need God’s wisdom in order to remain faithful to him, and so they should pray for wisdom (1:5). When they come to God in prayer, they should have an attitude of firm trust in him (1:6–8). Both poverty and wealth test a Christian. They should trust God whether rich or poor and learn to think about poverty and wealth as God does (1:9–11).

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Have faith and wisdom

When you have trials/tests, you must trust God

Be joyful when your faith is tested

Paragraph 1:5–8

In this paragraph, James encouraged his readers to ask God to make them wise. They needed wisdom from God to know what to do while experiencing trials that test their faith. God will answer this prayer if they fully trust God when they pray. But if they do not fully trust him or if they have divided loyalty, God will not answer their prayers.

1:6a

But he must ask

However, when someone asks for wisdom,
When you^(plur) ask God to make you wise,

But: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as But introduces an additional requirement for a person to receive wisdom. The person who wants to be wise must:

ask God (1:5b)
believe and not doubt (1:6b)

Some other ways to translate this conjunction are:

And

In addition

This conjunction does not indicate a contrast with 1:5.

he must ask: The words he must ask refer back to “he should ask” in 1:5b. In 1:6a James went on to tell his readers how they should ask for wisdom.

he: The pronoun he refers to the same person as in 1:5a. Consider whether it would be more natural here to use “he,” “they,” “we” or “you.” Refer back to your translation of 1:5 and be consistent.

1:6b

in faith, without doubting,

he must believe/trust in God/Jesus and not waver in that trust.
you^(plur) must be firm/constant in your faith/trust and committed to God/Jesus.
you^(plur) must truly/firmly trust in God/Jesus.

in faith, without doubting: There are two ways to interpret the clause in faith, without doubting:

The person must believe/trust in God and Christ with his whole heart. He must be firmly committed to God and to Jesus as the Messiah. He must not trust anyone else or anything else, and he must not waver in his commitment. For example, the NLT says:
be sure that your faith is in God alone (NLT)
The person must believe that God will answer his prayer for wisdom. He must not be uncertain whether God will give him wisdom or not. For example, the NLT96 says:
be sure that you really expect him to answer (NLT96)

Most English versions are ambiguous, and there is good support among the commentators for both interpretations.Interpretation (1) is supported by Mayor, page 39 (he compares 4:4 and Matthew 6:24); Ropes, page 140; Hiebert, page 84; Davids (1982), page 73; Moo (1985), page 64; Mitton, page 31; Tasker, page 42.Interpretation (2) is supported by Alford, page 277; Huther, page 50; Adamson (1976), pages 57–58; Laws, page 57. So if you can leave your translation ambiguous here, you should do so. However, if you must make a choice, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Interpretation (1) fits well with the idea of “the testing of your faith” in 1:3b. It also fits well with the description of the person as “double-minded and unstable in all his ways” in 1:8a–b.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

he must firmly trust in God/Jesus and not doubt/waver

he must trust in God/Jesus without any hesitation

See also the note on “your faith” at 1:3b and see believe, meaning 2, in the Glossary.

Notice that in faith, without doubting is another positive statement followed by its negative restatement (See the note on “not lacking anything” at 1:4c.). Together they emphasize that complete faith is necessary.

Another way to translate this expression is:

truly believe/trust

without doubting: The Greek word that the BSB translates as doubting can also be translated as “wavering.” It means “continue to change one’s mind or commitment.”Though most English versions translate with the word “doubt,” many commentators explain the meaning as having to do with a wavering allegiance to God or Jesus. See, for example, Davids (1982), page 73; Lenski, page 530–531; Moo (2000), page, 60–61; McCartney, page 90–91 ; and Ropes, page 140–141. McCartney in particular says: “James does not mean that a believer may never have a measure of uncertainty regarding whether something is God’s will; rather, he is condemning a lack of commitment, a divided loyalty, or an indecision or hesitancy that questions the integrity of God.” (91). David DeGraaf argues that the Greek word διακρινω never refers to intellectual uncertainty in his article “Some Doubts about Doubt: The New Testament Use of Διακρινω.” (Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 48:733–755) This refers to not being firm and constant in one’s commitment to trust Jesus as God’s Messiah.

Some other ways to translate this word are:

nothing wavering (KJV)

not waver in his trust/commitment

not continually changing his mind about trusting Jesus

not have two minds/hearts about this

1:6c

because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

For anyone who wavers is like an ocean wave that the wind blows and tosses around.
He who continues to change his mind about this is as unstable/unreliable as the rough water of the sea/lake that the wind blows back and forth.

because: The conjunction because introduces the basis for James’ command in 1:6b. A person who asks God for something must believe and not doubt/waver (1:6a–b), because he who doubts/wavers is like a wave (1:6c).

In some languages, no conjunction is necessary to introduce the basis for James’ command. For example:

^6aBut when you ask for something, ^6byou must have faith and not doubt. ^6cAnyone who doubts is like… (CEV)

he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind: The phrase is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind is a simile. In this simile, a person who doubts/wavers is compared to a wave. They are similar in that neither one is stable. A wave is never stable or still because the wind blows it around in different directions. A person who wavers is not stable because he keeps changing his mind about what he believes.

One way to translate this simile is to make explicit how a person who doubts/wavers is similar to a wave. For example:

a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. (NLT)

the person who wavers is always changing what he believes. He is like a wave that always changes as it is blown and tossed by the wind

a wave of the sea: The phrase a wave of the sea refers to the action of the water in a sea moving up and down, and back and forth in relation to the surface.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

Describe waves. For example:
the moving of the water on the sea/lake
the constantly changing water of the sea
the swells of water in a sea
In areas where waves and the sea are well-known, the word wave may include the idea of sea. It may not be necessary to add the phrase of the sea. For example:
wave
In areas where there are no large bodies of water, it may be possible to translate this phrase simply as:
water

blown and tossed by the wind: The Greek words that the BSB translates as blown and tossed are passive. There are at least two ways to translate them:

Use passive verbs. For example:
blown and tossed around by the wind (NET)
Use active verbs. For example:
that the wind blows and throws around

In some languages, it will be more natural to use one expression for the two verbs in the phrase blown and tossed by the wind. For example:

that the wind blows in every direction

The wind causes the waves of the sea to go in every direction

tossed around in a storm (CEV)

blown: The Greek word that the BSB translates as blown refers to the way the wind can move and lift the surface of the water in many different directions.

tossed: The Greek word that the BSB translates as tossed is similar in meaning to the word translated as blown. The picture is of the water being thrown into the air by the wind.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἐν πίστει

in faith

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind the abstract noun faith with a verb such as “trust.” Alternate translation: [confidently trusting God]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

μηδὲν διακρινόμενος

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: αἰτείτω Δέ ἐν πίστει μηδέν διακρινόμενος ὁ γάρ διακρινόμενος ἔοικεν κλύδωνι θαλάσσης ἀνεμιζομένῳ καί ῥιπιζομένῳ)

If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this double negative that consists of the negative verb doubting and the negative object nothing with a positive expression. Alternate translation: [with complete certainty that God will answer]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

ἔοικεν κλύδωνι θαλάσσης, ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ

˓is˒_like ˱to˲_˓a˒_wave ˱of˲_˓the˒_sea ˓being˒_blown (Some words not found in SR-GNT: αἰτείτω Δέ ἐν πίστει μηδέν διακρινόμενος ὁ γάρ διακρινόμενος ἔοικεν κλύδωνι θαλάσσης ἀνεμιζομένῳ καί ῥιπιζομένῳ)

The point of this comparison is that anyone who doubts will be like a wave in the ocean, which keeps moving in different directions. In your translation, you could express this meaning plainly. (However, you could also reproduce the simile, as suggested in the next note.) Alternate translation: [will keep changing his mind about what to do]

Note 4 topic: translate-unknown

κλύδωνι θαλάσσης, ἀνεμιζομένῳ καὶ ῥιπιζομένῳ

˱to˲_˓a˒_wave ˱of˲_˓the˒_sea ˓being˒_blown (Some words not found in SR-GNT: αἰτείτω Δέ ἐν πίστει μηδέν διακρινόμενος ὁ γάρ διακρινόμενος ἔοικεν κλύδωνι θαλάσσης ἀνεμιζομένῳ καί ῥιπιζομένῳ)

If you would like to use a simile in your translation but your readers would not be familiar with a wave of the sea, you could use another illustration that would be familiar to them. Alternate translation: [the desert sand swirling in the wind] or [stalks of tall grass swaying back and forth in the wind]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive