YAC 2:26 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Just like a body is dead once the spirit has departed, so too faith is dead if it’s not demonstrated by good deeds.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor.
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 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, thus also the faith without works is dead.

UST All of this illustrates an important truth. Just as a person’s body is not alive if he is no longer breathing, in the same way, a person does not really trust in God if he does not express that trust through what he does.

BLB For just as the body apart from spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

AICNT For just as the body without the spirit[fn] is dead, also faith without [[the]][fn] works is dead.

2:26, Spirit: Or breath. The Greek word means (1) air in movement, blowing, breathing, (2) that which animates or gives life to the body, breath, (life-)spirit (3) a part of human personality, spirit, (4) an independent noncorporeal being, in contrast to a being that can be perceived by the physical sense, spirit, or (5) God's being as controlling influence, with focus on association with humans, Spirit, spirit. (BDAG, πνεῦμα)

2:26, the: Some manuscripts include. A(02) C(03) BYZ TR

OEB Just as a body is dead without a spirit, so faith is dead without actions.

WEBBE For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

LSV For as the body apart from [the] spirit is dead, so also the faith apart from works is dead.

FBV Just as the body is dead without the spirit, trust in God is dead if you don't do what's right.

TCNT [fn]For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

2:26 For just ¦ Just WH

T4T Remember that when our spirits permanently leave our bodies, our bodies are dead and useless. Similarly [SIM], if someone says, “I trust in God,” but does not do things to help others, what that person says about trusting in God is useless.

LEB For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

BBE For as the body without the spirit is dead even so faith without works is dead.

Moff For as the body without the breath of life is dead,
⇔ so faith is dead without deeds.

Wymth For just as a human body without a spirit is lifeless, so also faith is lifeless if it is unaccompanied by obedience.
¶ 

ASV For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

DRA For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead.

YLT for as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also the faith apart from the works is dead.

Drby For as the body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

RV For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

SLT For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Wbstr For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

KJB-1769 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

KJB-1611 For as the body without the [fn]spirit is dead, so faith without workes is dead also.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above apart from footnotes)

2:26 Or, breath.

Bshps For as the body without the spirite is dead: euen so, fayth without workes, is dead also
(For as the body without the spirit is dead: even so, faith without works, is dead also)

Gnva For as the body without ye spirit is dead, euen so the faith without workes is dead.
(For as the body without ye/you_all spirit is dead, even so the faith without works is dead. )

Cvdl For as the body, with oute the sprete is deed, euen so faith wt out dedes is deed.
(For as the body, without the spirit is deed, even so faith with out deeds is deed.)

TNT For as the body with oute the sprete is deed even so fayth with out dedes is deed.
(For as the body without the spirit is deed even so faith with out deeds is deed. )

Wycl For as the bodi with out spirit is deed, so also feith with out werkis is deed.
(For as the body with out spirit is deed, so also faith with out works is deed.)

Luth Denn gleichwie der Leib ohne Geist tot ist, also auch der Glaube ohne Werke ist tot.
(Because same_as the/of_the body without spirit dead is, also also the/of_the faith without work is dead.)

ClVg Sicut enim corpus sine spiritu mortuum est, ita et fides sine operibus mortua est.
(Like because body without in_spirit dead it_is, so/thus and faith without works dead it_is. )

UGNT ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς πνεύματος νεκρόν ἐστιν, οὕτως καὶ ἡ πίστις χωρὶς ἔργων νεκρά ἐστιν.
(hōsper gar to sōma ⱪōris pneumatos nekron estin, houtōs kai haʸ pistis ⱪōris ergōn nekra estin.)

SBL-GNT ὥσπερ ⸀γὰρ τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς πνεύματος νεκρόν ἐστιν, οὕτως καὶ ἡ πίστις ⸀χωρὶς ἔργων νεκρά ἐστιν.
(hōsper ⸀gar to sōma ⱪōris pneumatos nekron estin, houtōs kai haʸ pistis ⸀ⱪōris ergōn nekra estin.)

RP-GNT Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς πνεύματος νεκρόν ἐστιν, οὕτως καὶ ἡ πίστις χωρὶς τῶν ἔργων νεκρά ἐστιν.
(Hōsper gar to sōma ⱪōris pneumatos nekron estin, houtōs kai haʸ pistis ⱪōris tōn ergōn nekra estin.)

TC-GNT Ὥσπερ [fn]γὰρ τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς πνεύματος νεκρόν ἐστιν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ πίστις χωρὶς [fn]τῶν ἔργων νεκρά ἐστι.
(Hōsper gar to sōma ⱪōris pneumatos nekron estin, houtō kai haʸ pistis ⱪōris tōn ergōn nekra esti. )

2:26 γαρ ¦ — WH

2:26 των ¦ — CT

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

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:14–26: Faith without good deeds is useless

In this section, James emphasized that true faith in Jesus is a matter of both believing and doing good deeds. There is no such thing as faith without good deeds to go with it. It is the good deeds that demonstrate that there is true faith. Faith without good deeds is not true faith at all.

James used examples from the lives of Rahab and Abraham to show that faith and good deeds always go together.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Faith and good deeds

If you really believe/trust you will also do good deeds

Real faith is proved by good deeds.

Paragraph 2:20–26

In this paragraph, James gave two examples to show his readers that faith without deeds is useless. He used the examples of Abraham and Rahab from the Old Testament. He argued that it was because of their deeds that both Abraham and Rahab were declared righteous by God.

Throughout section 2:14–26, James was contrasting faith without deeds (for example, 2:14, 2:17, 2:18) with faith demonstrated by deeds (2:18). In this paragraph, when James said that Abraham was declared to be righteous “by deeds,” it does not mean by deeds alone. It is implied that Abraham had faith and that this faith was demonstrated by deeds. You may want to put some of this information in the translation or in a footnote. Some suggestions are in the notes on “for what he did” (2:21b) and “by his deeds” (2:24b).

2:26

As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead: James concluded his discussion of faith and deeds by repeating the statement faith without deeds is dead. He had already made this statement in 2:17. Here, James used a simile to emphasize this statement.

In this simile, James compared faith without deeds to the body without the spirit. The way that they are similar is that both are dead and useless.

Some other ways to translate this simile are:

Just as a person’s body that does not have a spirit is dead, so faith that does nothing is dead! (NCV)

faith without action is as dead as a body without a soul (JBP)

If someone believes/trusts but does not do good deeds, that belief/trust is as useless as a body that has no spirit.

If a person’s spirit has left his body, he cannot do any good deeds because the body has no life. In the same way, if someone believes but does not do any good deeds, his belief has no life.

2:26a

As the body without the spirit is dead,

Just as a person’s body without his spirit is dead,
If a person’s spirit is gone from his body, that body is dead and useless.

In Greek, this verse is connected to the previous verse with a conjunction. The BSB does not translate this conjunction. Here this conjunction introduces a simile that concludes this section.

Some other ways to indicate that 2:26 is the conclusion are:

So then (GNT)

What we should understand here is this:

In conclusion

the body: The phrase the body refers to a human body.

without the spirit: The phrase the spirit here refers to the inner part of a person that continues to exist after the person has died.

is dead: If possible, translate the word dead with a word or phrase in your language that can refer to a body as well as to faith. For example:

has no life

is dead and useless

2:26b

so faith without deeds is dead.

so also, the faith of a person who does no good deeds is dead.
In the same way, if a person says that he trusts in Christ/God, but he does not do anything to show/prove it, such trusting is dead/useless.

without deeds: The phrase without deeds also occurs in 2:20b.

dead: The word dead here indicates that the person’s faith has no power to do anything and so is of no use. (Compare 2:17c where the word dead also occurs.) In some languages, the word faith cannot be spoken of as dead. If that is the case in your language, you can:

Use a simile. For example:
as if dead
like a dead thing
Explain the meaning of the word dead here. For example:
useless
powerless

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὥσπερ Γάρ τό σῶμα χωρίς πνεύματος νεκρόν ἐστίν οὕτως καί ἡ πίστις χωρίς ἔργων νεκρά ἐστίν)

James is using the word For to introduce a general principle that can be deduced from the argument he has been making since [2:14](../02/14.md) that faith needs to be expressed in works. He does not say For, which often means “because,” to indicate that God justified Abraham and Rahab for this reason. Rather, he is using the word For in order to bring his argument to its conclusion. Alternate translation: [These specific cases confirm the general principle that]

τὸ σῶμα χωρὶς πνεύματος νεκρόν ἐστιν

The word translated spirit can also mean “breath.” Alternate translation: [a body that does not have the breath of life in it is dead]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

ἡ πίστις χωρὶς ἔργων νεκρά ἐστιν

¬the faith (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὥσπερ Γάρ τό σῶμα χωρίς πνεύματος νεκρόν ἐστίν οὕτως καί ἡ πίστις χωρίς ἔργων νεκρά ἐστίν)

James is speaking of faith as if it would be a living thing if it had works but not be alive if it did not have them. Alternate translation: [a person’s faith is not genuine if he does not express it through works]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns