James 4:13-17 - Discourse Analysis

 

James 4:13-17

James 4: 13

Ἄγε νῦν οἱ λέγοντες· (Come now, you who say,)

Σήμερον ἢ αὔριον πορευσόμεθα εἰς τήνδε τὴν πόλιν (“Today or tomorrow, we will go to such and such a city,)

καὶ ποιήσομεν ἐκεῖ ἐνιαυτὸν (and spend a year there)

καὶ ἐμπορευσόμεθα (and engage in business)

καὶ κερδήσομεν (and make a profit.”)

James 4: 14

οἵτινες οὐκ ἐπίστασθε Yet you do not know

τὸ τῆς αὔριον ποία ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶν· (what your life will be like tomorrow.)

ἀτμὶς γάρ ἐστε ἡ πρὸς ὀλίγον φαινομένη, (You are a vapor that appears for a little while)

ἔπειτα καὶ ἀφανιζομένη·and then vanishes away. 

James 4: 15 

ἀντὶ τοῦ λέγειν ὑμᾶς· Instead, you ought to say,

Ἐὰν ὁ κύριος θελήσῃ, καὶ ζήσομεν (“If the Lord wills, we will live)

καὶ ποιήσομεν τοῦτο ἢ ἐκεῖνο. (and also do this or that.”)

 

 

 

James 4: 16

νῦν δὲ καυχᾶσθε ἐν ταῖς ἀλαζονείαις ὑμῶν (But as it is, you boast in your arrogance.)

πᾶσα καύχησις τοιαύτη πονηρά ἐστιν (All such boasting is evil.)

James 4: 17

εἰδότι οὖν καλὸν ποιεῖν Therefore, to one who knows to do the right thing

καὶ μὴ ποιοῦντι and does not do it,

ἁμαρτία αὐτῷ ἐστιν.to him it is sin.

 

Argument:   James now addresses those who arrogantly plan to travel to a city and engage in business. He warns them that they do not know what tomorrow will bring, reminding them that life is merely a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, James urges them to depend on the Lord and acknowledge Him with humility by saying, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' In stark contrast to this advice, they boast in their arrogance, a practice James condemns as evil. Finally, having shown them the right way to live, he concludes that if they fail to adopt this humble posture, they are actively sinning.