James 1:22

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
be	Γίνεσθε Ginesthe	G1096	to cause to be ("gen"-erate) · verb — present middle or passive deponent imperative, 2nd person plural
doers	ποιηταὶ poiētai	G4163	a performer · noun — nominative plural masculine
word	λόγου logou	G3056	something said (including the thought) · noun — genitive singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
not	μὴ mē	G3361	(adverb) not · particle — negative
hearers	ἀκροαταὶ akroatai	G202	apparently an intensive of G191 (ἀκούω)) · noun — nominative plural masculine
only	μόνον mónon	G3440	merely
deceiving	παραλογιζόμενοι paralogizomenoi	G3884	to misreckon · verb — present middle or passive deponent participle, nominative plural masculine
selves	ἑαυτούς. he'autous	G1438	him- (her- · reflexive pronoun

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Romans 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Luke 6:46-48 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
John 13:17 If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
James 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
1 John 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
Luke 11:28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
James 2:14-20 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
Matthew 12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on James 1:19–end

In this part of the chapter we are required, I. To restrain the workings of passion. This lesson we should learn under afflictions; and this we shall learn if we are indeed begotten again by the word of truth. For thus the connection stands - An angry and hasty spirit is soon provoked to ill things by afflictions, and errors and ill opinions become prevalent through the workings of our own vile and vain affections; but the renewing grace of God and the word of the gospel teach us to subdue these: Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath, Jam 1:19. This may refer, 1. To the word of truth spoken of in the verse foregoing. And so we may observ…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on James 1:22

Qualification of the precept, "Be swift to hear": "Be ye doers . . . not hearers only"; not merely "Do the word," but "Be doers" systematically and continually, as if this was your regular business. James here again refers to the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 7:21-29). deceiving your own selves--by the logical fallacy (the Greek implies this) that the mere hearing is all that is needed.

Adam Clarke on James 1:22

But be ye doers of the word - They had heard this doctrine; they had believed it; but they had put it to no practical use. They were downright Antinomians, who put a sort of stupid, inactive faith in the place of all moral righteousness. This is sufficiently evident from the second chapter. Deceiving your own selves - Παραλογιζομενοι ἑαυτους· Imposing on your own selves by sophistical arguments; this is the meaning of the words. They had reasoned themselves into a state of carnal security, and the object of St. James is, to awake them out of their sleep.

John Gill on James 1:22

But be ye doers of the word,.... And they are such, who spiritually understand it; gladly receive it; and from the heart obey it, and make a sincere and ingenuous profession of it; and who submit to the ordinances it directs to, and keep them as they have been delivered; and live, and walk, becoming their profession of it. The Arabic and Ethiopic versions read, "be ye doers of the law"; and so one of Stephens's copies, as in Romans 2:13 and not hearers only; though the word should be heard swiftly and readily, and received with meekness; yet it should not be barely heard, and assented to; but what is heard should be put in practice; and especially men should not depend upon their hearing, a…

The Church Fathers

In other words, be mindful of your own salvation!
— Andreas of Caesarea, CATENA

James did not say "of the words" but "of the Word," in spite of the fact that there are so many words from the Holy Scriptures which are venerated in the church.
— Augustine of Hippo, SERMONS 71.22

We are therefore bound by the word of our Teacher not to be constant listeners only to the Word of God but also constant doers. For the man who, though listening not, doeth, is better than the man who is constant in listening and empty of works.
— Philoxenus of Mabbug, 13 Ascetic Discourses, Discourse 1 -- Prologue

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Doer · 8:11; — 8:11;
Hearers · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Hypocrisy · 6:26,70;7:19;15:2,6; — 6:26,70;7:19;15:2,6;
Scriptures, The · Are called the: Word — Are called the: Word
Word Of God · .THE WORD — .THE WORD

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

James 1:22

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on James 1:19–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on James 1:22

Adam Clarke on James 1:22

John Gill on James 1:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

James 1:22

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on James 1:19–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on James 1:22

Adam Clarke on James 1:22

John Gill on James 1:22

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on James 1:22–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on James 1:22-23