James 2:20

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

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
thou	θέλεις theleis	G2309	to determine (as an active option from subjective impul… · verb — present active indicative, 2nd person singular
know	γνῶναι, gnōnai	G1097	to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applicatio… · verb — second aorist active infinitive
O	ὦ ō	G5599	as a sign of the vocative case · interjection
vain	κενέ, kene	G2756	empty (literally or figuratively) · adjective — vocative singular masculine
man	ἄνθρωπε anthrōpe	G444	from G3700 (ὀπτάνομαι)) · noun — vocative singular masculine
that	ὅτι hoti	G3754	demonstrative · conjunction
faith	πίστις pistis	G4102	persuasion · noun — nominative singular feminine
without	χωρὶς chōris	G5565	at a space · preposition
works	ἔργων ergōn	G2041	toil (as an effort or occupation) · noun — genitive plural neuter
is	ἐστί estí	G2076	he (she or it) is
dead	νεκρός nekrós	G3498	dead (literally or figuratively

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

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Proverbs 12:11 He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.
Romans 1:21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foo…
Psalms 94:8-11 Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?
Galatians 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
Job 11:11-12 For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
Jeremiah 2:5 Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are beco…

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on James 2:14–end

In this latter part of the chapter, the apostle shows the error of those who rested in a bare profession of the Christian faith, as if that would save them, while the temper of their minds and the tenour of their lives were altogether disagreeable to that holy religion which they professed. To let them see, therefore, what a wretched foundation they built their hopes upon, it is here proved at large that a man is justified, not by faith only, but by works. Now, I. Upon this arises a very great question, namely, how to reconcile Paul and James. Paul, in his epistles to the Romans and Galatians, seems to assert the directly contrary thing to what James here lays down, saying if often, and with…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on James 2:20

wilt thou know--"Vain" men are not willing to know, since they have no wish to "do" the will of God. James beseeches such a one to lay aside his perverse unwillingness to know what is palpable to all who are willing to do. vain--who deceivest thyself with a delusive hope, resting on an unreal faith. without works--The Greek, implies separate from the works [ALFORD] which ought to flow from it if it were real. is dead--Some of the best manuscripts read, "is idle," that is, unavailing to effect what you hope, namely, to save you.

Adam Clarke on James 2:20

But wilt thou know - Art thou willing to be instructed in the nature of true saving faith? Then attend to the following examples.

John Gill on James 2:20

But wilt thou know, O vain man,.... These are the words of the apostle reassuming the argument, that faith without works is dead, useless, and unprofitable; and the man that boasts of his faith, and has no works to show it, he calls a "vain man", an empty one, sounding brass, and a tinkling cymbal; empty vessels make the greatest sound; such are proud boasters, vainly puffed up by their fleshly mind; but are empty of the true knowledge of God, and of the faith of Christ, and of the grace of the Spirit: the Syriac version renders it, "O weak", or "feeble man", as he must needs be, whose faith is dead, and boasts of such a lifeless thing; and the Ethiopic version renders it, "O foolish man", f…

The Church Fathers

Just as faith without works is dead, so the reverse is also true. Therefore let integrity in faith shine forth along with the glories of upright living.
— Cyril of Alexandria, LETTERS 55.2

But will you know O vain man, that faith without works is dead? James called a man vain who boasts of a bare faith, when he has obtained nothing of substance for completion through works.
— Oecumenius, Commentary on James

Holy Scripture should be interpreted in a way which is in complete agreement with those who understood it and not in a way which seems to be inconsistent to those who are least familiar with it. Paul said that a man is justified through faith without the works of the law, but not without those works of which James speaks.
— Augustine of Hippo, ON THE CHRISTIAN LIFE 13

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

Faith · 10:20;14:32;26:3;30:15;57:13; — 10:20;14:32;26:3;30:15;57:13;
Hypocrisy · 6:26,70;7:19;15:2,6; — 6:26,70;7:19;15:2,6;
Justification · 3:8,9; — 3:8,9;
Man · Called: Vain man — Called: Vain man
Religion · TRUE — TRUE
Righteousness · 2:17;7:10,11;9:10;10:5;13:5; — 2:17;7:10,11;9:10;10:5;13:5;
Unity Of God · May be acknowledged without saving faith — May be acknowledged without saving faith
Works · with — with
Works, Good · In the judgment, will be an evidence of faith — In the judgment, will be an evidence of faith

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 2:20

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on James 2:14–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on James 2:20

Adam Clarke on James 2:20

John Gill on James 2:20

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

James 2:20

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on James 2:14–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on James 2:20

Adam Clarke on James 2:20

John Gill on James 2:20

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Calvin on James 2:20–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on James 2:20-26