James 3:14

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
But	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
if	εἰ ei	G1487	if · conditional particle
have	ἔχετε echete	G2192	to hold (used in very various applications · verb — present active indicative, 2nd person plural
bitter	πικρὸν pikron	G4089	sharp (pungent) · adjective — accusative singular masculine
envying	ζῆλον zēlon	G2205	properly · noun — accusative singular masculine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
strife	ἐριθείαν eritheian	G2052	properly · noun — accusative singular feminine
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
your	ὑμῶν hymōn	G5216	of (from or concerning) you
hearts	καρδίᾳ kardia	G2588	the heart · noun — dative singular feminine
glory	κατακαυχᾶσθε katakauchasthe	G2620	to exult against (i.e. over) · verb — present middle or passive deponent imperative, 2nd person plural
not	μὴ mē	G3361	(adverb) not · particle — negative
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
lie	ψεύδεσθε pseudesthe	G5574	to utter an untruth or attempt to deceive by falsehood · verb — present middle or passive deponent imperative, 2nd person plural
against	κατὰ kata	G2596	(prepositionally) down (in place or time) · preposition
truth	ἀληθείας. alētheias	G225	truth · noun — genitive singular feminine

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 3:16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
1 Corinthians 13:4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
1 Corinthians 3:3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
Romans 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
2 Corinthians 12:20 For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be…
1 Peter 2:1-2 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
Philippians 1:15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

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

Commentary

Matthew Henry on James 3:13–end

As the sins before condemned arise from an affectation of being thought more wise than others, and being endued with more knowledge than they, so the apostle in these verses shows the difference between men's pretending to be wise and their being really so, and between the wisdom which is from beneath (from earth or hell) and that which is from above. I. We have some account of true wisdom, with the distinguishing marks and fruits of it: Who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge among you? Let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom, Jam 3:13. A truly wise man is a very knowing man: he will not set up for the reputation of being wise without laying in a good…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on James 3:14

if ye have--as is the case (this is implied in the Greek indicative). bitter-- Eph 4:31, "bitterness." envying--rather, "emulation," or literally, "zeal": kindly, generous emulation, or zeal, is not condemned, but that which is "bitter" [BENGEL]. strife--rather, "rivalry." in your hearts--from which flow your words and deeds, as from a fountain. glory not, and lie not against the truth--To boast of your wisdom is virtually a lying against the truth (the gospel), while your lives belie your glorying. Jam 3:15; Jam 1:18, "The word of truth." Rom 2:17, Rom 2:23, speaks similarly of the same contentious Jewish Christians.

Adam Clarke on James 3:14

If ye have bitter envying and strife - If ye be under the influence of an unkind, fierce, and contemptuous spirit, even while attempting or pretending to defend true religion, do not boast either of your exertions or success in silencing an adversary; ye have no religion, and no true wisdom, and to profess either is to lie against the truth. Let all writers on what is called polemic (fighting, warring) divinity lay this to heart. The pious Mr. Herbert gives excellent advice on this subject: - "Be calm in arguing, for fierceness makes Error a fault, and truth discourtesy; Why should I feel another man's mistakes More than his sickness or his poverty? In love I should; but anger is not love,…

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The Church Fathers

The mature faithful should not have any bitterness or jealousy in them, since such things are not given by God but are conceived by diabolical fraud. For where there is jealousy there is strife, disloyalty and every kind of evil which divine authority condemns.
— Cassiodorus, SUMMARY OF JAMES

But if you have bitter zeal, and there are contentions in your hearts, do not glory, etc. He says 'bitter zeal' because there is also sweet zeal, from which also the apostle Simon rightly received the name of perfect heart. Which also Elijah had, when he said: I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts, for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant (1 Kings 19). And the apostle Paul: For I am jealous for you with a Godly jealousy (2 Corinthians 11). There is also good contention, which the Lord commanded us to have, saying: Strive to enter through the narrow gate (Luke 13). Do not, he says, glory, and lie against the truth. For the Truth itself proves that those who utter words of wisdom from their mouth, and carry bitter zeal and the zeal of unfruitful contention in their heart, are not worthy of glory.
— Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles

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

Envy · 6:4,5; — 6:4,5;
Righteousness · 2:17;7:10,11;9:10;10:5;13:5; — 2:17;7:10,11;9:10;10:5;13:5;
Strife · Shameful in saints — Shameful in saints

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 3:14

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on James 3:13–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on James 3:14

Adam Clarke on James 3:14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

James 3:14

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on James 3:13–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on James 3:14

Adam Clarke on James 3:14

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on James 3:14

John Calvin on James 3:13–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on James 3:14