James 5:7 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
James 5:7
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
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
Hebrews 12:1-3 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so ea…
James 5:8-9 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
Joel 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to…
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Deuteronomy 11:14 That I will give you the rain of your land in his due season, the first rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and t…
Colossians 1:11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
2 Corinthians 6:4-5 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
Romans 2:7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on James 5:1-11
The apostle is here addressing first sinners and then saints.
I. Let us consider the address to sinners; and here we find James seconding what his great Master had said: Woe unto you that are rich; for you have received your consolation, Luk 6:24. The rich people to whom this word of warning was sent were not such as professed the Christian religion, but the worldly and unbelieving Jews, such as are here said to condemn and kill the just, which the Christians had no power to do; and though this epistle was written for the sake of the faithful, and was sent principally to them, yet, by an apostrophe, the infidel Jews may be well supposed here spoken to. They would not hear the word, and there…
Be patient therefore--as judgment is so near (Jam 5:1, Jam 5:3), ye may well afford to be "patient" after the example of the unresisting Just one (Jam 5:6).
brethren--contrasted with the "rich" oppressors, Jam 5:1-6.
unto the coming of the Lord--Christ, when the trial of your patience shall cease.
husbandman waiteth for--that is, patiently bears toils and delays through hope of the harvest at last. Its "preciousness" (compare Psa 126:6, "precious seed") will more than compensate for all the past. Compare the same image, Gal 6:3, Gal 6:9.
hath long patience for it--"over it," in respect to it.
until he receive--"until it receive" [ALFORD]. Even if English Version be retained, the re…
Be patient, therefore - Because God is coming to execute judgment on this wicked people, therefore be patient till he comes. He seems here to refer to the coming of the Lord to execute judgment on the Jewish nation, which shortly afterwards took place.
The husbandman waiteth - The seed of your deliverance is already sown, and by and by the harvest of your salvation will take place. God's counsels will ripen in due time.
The early and latter rain - The rain of seed time; and the rain of ripening before harvest: the first fell in Judea, about the beginning of November, after the seed was sown; and the second towards the end of April, when the ears were filling, and this prepared for a full har…
The Church Fathers
If God delays the punishment of sinners, waiting for them to repent, it is not because his character has changed, so that now he loves sin. Rather he is giving them time to repent.
Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient for it until he receives the early and latter rain. Be patient therefore, you also, and establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door. Take as an example, my brothers, of suffering and patience, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we consider those blessed who endured. You have heard of the patience of Job, and you have seen the end intended by the Lord, that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful. After James has accused the indulgences of the Jewish leaders, and their cruelty and inhumanity towards the poor, he also turns to the faithful and says: "Do not be offended by seeing these things, brothers, nor be disheartened, as if either vengeance is not being taken against them, or if it is indeed being taken, it is too delayed. For there is certain retribution, and it will come immediately." He speaks of the insult of the Romans and the captivity of the Jews under them, which he even calls the coming of the Lord: just as John, who reclined on the Lord's breast, when he speaks of his own destruction, introduces the Lord himself, saying: "'If I want him to remain until I come." (Jn. 21:22) Indeed, this time of this life has been extended until the captivity of Jerusalem, and a little beyond that time. And that the coming of the Lord and the destruction of Jerusalem in this place and in John is evident from the prophet, who says: "Behold, the Lord will come, and who will endure the day of his coming?" (Mal. 3:1) as the coming of the Lord brings judgment against the wicked. But also John Chrysostom1, in a certain commentary of his, explains the same thing, saying: This statement intends to signify the complete destruction of Jerusalem: and he confirms it from the prayer of the three youths, who said: "So let our sacrifice be in your presence today, and may it be perfected after you." (Dan. 3:40 LXX) He says: What does "after you" mean? It means, after your fury has passed. And when did it come? When Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem. And indeed, this is about the coming. However, some of the Fathers say that "patience" [µακροθυµία] here refers to long-suffering, which…
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
Agriculture — Tilling the ground (Gen. 2:15; 4:2, 3, 12) and rearing cattle were the chief employments in ancient times. The Egyptians excelled in agriculture. And after the Israelites entered into the possession…
Rain — There are three Hebrew words used to denote the rains of different seasons, (1.) Yoreh (Hos. 6:3), or moreh (Joel 2:23), denoting the former or the early rain. (2.) Melqosh, the “latter rain” (Prov.…
Revelation of Christ — The second advent of Christ. Three different Greek words are used by the apostles to express this, (1) apokalupsis (1 Cor. 1;7; 2 Thess. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13); (2) parousia (Matt. 24:3, 27; 1 Thess.…
Agriculture Or Husbandry · Requires: Patience in waiting — Requires: Patience in waiting
Fruits · To be waited for with patience — To be waited for with patience
Harvest, The · Patience required in waiting for — Patience required in waiting for
Patience · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Second Coming Of Christ, The · Saints: Should be patient to — Saints: Should be patient to
Waiting Upon God · Illustrated — Illustrated
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).
Be patient therefore, brethren,.... The apostle here addresses himself to the poor who were oppressed by the rich men, and these he calls "brethren" of whom he was not ashamed; when he does not bestow this title upon the rich, though professors of the same religion: these poor brethren he advises to be patient under their sufferings, to bear them with patience,
unto the coming of the Lord; not to destroy Jerusalem, but either at death, or at the last, judgment; when he will take vengeance on their oppressors, and deliver them from all their troubles, and put them into the possession of that kingdom, and glory, to which they are called; wherefore, in the mean while, he would have them be qui…
James 5:7-9
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
7 Patienter ergo agite, fratres, usque in adventum Domini. Ecce agricola expectat pretiosum fructum terrae, patienter se gerens erga eum, donec recipiat pluvium matutinam et vespertinam.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
8 Patienter ergo agite et vos; confirmate corda vestra, quonim adventus Domini propinquus est.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.…
be patient: This is the ultimate resolution for the poor in their economic pressures and for the unjust treatment by the wicked rich (5:1-6; see 2:6-7). Even though the poor have been marginalized and oppressed, they must not give up or strike out at their oppressors. At the Lord’s return, the faithful will receive their final reward (Isa 40:10; Luke 6:20-35; 1 Cor 15:23; 1 Pet 1:17; 5:4; Rev 22:12).
