James 1:11

For the sun is no sooner risen, etc. (ἀνέτειλεν γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος) By the use of the aorist tense James graphically throws his illustration into the narrative form: "For the sun arose - and withered," etc. With a burning heat (τῷ καύσωνι) Rev., with the scorching wind. The article denotes something familiar; and the reference may be to the scorching east-wind (Job 1:19, Sept.; Ezekiel 17:10), which withers vegetation. Some of the best authorities, however, prefer the rendering of the A. V. Falleth (ἐξέπεσεν) Aorist tense. Lit., fell off. The grace of the fashion (εὐπρέπεια τοῦ προσώπου) Lit., the beauty of its face or appearance. Εὐπρέπεια only here in New Testament. Fade away (μαρανθήσεται) See on 1 Peter 1:4. Ways (πορείαις) Rev., goings. Only here and Luke 13:22. His goings to and fro in acquiring riches.

Jam 1:11 . Ἀνέτειλε — ἀπώλετο , the sun is risen — it perisheth ) Here are four circumstances (turning points): the first is the cause of the second, the third of the fourth.— καύσωνι ) the mid-day “ heat ” and parching wind, which follows the “ rising ” of the sun. A gradation.— ἡ εὐπρέπεια , the comeliness ) which is in the flower.— πορείαις , his goings ) In other places εὐπορία , “ abundance of resources ” [success in one’s ways or goings ], is attributed to the rich; but the apostle uses the simple word, and that too in the plural number, on account of the burdensome greatness (extent) of his undertakings. Πορεία , a journey, from πορεύομαι , “I go,” as βασιλεία from βασιλεύω . I attribute no weight to the reading πορίαις .[8]— μαρανθήσεται , shall fade away ) in death. [8] It was necessary to bring forward this reading in the Appar. p. 728, because Mill speaks obscurely respecting some Manuscripts which have this reading, and is silent respecting Estius quoting Gaignæus . A reads πορίαις . But the weight of authorities is for πορείαις ; Vulg. itineribus —E.

11. Taken from Isa 40:6-8. heat—rather, "the hot wind" from the (east or) south, which scorches vegetation (Lu 12:55). The "burning heat" of the sun is not at its rising, but rather at noon; whereas the scorching Kadim wind is often at sunrise (Jon 4:8) [Middleton, The Doctrine of the Greek Article]. Mt 20:12 uses the Greek word for "heat." Isa 40:7, "bloweth upon it," seems to answer to "the hot wind" here. grace of the fashion—that is of the external appearance. in his ways—referring to the burdensome extent of the rich man's devices [Bengel]. Compare "his ways," that is, his course of life, Jas 1:8.

Verse 11. - Ἀνέτειλε . ἐξήρανε ἐξέπεσε ... ἀπώλετο . Observe the aorists here and in ver. 24. The illustration or case mentioned by way of example is taken as an actual fact, and the apostle falls into the tone of narration (see Wirier, 'Grammar of New Testament Greek,' § 40:5, 6. 1). Render, For the sun arose with the scorching wind , and withered the grass ; and the flower thereof fell away , and the grace of the fashion of it perished. Καύσων may refer to (1) the heat of the sun, or (2) more probably, the hot Samum wind, the קָדִים of the Old Testament ( Job 27:21 ; Ezekiel 17:10 , etc.). James 1:11

With a burning heat; or, the scorching east wind, which in those countries was wont to rise with the sun, Jonah 4:8 . So also shall the rich man fade away; either shall is here put for may, the future tense for the potential mood; and then the apostle doth not so much declare what always certainly stall be, as what easily may be, and frequently is, the prosperity of rich men not being always of so short continuance. Or, shall may be taken properly, as we read it; and then his is a general proposition, showing the mutable nature and short continuance of rich men and their riches, whose longest life is but short, and death, when it comes, strips them of their enjoyments: and though this frailty be common to all, yet he speaks of the rich especially, because they are so apt to hear themselves high upon their wealth, and put confidence in it, 1 Timothy 6:17 . In his ways; either in his journeyings and travels for his riches, or rather in his counsels, purposes, actions, Psalm 146:4 .

(11) For the sun is no sooner risen . . . —Translate, the sun arose with the burning heat, and dried up the grass; and the flower thereof fell away, and the grace of its fashion perished. The grace, the loveliness, the delicacy of its form and feature—literally, of its face —withered and died away. Often must the Apostle have seen such an effect of the fiery-Eastern sun, scorching with its pitiless glare the rich verdure of the wilderness; and in his ear, perchance, was the cry of Isaiah ( Isaiah 40:6-8 ):— “All flesh is grass: And all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth; The flower fadeth; Because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: —Surely the people is grass. The grass withereth; The flower fadeth; But the Word of our God shall stand for ever.” So also (or, thus) shall the rich man fade away (or, wither) in his ways.—Not the rich brother, observe, is to fade thus, though his wealth will so pass away. The warning is rather (as in Mark 10:24) “for them that trust in riches.” Even “the mammon of unrighteousness,” well used, will make for us “friends that may receive us into everlasting habitations” (Luke 16:9). And he who, out of the possessions wherewith God has blessed him, “deviseth liberal things, by liberal things shall stand” (Isaiah 32:8).

There seems, moreover, looking closely at the text, a special fitness in its exact words: for they mean that the rich shall perish in their journeyings for the sake of gain; and to no people could the rebuke apply more sharply than to the Jews, the lenders unto “many nations” (Deuteronomy 15:6), the merchants and bankers of the world. Nor can “the sword of the Spirit,” unsheathed from this Word of God (Ephesians 6:17), be without an edge for those of us in these latter times who err in the former ways.

11 . For the sun is no sooner risen … but it withereth ] Better, for the sun arose and withered . The Greek has nothing that answers to “no sooner,” and the verbs are throughout in the past tense as in a narrative. It is as though St James were using the form not of a similitude, but of a parable, apparently not without a reminiscence of some features of the Parable of the Sower ( Matthew 13:6 ) and of the Sermon on the Mount ( Matthew 6:30 ). with a burning heat ] Better, with the scorching heat , probably the Simoom , or hot wind that blows from the desert in the early morning, as in Luke 12:55 . The whole description comes, as above, from Isaiah 40:6 . Comp. also Jonah 4:8 . falleth … perisheth ] Better, as continuing the narrative, fell—perished . fade away ] Better, perhaps, as expressing the force of the Greek passive, be blighted . The Greek verb is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, but meets us in the Wisd. of Song of Solomon 2:8 , in a passage which may well have been present to the mind of the writer. An adjective derived from it is found in the “crown that fadeth not away,” literally, the amaranthine crown , of 1 Peter 5:4 . See also 1 Peter 1:4 . The idea of the “fading” of earthly riches, the “unfading” character of heavenly, was another thought common to the two writers. the grace of the fashion of it ] Better, the goodliness of its form , literally, of its face .

The first substantive is not found elsewhere in the New Testament. in his ways ] Literally, in his goings or journeyings , as in Luke 13:22 , perhaps with a special reference to the restlessness in trading which shewed itself in the money-making Jews of Palestine. “Going” and “getting” ( poreuomai and emporeuomai ) made up the sum total of their ideal of life. Comp. chap. James 4:13 . A various reading gives “in his gettings ” here, as a possible meaning, but the balance of evidence is in favour of “goings.”

Jam 1:11 . ἀνέτειλεν : the “gnomic” aorist, i.e. , expressive of what always happens; it gives a “more vivid statement of general truths, by employing a distinct case or several distinct cases in the past to represent (as it were) all possible cases, and implying that what has occurred is likely to occur again under similar circumstances” (Moulton, p. 135, quoting Goodwin); he adds, “the gnomic aorist … need not have been denied by Winer for Jam 1:11 and 1 Peter 1:24 ”. The R.V. gives the present, in accordance with the English idiom, but clearly the Greek way is the more exact; the same applies to Hebrew, though this particular verb does not occur in the corresponding passage in either the Septuagint or the Massoretic text; an example may, however, be seen in Nahum 3:17 . ὁ ἥλιος ἀνέτειλεν , καὶ ἀφήλατο , καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω τὸν τόπον αὐτῆς (see R.V.).— σὺν τῷ καύσωνι : the east wind which came from the Syrian desert, it was a hot wind which parched the vegetation and blighted the foliage of the trees; the Hebrew name רוּחַ הַקָּדִים “the wind of the east,” or simply קָדִים , expresses the quarter whence it comes, the Greek καύσων , “burner,” describes its character, see Hosea 13:15 ; Ezekiel 17:10 ; it became especially dangerous when it developed into a storm, on account of its great violence, see Isaiah 27:8 ; Jeremiah 18:17 ; Ezekiel 27:26 .— ἐξέπεσεν : the equivalent Hebrew word is נָבֶל , which like the cognate root in other Semitic languages, contains the idea of dying, cf.

Isaiah 24:4 ; Isaiah 26:19 .— εὐπρέπεια τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ : pleonastic; προσ . is used mostly in reference to persons, e.g. , in Sir. it occurs twenty-eight times, and only in two instances to things other than persons, viz. , Sir 38:8 , καὶ εἰρήνη παρʼ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν ἐπὶ προσώπου τῆς γῆς [Hebrew marg., however reads מפני אדם ]. Sir 40:6 … ἀπὸ προσώπου πολέμου [Hebrew text, however, מפני רודף ]. εὐπρέπεια does not occur elsewhere in the N.T.; see Sir 47:10 , its only occurrence in that book.— ἐν ταῖς πορείαις αὐτοῦ : see above Jam 1:8 .— μαρανθήσεται : only here in N.T.