James 2:5

James 2:5-7 . Hearken — As if he had said, Stay, consider, ye that judge thus. Does not the presumption lie rather in favour of the poor man? Hath not God chosen the poor — That is, are not they whom God hath chosen, generally speaking, poor in this world, who yet are rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom — Consequently the most honourable of men? And those whom God so highly honours, ought not ye to honour likewise? But ye — Christians, that know better; have despised — Ητιμασατε , have dishonoured, or disgraced; the poor — By such conduct. Do not rich men, &c. — As if he had said, You have little reason to show so much respect to them, if you consider what their carriage toward you has been; those whom you court with so much respect and assiduity, oppress — Καταδυναστευουσιν , tyrannise over you, and draw — Or drag; you before the judgment-seats — Are not most of the rich men your persecutors, rather than your friends? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name — Of God and of Christ; by which ye are called — And which deserves to be had in the highest esteem and veneration by all intelligent beings? The apostle speaks chiefly of rich heathen: but are Christians, so called, a whit behind them in persecuting the disciples of Jesus?

Hearken, my beloved brethren Alford cites this phrase as one of the very few links which connect this epistle with the speech of James in Acts 15:13. The poor of this world (τοὺς πτωχοὺς τοῦ κόσμου) But the correct reading is τῷ κόσμῳ, to the world; and the expression is to be explained in the same way as ἀστεῖος τῷ Θεῷ, fair unto God, Acts 7:20, and δυνατὰ τῷ Θεῷ, mighty through (Rev., before) God, 2 Corinthians 10:4. So Rev., poor as to the world, in the world's esteem. Poor, see on Matthew 5:3. Rich in faith The Rev., properly, inserts to be, since the words are not in apposition with poor, but express the object for which God has chosen them. Faith is not the quality in which they are to be rich, but the sphere or element; rich in their position as believers. "Not the measure of faith, in virtue of which one man is richer than another, is before the writer's mind, but the substance of the faith, by virtue of which every believer is rich" (Wiesinger, cited by Alford).

{2} Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the {d} poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? (2) He shows that those who prefer the rich over the poor are wicked and disobedient judges, since God on the other hand prefers the poor (whom he has enriched with true riches) over the rich. (d) The needy and wretched, and (if we measure it after the opinion of the world) the most degraded of all men.

Jam 2:5 . Ἀκούσατε , hearken ) By this address he brings to trial and restrains rash judges , showing that the presumption ought to be in favour of the poor, rather than the rich.— ὁ Θεὸς , God ) Our judgment ought to be in conformity with the judgment of God, even in ceremonies and outward gestures.— ἐξελέξατο τοὺς πτωχοὺς , chose the poor ) They who are chosen, are needy. This description does not include all the poor, nor is it confined to the poor only; for poverty and riches of themselves do not render any man good or evil; and yet the poor are in various places pronounced happy in preference to the rich: ch. Jam 5:1 . And the terms, wicked and rich, righteous and poor , are generally synonymous. Isaiah 53:9 ; Amos 2:6 ; Amos 5:12 . The rich man, if he is good, renounces his riches; the poor man, if he is wicked, neglects that which is the advantage of poverty. Many Christians were of the poor, few from among the rich; especially at Jerusalem, and among those to whom James writes. Comp. the notes on ch. Jam 5:1 and following verses. So also, 1 Corinthians 1:27 , God hath chosen , etc.— πλουσίους ἐν πίστει , καὶ κληρονόμους , rich in faith, and heirs ) Beza thus explains it: He chose the poor, that they might become rich in faith, and heirs , etc. E. Schmid thus takes it: He chose the poor, who are however rich in faith, to be also heirs , etc. The latter puts asunder two points which are most intimately connected, rich and heirs .

The former, contrary to the design of the apostle, places faith and love after election . For James treats concerning the order of election, faith, and love, just as that order becomes known to us: and moreover he thus furnishes us with a rule for forming a right judgment respecting the poor; in which point of view not only faith, but also love, precedes election in the order of our knowledge. The meaning of the apostle is this: God chose the poor, who are rich in faith, and who are also heirs , etc. Whence this argument is derived: “Whoever are rich in faith and heirs, them we ought to acknowledge and treat as chosen by God; but the poor are rich in faith,” etc. Thus election is so far from preceding faith, that even the inheritance precedes election; and if we duly consider the antithesis between He chose , and ye have despised , this conclusion presents itself. Both God highly esteems, and we ought to have highly esteemed, those who are rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom.— ἐν πίστει , in faith ) which has for its object the Lord of glory. To this faith are assigned as a consequence the riches of heaven and of the world to come, even as the inheritance is assigned to love .— κληρονόμους , heirs ) because sons.— τῆς βασιλείας , of the kingdom ) The highest dignity.

5. Hearken—James brings to trial the self-constituted "judges" (Jas 2:4). poor of this world—The best manuscripts read, "those poor in respect to the world." In contrast to "the rich in this world" (1Ti 6:17). Not of course all the poor; but the poor, as a class, furnish more believers than the rich as a class. The rich, if a believer, renounces riches as his portion; the poor, if an unbeliever, neglects that which is the peculiar advantage of poverty (Mt 5:3; 1Co 1:26, 27, 28). rich in faith—Their riches consist in faith. Lu 12:21, "rich toward God." 1Ti 6:18, "rich in good works" (Re 2:9; compare 2Co 8:9). Christ's poverty is the source of the believer's riches. kingdom … promised—(Lu 12:32; 1Co 2:9; 2Ti 4:8).

Verses 5-9. - Proof of the sinfulness of respect of persons. Verse 5. - Hearken ( ἀκούσατε ). This has been noticed as a coincidence with the speech of St. James in Acts 15:13 . It is, however, too slight to be worth much (cf. Acts 7:2 ; Acts 13:16 ; Acts 22:1 ). For τοῦ κόσμου τούτου , read τῷ κόσμῳ ( א , A, B, C), "poor as to the world;" perhaps "in the estimation of the world." These God chose (to be) rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, etc. The kingdom ; mentioned here only by St. James (and even here, א , A read ἐπαγγελίας ); cf. νόμον βασιλικόν in ver. 8. Which he hath promised. As Dean Plumptre has pointed out, "it is scarcely possible to exclude a direct reference to the words of Christ, as in Luke 6:20 ; Luke 12:31, 32 ; and so we get indirect proof of a current knowledge, at the early period at which St. James wrote, of teaching which was afterwards recorded in the written Gospels." James 2:5

Hath not God chosen the poor? Not that God hath chosen all the poor in the world, but his choice is chiefly of them, 1 Corinthians 1:26,28 . Poor he means in the things of this world, and in the esteem of worldly men; they are opposed to those that Paul calls rich in this world, 1 Timothy 6:17,18 . Rich: some insert the verb substantive to be between this and the former clause, and read: Hath not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich, &c. So Romans 8:29 , predestinate to be conformed: the like defective speeches we find, John 12:46 2 Corinthians 3:6 . And the verb understood here is expressed, Ephesians 1:4 , after the same word we have in this text. And yet if we read the words as they stand in our translation, they do not prove that foresight of faith is previous to election, any more than that being heirs of the kingdom is so too. In faith; either in the greatness and abundance of their faith, Matthew 15:28 Romans 4:20 ; or rather, rich in those privileges and hopes to which by faith they have a title. And heirs of the kingdom; an instance of their being rich, in that they are to inherit a kingdom. Which he hath promised to them that love him: see Jam 1:12 , where the same words occur, only that which is here a kingdom, is there a crown.

(5) Hearken, my beloved brethren. —With complete change of manner the Apostle writes now as if he were speaking, in brief quivering sentences, appealing to the hearts which his stronger words may not compel. Hath not God chosen . . .?—There is, then, an election on the part of God. It were folly to deny it. But this passage, like so many others, gives the reason for that choice. “The poor of this world” are His chosen; not merely for their poverty, although it may have been the air, so to speak, in which the virtues which endeared them to Him have flourished most. And these are rich for present and for future. They know Him “now by faith,” and “after this life have the fruition of His glorious Godhead.” “Blessed be ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20). The way thereto for them is nearer and less cumbered than for the rich, if only they fulfil the Scripture (comp. Matthew 6:3), and be poor “in spirit:” then, indeed, are they “heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him.” The world must always measure by its own standard, and consider poverty a curse, just as it looks on pain and trouble as evil. But the teaching of God, declared most eloquently in the life of His blessed Son, is the direct opposite to this. In a worship which demands of its votaries costly gifts and offerings—and every religion tends downwards to such desires—the rich man has a golden pavement to his future bliss.

5 . Hath not God chosen …] Better, perhaps, did not God choose? as referring to the special election of the poor by Christ as the heirs of blessings and the messengers of His Kingdom ( Matthew 5:3 ; Luke 6:20 ; comp. also 1 Corinthians 1:27 ). the poor of this world ] Literally, in this world , i. e. “as far as this world is concerned.” rich in faith ] The construction of the words is (to use a technical phrase) that of a secondary predicate, “God had chosen the poor in this world as, i.e. to be, rich in faith, as in the region in which they lived and moved.” heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised …] Here, as before (ch. James 1:12 ), it is scarcely possible to exclude a direct reference to the words of Christ, as in Luke 6:20 ; Luke 12:31-32 , and so we get indirect proof of a current knowledge, at the early period at which St James wrote, of teaching that was afterwards recorded in the written Gospels. Some of the better MSS., however, give “heirs of the promise.” to them that love him ?] Care is taken not to lead men to suppose that poverty itself, apart from spiritual conditions, was a sufficient title to the inheritance. There must be the love of God which has its root in faith. What is pressed is that poverty and not wealth was the true object of respect; partly as predisposing men to the spiritual conditions, partly as having been singled out by Christ for special blessings.

Jam 2:5 . Ἀκούσατε , ἀδελφοί μου ἀγαπητοί : This expression, which one would expect to hear rather in a vigorous address, reveals the writer as one who was also an impassioned speaker; cf. in the same spirit, the frequent ἀδελφοί , and especially, ἄγε νῦν , Jam 4:13 , Jam 5:1 .— ἐξελέξατο : a very significant term in the mouth of a Jew when addressing Jews; cf. Deuteronomy 14:1-2 , Υἱοί ἐστε Κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν … ὅτι λαὸς ἅγιος εἶ Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ σου , καὶ σὲ ἐξελέξατο Κύριος ὁ θεός σου γενέσθαι σε αὐτῷ λαὸν περιούσιον … cf. Acts 13:17 ; 1 Corinthians 1:27 . There is an interesting saying in Chag . 9 b where it is said that poverty is the quality most befitting Israel as the chosen people.— πτωχοὺς τῷ κόσμῳ : i.e. , poor in the estimation of the world; the reading τοῦ κόσμου or ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ loses this point; cf. Matthew 10:9 ; Luke 6:20 .— πλουσίους ἐν πίστει : “Oblique predicate” (Mayor). In the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs , Gad. vii. 6 we read: “For the poor man, if, free from envy, he pleaseth the Lord in all things, is blessed beyond all men” (the Greek text reads πλουτεῖ which Charles holds to be due to a corruption in the original Hebrew text which reads יְאֻשַּׁר = μακαριστός ἐστι ).