James 3:13

James 3:13-16 . Who is a wise man, &c. — People are naturally desirous of the reputation of possessing an understanding superior to that of others. Now, let us consider in what way the sense we have may be best manifested; let him who would be thought wise show his wisdom, as well as his faith, by his works; let him show out of a good — That is, a holy and useful conversation, his commendable and beneficent works, with meekness of wisdom — “This beautiful expression,” says Macknight, “intimates, that true wisdom is always accompanied with meekness, or the government of the passions.” But if ye have bitter envying — Ζηλον , zeal, as the word properly signifies, or zeal accompanied with a bitter spirit, or an unkind disposition toward others. True Christian zeal is only the flame of love; but bitter, unhallowed zeal is evil, even if it be only found in the heart, and go no further. If that kind of zeal be in you, glory not — Or boast not of your improvement in Christianity; and lie not against the truth — By pretending that such zeal may consist with heavenly wisdom. This wisdom — That which is attended with such zeal; descendeth not from above — Does not come from God; but is earthly — Not heavenly in its origin, or end; sensual — Ψυχικη , animal; not spiritual, not from the Spirit of God; devilish — Not the gift of Christ, but such as Satan breathes into the souls of men.

For where this bitter zeal and strife — Or contention; is, there is confusion — Ακαταστασια , tumult, or unquietness; and every evil work — Many other mischiefs attending it. It may be proper to observe, that about this time the Jews, from their intemperate zeal for the law of Moses, raised seditions in Judea and elsewhere, which were the occasion of many crimes and of much bloodshed. And as the apostle expected that this epistle would fall into the hands of some of the unconverted Jews, and indeed, perhaps, partly addressed them in it, he probably might refer to these tumults and disorders in this verse.

Wise and endued with knowledge (σοφός καὶ ἐκπισπήμων) A rendering needlessly verbose, yet substantially correct. Probably no very nice distinction was intended by the writer. It is somewhat difficult to fix the precise sense of σοφός, since there is no uniformity in its usage in the New Testament. In classical Greek it primarily means skilled in a handicraft or art. Thence it runs into the sense of clever, in matters of common life, worldly wise. Then, in the hands of the philosophers, it acquires the sense of learned in the sciences; and, ironically, abstruse, subtle, obscure, like the English cunning, which originally meant knowing or skilful, and is often used in that sense in the English Bible (see Genesis 25:27; 1 Samuel 16:16). In the New Testament σοφός is used - 1. In the original classical sense, skilled in handicraft (1 Corinthians 3:10). 2. Accomplished in letters, learned (Romans 1:14, Romans 1:22; 1 Corinthians 1:19, 1 Corinthians 1:26; 1 Corinthians 3:18). So of the Jewish theologians and doctors (Matthew 11:25), and of Christian teachers (Matthew 23:34). 3. In a practical sense, of the practice of the law of piety and honesty; so Ephesians 5:15, where it is joined with walking circumspectly, and 1 Corinthians 6:5, where it is represented as the quality adapted to adjust differences in the church. 4. In the higher, philosophical sense, of devising the best counsels and employing the best means to carry them out.

So of God, Romans 16:27; 1 Timothy 1:17; Jde 1:25; 1 Corinthians 1:25. In this passage the word appears to be used in the sense of 3: practical wisdom in pious living. Ἐπιστήμων occurs only here in the New Testament. In classical Greek it is often used like σοφός, in the sense of skilled, versed; and by the philosophers in the higher sense of scientifically versed, in which sense it is opposed by Plato to δοξαστής, a mere conjecturer. In this passage σοφός would seem to be the broader, more general, and perhaps more dignified term of the two, as denoting the habit or quality, while ἐπιστήμων indicates the special development and intelligent application of the quality to particular things. The Rev., wise and understanding, gives the distinction, on the whole, as nearly as is necessary. Conversation (ἀναστροφῆς) See on 1 Peter 1:15. Meekness of wisdom On meekness, see on Matthew 5:5. The meekness which is the proper attribute of wisdom. "Knowledge is proud that she has learned so much, Wisdom is humble that she knows no more."

{9} Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. (9) The eighth part, which goes with the former concerning meekness of mind, against which he sets envy and a contentious mind: in the beginning he shuts the mouth of the main fountain of all these mischiefs, that is, a false persuasion of wisdom, whereas nonetheless there is no true wisdom, but that which is heavenly, and shapes our minds to all types of true discipline and modesty.

Jam 3:13 . Τίς , who? ) All wish to appear wise; though all are not so: see App. Crit. on this passage.[44]— δειξάτω , let him show ) by deed, rather than by words.— καλῆς ἀναστροφῆς , a good conversation ) The opposite is found in Jam 3:16 . This good conversation itself is described, Jam 3:17-18 , compared with 1 Peter 2:12 .— ἐν πραΰτητι σοφίας , with meekness , with which true wisdom is connected. [44] Inferior authorities read εἴ τις .—E.

13. Who—(Compare Ps 34:12, 13). All wish to appear "wise": few are so. show—"by works," and not merely by profession, referring to Jas 2:18. out of a good conversation his works—by general "good conduct" manifested in particular "works." "Wisdom" and "knowledge," without these being "shown," are as dead as faith would be without works [Alford]. with meekness of wisdom—with the meekness inseparable from true "wisdom."

Verses 13-18. - WARNING AGAINST JEALOUSY AND FACTION. Ver. 13 contains the positive exhortation to meekness; ver. 14 the negative warning against jealousy and party spirit; and then the following verses place side by side the portraits of the earthly and the heavenly wisdom. Verse 13. - Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? ( τίς σοφός καὶ ἐπιστήμων ἐν ὑμῖν ;); better, who is wise and understanding among you? ' Απιστήμων is found here only in the New Testament. In the LXX. it is joined with σοφὸς (as here) in Deuteronomy 1:13 ; Deuteronomy 4:6 . "The ἐπιστήμων is one who understands and knows: the σοφὸς is one who carries out his knowledge into his life" (Dr. Farrar, who aptly quotes Tennyson's line, "Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers"). Out of a good conversation ( ἐκ τῆς καλῆς ἀναστροφῆς ); better, as R.V., by his good life. "Conversation" is unfortunate, because of its modern meaning. Meekness ( πραύτης ); cf. James 1:21 . James 3:13

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? i.e. if there be a wise man, &c. See Psalm 25:12 , and 1 Peter 3:10 , where what David speaks by way of interrogation, Peter explains by way of assertion. The apostle having shown the disease of the tongue, comes now to remove the cause, viz. men’s opinion of their own wisdom; (they censure others, because they take themselves to be wiser than others); and to point out the remedy, godly meekness, which is the truest wisdom. By wisdom and knoledge the same thing may be meant; or if they be taken for several things, (as sometimes there may be great knoledge where there is but little wisdom), yet these masterly censors he speaks of pretended to both, and were so rigid toward others because so well conceited of themselves: the sense is: You pretend to be wise and knowing, but if you would approve yourselves as such indeed, show out of a good conversation, & c. His works; let him show as the testimony of his wisdom, not his words in hard censures, but his works, viz. good ones, and those not done now and then, or on the by, but in the constant course and tenor of his life; or show his works to be good, by their being not casual, but constant, and his ordinary practice in his whole conversation.

With meekness of wisdom; i.e. meek and gentle wisdom, which can bear, and answer, and teach, and admonish, and rebuke mildly and sweetly, with long-suffering, as well as doctrine, 2 Timothy 4:2 : and then it notes the quality of this wisdom, or such meekness as proceeds from wisdom, or is joined with it, there being some which is foolish, affected, carnal, viz. that which is opposed to zeal; whereas true meekness is only opposed to fierceness and rashness: and thus it notes the cause of meekness.

(13) Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge? —Who is wise, i.e., in the wisdom of God, and learned in that of man? The latter state is of knowledge natural or acquired, the former is Sophia, the highest heavenly wisdom, “the breath of the power of God—the brightness of the everlasting light—more beautiful than the sun, and above all the order of the stars” ( Wisdom Of Solomon 7:25-29 ). Just as the devils hold with man the lower kinds of faith, that is belief merely ( James 2:19 ), so do they share in his earthly knowledge. The self-same term as that describing it above is used by the evil spirit who answered the presumptuous sons of Sceva, “Paul I know, ” while a different one altogether referred to the Lord Jesus ( Acts 19:15 ). “Where shall Wisdom be found, And where is the place of Understanding?” was the question of Job (Job 28:12). And the LXX, version marks the parallelism in the same Greek words as those used by St. James to distinguish between the two ideas. Let him shew out of a good conversation—i.e., right conduct. “Conversation” has slipped from its original meaning, which exactly represented the Greek, and is often misapprehended by the English reader. Literally, “turning oneself about,” it changed to “walking to and fro,” and the talking while engaged in these peripatetics, and then to its limited modern use. There is to be general good conduct, and particular proofs of it in kindly works in meekness of wisdom; noble acts of a holy habit.

13–18 . The false Wisdom and the true 13 . Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? ] The adjective corresponding to “endued with knowledge” (literally knowing or understanding ) is not found elsewhere in the New Testament, but occurs in the LXX. of Deuteronomy 1:13 ; Deuteronomy 1:15 ; Deuteronomy 4:6 ; Isaiah 5:21 . So far as a distinction is intended, it expresses the intellectual, as “wise” does the moral, aspect of wisdom. Both qualities were required in one who claimed to be, as in James 3:1 , a “Master” or “Teacher,” and St James, in strict sequence of thought, proceeds to point out how the conditions may be fulfilled. out of a good conversation ] The tendency of modern usage to restrict the meaning of the substantive to “talk” is in this instance, where the immediate context suggests some such meaning, specially unfortunate, as lowering the range of the precept. Better by , or out of , his good (the word expresses the nobler form of goodness) conduct . Comp. the use of the word in Galatians 1:13 ; 1 Peter 1:15 ; 1 Peter 1:18 , and elsewhere. with meekness of wisdom ] Better, in meekness , as expressing not something super-added, but the very form and manner in which the noble conduct was to be shewn. The “meekness” thus defined is thought of as belonging to “wisdom” as its characteristic attribute.