ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for James 5

James 5:1–6 The rich people mentioned here are probably not believers (compare 2:6–7).

James 5:1 weep and howl. Prophetic language describing the response of those God will punish on judgment day (Isa. 13:6; 15:3; Hos. 7:14; Amos 8:3). Miseries that are coming refers to final judgment, not present troubles.

James 5:2–3 Riches, garments, and gold summarize the materialistic lifestyle of these landowners. These possessions will be lost forever. They will also be evidence at the landowners’ final trial before God. They will feed the flames of the lake of fire where their owners will spend eternity (Rev. 20:11–15).

James 5:4 The Lord of hosts (“Lord of heaven’s armies”) pictures God as a warrior going into battle (1 Sam. 17:45; Rev. 17:14; 19:14).

James 5:5 fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. The rich feed on luxuries and fail to realize that they are headed for death (see Jer. 12:3; Rev. 19:17–21).

James 5:6 Righteous person may have a double meaning. He is both “one of God’s forgiven people” and “a person who is innocent” of the death sentence that the wealthy have given him. He does not resist. The righteous person was powerless to stop the wicked. This makes the sin even worse. See Matt. 5:38–42.

James 5:7 The righteous are to wait until the coming of the Lord (see 1 Thess. 4:15). At that time God will make things right. the early and the late rains. Autumn rains occurred just after planting and the spring rains come just before harvest (Jer. 5:24; Joel 2:23). These two rains were the most important for the crop.

James 5:10 The example of the prophets is that they suffered and died (see Heb. 11:32–38) for speaking in the name of the Lord.

James 5:11 The theme of enduring trials recalls 1:2–4, 12.

James 5:12 It is not entirely clear how do not swear is connected to vv. 7–11. Above all may begin a three-part conclusion to the letter (vv. 12, 13–18, 19–20). Yet it could also refer back to the sins of the tongue and the grumbling of v. 9. Oaths were allowed in Israel, but the person was required to fulfill them. This was especially so because they often involved swearing by God’s name (see Lev. 19:12; Jer. 5:2). James’s ban on oaths builds on Jesus’ in Matt. 5:33–37 (see also Matt. 23:16–22). The point in both cases is that a believer’s word should be enough. This does not mean all oaths (e.g., official oaths) are prohibited.

James 5:13–18 The Prayer of Faith. Speaking mainly of prayer, James restates some of the letter’s key themes. These include trials and misuse of the tongue. The ultimate way to “tame” one’s tongue (3:8) is to “pray for one another” (5:16).

James 5:13–14 There is a pattern in these verses. James begins with those suffering, then addresses the cheerful, and concludes with those who are sick. As used here, “sick” probably refers to physical illness. Elders were pastors and overseers (see Acts 20:17, 28; Titus 1:5, 7; 1 Pet. 5:1–2). They were leaders in the churches. The wording here suggests that there were multiple elders in the churches to which James was writing. anointing . . . with oil. A symbol representing the healing power of the Holy Spirit to come upon the sick person. in the name of the Lord. It is God, not the oil, that heals.

James 5:15 the prayer of faith. Not the faith of the sick person, but the faith of those praying. James does not require the sick person to exercise faith. The sick person simply asks for the elders to pray. Will save perhaps carries a double meaning: (1) the sick person will be physically healed, and/or (2) the sick person may also experience spiritual salvation, or growth in the blessings of salvation (sins . . . forgiven). This is similar to many of Jesus’ healings in the Gospels. James is not teaching that all illnesses will be healed if people would simply call on the elders, or try to make themselves have enough faith, or pray with enough conviction. Healing, when it happens, is always a gift from God. He is sovereign over all circumstances. Some interpreters suggest that James refers to the promise of the resurrection rather than physical healing. If, in the phrase “if he has committed sins,” implies that not all sickness is connected to specific sins. James seems to expect, though, that some sickness is the result of sin (compare 1 Cor. 11:30).

James 5:16 confess your sins to one another. Sometimes confession in the community is needed before healing can take place, since sin may be the cause of the illness (compare 1 Cor. 11:29–30). Pray for one another is directed to all the readers of James’s letter. He did not expect prayer for healing to be limited to the elders (James 5:14).

James 5:17–18 Elijah illustrates how a man with a nature like ours could have a powerful prayer life. The drought recorded in 1 Kings 17–18 was punishment on King Ahab and Israel for idolatry. The three years and six months is probably taken from “in the third year” (1 Kings 18:1) as symbolic of judgment (half of seven; see Dan. 7:25; 12:7).

James 5:19–20 Concluding Admonition. James’s style is abrupt. There is no concluding greeting as in most NT letters. Instead, James calls the community to help those who have fallen into the moral faults described in the book. This closing section acts as a summary of various sins and their solutions.

James 5:20 save his soul from death. Not physical death (see 1 Cor. 11:30) but spiritual death (compare 1 John 5:16–17). Timely help from other believers (see Gal. 6:1; Heb. 3:13) will “save his soul” and bring forgiveness from God if he repents. The one who encourages repentance will cover the many sins of the one who had strayed, because God will forgive someone who repents.