The Meaning of James 1:10 Explained

James 1:10

KJV: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

YLT: and the rich in his becoming low, because as a flower of grass he shall pass away;

Darby: and the rich in his humiliation, because as the grass's flower he will pass away.

ASV: and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But  the rich,  in  that he  is made low:  because  as  the flower  of the grass  he shall pass away. 

What does James 1:10 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Likewise the materially wealthy should remember that riches are temporary and that one"s real condition before God is a very humble one.
"The Cross of Christ lifts up the poor and brings down the high. It is the great leveller [1] of men." [1]9
Grass in many places is not very hardy, but in some parts of Palestine it only stays green a few weeks. The term "flowering grass" evidently goes back to Isaiah 40:6-8. It is a combination of two thoughts, namely, that the grass withers and the flower fades. In Hebrew, mixing metaphors was a way of enriching the thought. [3]
The commentators differ in their understanding of who the rich people were to whom James referred. Many concluded they were believers in view of James" parallel statement in James 1:9. They take the verb kauchaomai ("glory" or "take pride in") in James 1:9 as the verb for James 1:10 also. Likewise the subject "brother" in James 1:9 seems to be the subject of James 1:10. [4] Other interpreters believe the context points to the rich being unsaved. [5] I think the evidence favors the view that they were Christians, probably Jewish Christians (cf. James 5:1-6). But the fact that James did not make this clear suggests that he intended to state a general truth that applies to both kinds of people: riches are worthless in the face of death and judgment (cf. 1 Timothy 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:17-19).
"There is no higher honor than to be the object of God"s gracious and loving concern." [6]

Context Summary

James 1:1-11 - Steadfast Faith
This Epistle is marked by the austere features of the Jerusalem church, which refused to be affected by that wider contact with the Gentile world, by which the life and teachings of St. Paul were so powerfully influenced. "Brother to Jesus" was the designation that James might have used, but he preferred the more modest title of bond-servant. The slaves of such a king are nobles! The times were full of severe testing. Each believer had to face ignominy, loss and death for his testimony to Jesus and His saving power. But James encourages these harried souls by the immense revenues that would accrue, more especially in the acquisition of patience. While patience is drawn out almost to the breaking-point, God is developing our characters with perfect beauty, so that no side is incomplete.
There are three urgent requirements for us all: (1) Wisdom to act and speak wisely in the hour of trial; (2) faith that refuses to respond to the surging billows of doubt; (3) humility and contentment with God's dealings. [source]

Chapter Summary: James 1

1  James greets the twelve tribes among the nations;
2  exhorts to rejoice in trials and temptations;
5  to ask patience of God;
13  and in our trials not to impute our weakness, or sins, to him,
19  but rather to hearken to the word, to meditate on it, and to do thereafter
26  Otherwise men may seem, but never be, truly religious

Greek Commentary for James 1:10

In that he is made low [εν τηι ταπεινωσει αυτου]
“In his low estate.” Play on ταπεινωσις — tapeinōsis (from ταπεινοω — tapeinoō Philemon 3:7), like ταπεινος — tapeinos of James 1:9, old word in various senses, in N.T. only here, Luke 1:48; Acts 8:33; Philemon 3:21. The Cross of Christ lifts up the poor and brings down the high. It is the great leveller of men. [source]
As the flower of the grass [ως αντος χορτου]
From the lxx (Isa 40:6). Χορτος — Chortos means pasture, then grass (Mark 6:39) or fodder. Αντος — Anthos is old word, in N.T. only here, James 1:11; 1 Peter 1:24 (same quotation). This warning is here applied to “the rich brother,” but it is true of all.He shall pass away (παρελευσεται — pareleusetai). Future middle indicative (effective aoristic future, shall pass completely away from earth). [source]
He shall pass away [παρελευσεται]
Future middle indicative (effective aoristic future, shall pass completely away from earth). [source]
In that he is made low [ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει αὐτοῦ]
A form of expression similar to the preceding. Lit., in his humiliation. Both the A. V. and Rev. preserve the kinship between ταπεινὸς and ταπεινώσει , by the word low. [source]
Flower [ἄνθος]
Only here, James 1:11, and 1 Peter 1:24. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for James 1:10

2 Corinthians 5:17 Passed away [παρῆλθεν]
Lit., passed by. So Luke 18:37; Mark 6:48. As here, James 1:10; Matthew 5:8; Matthew 24:34, etc. [source]
James 5:1 Come now, ye rich [αγε νυν οι πλουσιοι]
Exclamatory interjection as in James 4:13. Direct address to the rich as a class as in 1 Timothy 6:17. Apparently here James has in mind the rich as a class, whether believer, as in James 1:10., or unbeliever, as in James 2:1., James 2:6. The plea here is not directly for reform, but a warning of certain judgment (James 5:1-6) and for Christians “a certain grim comfort in the hardships of poverty” (Ropes) in James 5:7-11. [source]

What do the individual words in James 1:10 mean?

he who [is] then rich in the humiliation of him because like a flower of grass he will pass away
δὲ πλούσιος ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει αὐτοῦ ὅτι ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου παρελεύσεται

  he  who  [is] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
πλούσιος  rich 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: πλούσιος  
Sense: wealthy, abounding in material resources.
ταπεινώσει  humiliation 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: ταπείνωσις  
Sense: lowness, low estate.
αὐτοῦ  of  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
ὅτι  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
ὡς  like 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ὡς 
Sense: as, like, even as, etc.
ἄνθος  a  flower 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: ἄνθος  
Sense: a flower.
χόρτου  of  grass 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: χόρτος  
Sense: the place where grass grows and animals graze.
παρελεύσεται  he  will  pass  away 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: παρέρχομαι  
Sense: to go past, pass by.