KJV: Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?
YLT: Hearken, my brethren beloved, did not God choose the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the reign that He promised to those loving Him?
Darby: Hear, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen the poor as to the world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to them that love him?
ASV: Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?
Ἀκούσατε | Listen |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural Root: ἀκουστός Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf. |
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ἀδελφοί | brothers |
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Plural Root: ἀδελφός Sense: a brother, whether born of the same two parents or only of the same father or mother. |
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μου | my |
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular Root: ἐγώ Sense: I, me, my. |
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ἀγαπητοί | beloved |
Parse: Adjective, Vocative Masculine Plural Root: ἀγαπητός Sense: beloved, esteemed, dear, favourite, worthy of love. |
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ὁ | - |
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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Θεὸς | God |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: θεός Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities. |
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ἐξελέξατο | has chosen |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular Root: ἐκλέγομαι Sense: to pick out, choose, to pick or choose out for one’s self. |
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πτωχοὺς | poor |
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural Root: πτωχός Sense: reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms. |
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τῷ | - |
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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κόσμῳ | in this world |
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular Root: κόσμος Sense: an apt and harmonious arrangement or constitution, order, government. |
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πλουσίους | [to be] rich |
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural Root: πλούσιος Sense: wealthy, abounding in material resources. |
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πίστει | faith |
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular Root: πίστις Sense: conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it. |
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κληρονόμους | heirs |
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural Root: κληρονόμος Sense: one who receives by lot, an heir. |
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τῆς | of the |
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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βασιλείας | kingdom |
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular Root: βασιλεία Sense: royal power, kingship, dominion, rule. |
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ἧς | that |
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Genitive Feminine Singular Root: ὅς Sense: who, which, what, that. |
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ἐπηγγείλατο | He promised |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular Root: ἐπαγγέλλομαι Sense: to announce that one is about to do or furnish something. |
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τοῖς | to those |
Parse: Article, Dative Masculine Plural Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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ἀγαπῶσιν | loving |
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Dative Masculine Plural Root: ἀγαπάω Sense: of persons. |
Greek Commentary for James 2:5
Affirmative answer expected. First aorist middle (indirect, God chose for himself) indicative of εκλεγω eklegō the very form used by Paul three times of God‘s choice in 1 Corinthians 1:27. [source]
The ethical dative of interest, as the world looks at it as in Acts 7:20; 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 10:4; James 4:4. By the use of the article (the poor) James does not affirm that God chose all the poor, but only that he did choose poor people (Matthew 10:23-26; 1 Corinthians 1:26-28).Rich in faith (πλουσιους εν πιστει plousious en pistei). Rich because of their faith. As he has shown in James 1:9.Which he promised Genitive of the accusative relative ην hēn attracted to the case of the antecedent βασιλειας basileias (the Messianic kingdom), the same verb and idea already in James 1:12 Cf. the beatitude of Jesus in Matthew 5:3 for the poor in spirit. [source]
Rich because of their faith. As he has shown in James 1:9. [source]
Genitive of the accusative relative ην hēn attracted to the case of the antecedent βασιλειας basileias (the Messianic kingdom), the same verb and idea already in James 1:12 Cf. the beatitude of Jesus in Matthew 5:3 for the poor in spirit. [source]
Alford cites this phrase as one of the very few links which connect this epistle with the speech of James in Acts 15:13. [source]
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. [source]
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). [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for James 2:5
Transition to a new topic as in James 1:19; James 2:5, James 2:14; James 3:1; James 5:7. [source]
To prove this point James quotes Proverbs 3:34.God resisteth the proud (ο τεος υπερηπανοις αντιτασσεται ho theos huperēphanois antitassetai). Present middle (direct) indicative of αντιτασσω antitassō old military term, to range in battle against, with dative case (Romans 13:2) as in James 5:6. υπερηπανοις Huperēphanois (υπερ παινομαι huperταπεινοις δε διδωσιν χαριν phainomai) is like our vernacular “stuck-up folks” (Romans 1:30), “haughty persons.”But giveth grace to the humble Anarthrous adjective again, “to humble or lowly persons,” for which word see James 1:9. Cf. James 2:5-7; James 5:1-6. [source]
Anarthrous adjective again, “to humble or lowly persons,” for which word see James 1:9. Cf. James 2:5-7; James 5:1-6. [source]
Separate articles of same gender, emphasizing each item. The tribulation was probably persecution, which helped to intensify the poverty of the Christians (James 2:5; 1 Corinthians 1:26; 2 Corinthians 6:10; 2 Corinthians 8:2). In contrast with the wealthy church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:17). [source]