The Meaning of James 2:25 Explained

James 2:25

KJV: Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

YLT: and in like manner also Rahab the harlot -- was she not out of works declared righteous, having received the messengers, and by another way having sent forth?

Darby: But was not in like manner also Rahab the harlot justified on the principle of works, when she had received the messengers and put them forth by another way?

ASV: And in like manner was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Likewise  also  was  not  Rahab  the harlot  justified  by  works,  when she had received  the messengers,  and  had sent [them] out  another  way? 

What does James 2:25 Mean?

Verse Meaning

James could have ended his argument about the "revered patriarch" Abraham, but he chose to add the illustration of Rahab, the "redeemed prostitute." [1]
"Rahab . . . is superbly suited to tie the strands of his thoughts together. This passage had begun, as we have seen, with an allusion to his theme of "saving the life" ( James 2:14; James 1:21). Not surprisingly, therefore, Rahab is selected as a striking example of a person whose physical life was "saved" precisely because she had works." [2]
Apparently Rahab trusted in God before the spies ever arrived at her door (cf. Joshua 2:9-13). Rather than being originally part of the Israelite nation she was a proselyte to Judaism. Thus with these two examples James showed the necessity of works for believers regardless of one"s background and origins. Abraham and Rahab were poles apart.
"The contrast is neat: Abraham, a major Bible figure; Rahab, a minor participant. Abraham the father of the faithful; Rahab a foreigner. Abraham the respected; Rahab the disreputable. Abraham a man; Rahab a woman. As so often, the contrast is intended to alert us to the fact that a fully comprehensive statement is being made-as it were, covering the situation all the way from Abraham to Rahab and back again. The primary works of faith, then, are the works of Abraham and Rahab and they apply to all without exception.
"What was the work of Abraham? He held nothing back from God. God said, "I want your son" and Abraham "rose early in the morning" ( Genesis 22:3) in prompt obedience. What was the work of Rahab? She reached out and took into her own care those who were needy and helpless, regardless of the cost to herself." [3]

Context Summary

James 2:14-26 - Deeds The Evidence Of Faith
The Apostle is speaking here of a faith that does not result in a changed life. It is the faith which believes about Jesus Christ, as distinguished from that which believes in Him. We may believe about Him as we do about Luther or Washington, but such faith will not avail, either here or hereafter. It can no more affect our condition than the pious wish that a shivering beggar may be warmed, and fed will make him either one or the other.
The presence or absence of results in life and conduct is the real test of faith, as the green shoot of a living seed. James calls these results works. We are justified by works, because they prove our faith to be the real faith. Real faith binds the soul to the living Christ, produces deep penitence and humility, and brings about an absolutely new sort of behavior-as when Abraham was willing to offer Isaac, and Rahab received and assisted the spies. To reckon on God is to be a friend of God. [source]

Chapter Summary: James 2

1  Do not regard the rich and despise the poor brothers;
13  rather we are to be loving and merciful;
14  and not to boast of faith without deeds;
17  because faith without deeds is useless;
19  as is the faith of the demons;
21  however, Abraham displayed both faith and actions;
25  as did Rahab

Greek Commentary for James 2:25

Rahab the harlot [ααβ η πορνη]
Her vicious life she left behind, but the name clung to her always. For our purposes the argument of James may seem stronger without the example of Rahab (Josh 2:1-21; Joshua 6:17; Joshua 6:22-25; Matthew 1:5; Hebrews 11:31). It is even said in Jewish Midrash that Rahab married Joshua and became an ancestor of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. [source]
In that she received [υποδεχαμενη]
First aorist middle participle of υποδεχομαι — hupodechomai to welcome.The messengers (τους αγγελους — tous aggelous). Original meaning of αγγελος — aggelos (Matthew 11:10). In Hebrews 11:31 we have κατασκοπους — kataskopous (spies, scouts).Sent out Second aorist active participle of εκβαλλω — ekballō to hurl out.Another way (ετεραι οδωι — heterāi hodōi). “By another way” (instrumental case), by a window instead of a door (Joshua 2:15.). [source]
The messengers [τους αγγελους]
Original meaning of αγγελος — aggelos (Matthew 11:10). In Hebrews 11:31 we have κατασκοπους — kataskopous (spies, scouts). [source]
Sent out [εκβαλουσα]
Second aorist active participle of εκβαλλω — ekballō to hurl out.Another way (ετεραι οδωι — heterāi hodōi). “By another way” (instrumental case), by a window instead of a door (Joshua 2:15.). [source]
Another way [ετεραι οδωι]
“By another way” (instrumental case), by a window instead of a door (Joshua 2:15.). [source]
Sent them out [ἐκβαλοῦσα]
Better, thrust them forth, implying haste and fear. Compare Mark 1:12; Luke 4:29; Acts 16:37. [source]
Rahab []
Also referred to in Hebrews 11:31, among the examples of faith. Dante places her in the third heaven:“Thou fain wouldst know who is within this lightThat here beside me thus is scintillating, Even as a sunbeam in the limpid water. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
Then know thou, that within there is at rest Rahab, and being to our order joined,-DIVIDER-
With her in its supremest grade 'tis sealed. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
of Christ's Triumph was she taken up. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
Full meet it was to leave her in some heaven,-DIVIDER-
Even as a palm of the high victory-DIVIDER-
Which he acquired with one palm and the other,-DIVIDER-
Because she favored the first glorious deed-DIVIDER-
Of Joshua upon the Holy Land.”Paradise, ix., 112-125.Rahab became the wife of Salmon, and the ancestress of Boaz, Jesse's grandfather. Some have supposed that Salmon was one of the spies whose life she saved. At any rate, she became the mother of the line of David and of Christ, and is so recorded in Matthew's genealogy of our Lord, in which only four women are named. There is a peculiar significance in this selection of Rahab with Abraham as an example of faith, by James the Lord's brother. [source]

Another way []
Than that by which they entered. Through the window. See Joshua 2:15. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for James 2:25

Luke 10:38 Received him into her house [υπεδεχατο αυτον εις την οικιαν]
Aorist middle indicative of υποδεχομαι — hupodechomai an old verb to welcome as a guest (in the N.T. only here and Luke 19:6; Acts 17:7; James 2:25). Martha is clearly the mistress of the home and is probably the elder sister. There is no evidence that she was the wife of Simon the leper (John 12:1.). It is curious that in an old cemetery at Bethany the names of Martha, Eleazar, and Simon have been found. [source]
John 2:15 Drove out [ἐξέβαλεν]
Literally, as Rev., cast out. See on Matthew 10:34; see on Matthew 12:35; see on Mark 1:12; see on James 2:25. [source]
Acts 17:7 Whom Jason hath received [ους υποδεδεκται Ιασων]
Present perfect middle indicative of υποδεχομαι — hupodechomai to entertain, old verb, but in N.T. only in Luke 10:38; Luke 19:6; Acts 17:7; James 2:25. This is Jason‘s crime and he is the prisoner before the politarchs. [source]
2 Corinthians 12:7 Messenger of Satan [ἄγγελος Σατᾶν]
The torment is thus personified. Messenger is the word commonly rendered angel in the New Testament, though sometimes used of human messengers, as Luke 7:24, Luke 7:27; Luke 9:52; James 2:25; see also on the angels of the churches, Revelation 1:20. Messenger and Satan are not to be taken in apposition - a messenger who was Satan - because Satan is never called ἄγγελος in the New Testament. Messenger is figurative, in the sense of agent. Satan is conceived in the New Testament as the originator of bodily evil. Thus, in the gospel narrative, demoniac possession is often accompanied with some form of disease. Compare Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38, and see on 1 Corinthians 5:5. [source]
Hebrews 11:31 The harlot Rahab [Ῥαὰβ ἡ πόρνη]
See Joshua href="/desk/?q=jos+6:17&sr=1">Joshua 6:17, and comp. James 2:25. Rahab's occupation is stated without mincing, and the lodging of the spies at her house was probably not a matter of accident. Very amusing are the efforts of some earlier expositors to evade the fact of a harlot's faith, by rendering πόρνη landladyPerished not with ( οὐ συναπώλετο )N.T.oIn lxx see Numbers 16:26; Psalm 25:9; Psalm 27:3. [source]
James 3:4 Though they are so great [τηλικαυτα οντα]
Concessive participle of ειμι — eimi The quantitative pronoun τηλικουτος — tēlikoutos occurs in the N.T. only here, 2 Corinthians 1:10; Hebrews 2:3; Revelation 16:18. If James had only seen the modern mammoth ships. But the ship on which Paul went to Malta carried 276 persons (Acts 27:37).And are driven (και ελαυνομενα — kai elaunomena). Present passive participle of ελαυνω — elaunō old verb, in this sense (2 Peter 2:17) for rowing (Mark 6:48; John 6:19).Rough Old adjective (from σκελλω — skellō to dry up), harsh, stiff, hard (Matthew 25:24).Are yet turned (μεταγεται — metagetai). Present passive indicative of the same verb, μεταγω — metagō in James 3:3. James is fond of repeating words (James 1:13.; James 2:14, James 2:16; James 2:21, James 2:25).By a very small rudder For the use of υπο — hupo (under) with things see Luke 8:14; 2 Peter 2:7. There is possibly personification in the use of υπο — hupo for agency in James 1:14; James 2:9; Colossians 2:18. Πηδαλιου — Pēdaliou (from πηδον — pēdon the blade of an oar) is an old word, in N.T. only here and Acts 27:40. Ελαχιστου — Elachistou is the elative superlative as in 1 Corinthians 4:3 (from the Epic ελαχυς — elachus for μικρος — mikros).The impulse (η ορμη — hē hormē). Old word for rapid, violent motion, here of the hand that worked the rudder, in N.T. only here and Acts 14:5 (rush or onset of the people).Of the steersman Present active genitive articular participle of ευτυνω — euthunō old verb, to make straight (from ευτυς — euthus straight, level, Mark 1:3), in N.T. only here and John 1:23. Used also of the shepherd, the charioteer, and today it would apply to the chauffeur. “The twin figure of the control of horse and of ship are frequently found together in later Greek writers” (Ropes). As in Plutarch and Philo.Willeth (βουλεται — bouletai). Present middle indicative of βουλομαι — boulomai common verb to will. Here intention of the steersman lies back of the impact of the hand on the rudder. [source]
James 3:4 Rough [σκληρον]
Old adjective (from σκελλω — skellō to dry up), harsh, stiff, hard (Matthew 25:24).Are yet turned (μεταγεται — metagetai). Present passive indicative of the same verb, μεταγω — metagō in James 3:3. James is fond of repeating words (James 1:13.; James 2:14, James 2:16; James 2:21, James 2:25).By a very small rudder For the use of υπο — hupo (under) with things see Luke 8:14; 2 Peter 2:7. There is possibly personification in the use of υπο — hupo for agency in James 1:14; James 2:9; Colossians 2:18. Πηδαλιου — Pēdaliou (from πηδον — pēdon the blade of an oar) is an old word, in N.T. only here and Acts 27:40. Ελαχιστου — Elachistou is the elative superlative as in 1 Corinthians 4:3 (from the Epic ελαχυς — elachus for μικρος — mikros).The impulse (η ορμη — hē hormē). Old word for rapid, violent motion, here of the hand that worked the rudder, in N.T. only here and Acts 14:5 (rush or onset of the people).Of the steersman Present active genitive articular participle of ευτυνω — euthunō old verb, to make straight (from ευτυς — euthus straight, level, Mark 1:3), in N.T. only here and John 1:23. Used also of the shepherd, the charioteer, and today it would apply to the chauffeur. “The twin figure of the control of horse and of ship are frequently found together in later Greek writers” (Ropes). As in Plutarch and Philo.Willeth (βουλεται — bouletai). Present middle indicative of βουλομαι — boulomai common verb to will. Here intention of the steersman lies back of the impact of the hand on the rudder. [source]
James 3:4 Are yet turned [μεταγεται]
Present passive indicative of the same verb, μεταγω — metagō in James 3:3. James is fond of repeating words (James 1:13.; James 2:14, James 2:16; James 2:21, James 2:25). [source]

What do the individual words in James 2:25 mean?

Likewise then also Rahab the prostitute not by works was justified having received the messengers and by another way having sent [them] forth
Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ῥαὰβ πόρνη οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη ὑποδεξαμένη τοὺς ἀγγέλους καὶ ἑτέρᾳ ὁδῷ ἐκβαλοῦσα

Ὁμοίως  Likewise 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ὁμοίως  
Sense: likewise, equally, in the same way.
καὶ  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
Ῥαὰβ  Rahab 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: Ῥαάβ  
Sense: a harlot of Jericho.
πόρνη  prostitute 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: πόρνη  
Sense: a woman who sells her body for sexual uses.
ἔργων  works 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: ἔργον  
Sense: business, employment, that which any one is occupied.
ἐδικαιώθη  was  justified 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: δικαιόω  
Sense: to render righteous or such he ought to be.
ὑποδεξαμένη  having  received 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Middle, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ὑποδέχομαι  
Sense: to receive as a guest.
ἀγγέλους  messengers 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἄγγελος  
Sense: a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God.
ἑτέρᾳ  by  another 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: ἀλλοιόω 
Sense: the other, another, other.
ὁδῷ  way 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: ὁδός 
Sense: properly.
ἐκβαλοῦσα  having  sent  [them]  forth 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ἐκβάλλω  
Sense: to cast out, drive out, to send out.