Albert Barnes Commentary James 4:5

"Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?" — James 4:5 (ASV)

Do you think that the Scripture says in vain? Few passages of the New Testament have given expositors more perplexity than this one. The difficulty has arisen because no passage like the one that seems to be quoted here is found in the Old Testament. To meet this difficulty, expositors have resorted to various conjectures and solutions.

Some have supposed that the passage is spurious, initially a marginal gloss placed there by a transcriber and later introduced into the text. Others suggest that the apostle quotes from an apocryphal book, or that he quotes the general spirit of the Old Testament rather than any particular place. Still others regard it not as a quotation, but read the two parts separately, supplying what is necessary to complete the sense, like this: "Do you think that the Scripture speaks in vain, or without a good reason, when it condemns such a worldly temper? No; that you cannot suppose. Do you imagine that the Spirit of God, which dwells in us Christians, leads to covetousness, pride, envy? No. On the contrary, to those who follow his guidance and direction, he gives more abundant grace and favor." This is the solution proposed by Benson and adopted by Bloomfield. However, this solution is by no means satisfactory. Two things are clear regarding the passage:

1. That James meant to adduce something that was said somewhere, or which could be regarded as a quotation, or as authority in the case, because he uses the formula by which such quotations are made; and

2. That he meant to refer, not to an apocryphal book, but to the inspired and canonical Scriptures, because he uses a term (h grafh—the Scripture) which is everywhere employed to denote the Old Testament, and which is nowhere applied to an apocryphal book (Matthew 21:42; Matthew 22:29; Matthew 26:54, 56; John 2:22; John 5:39; John 7:38, 42; John 10:35, and elsewhere).

The word is used more than fifty times in the New Testament and is never applied to any books other than those which were regarded by the Jews as inspired and which now constitute the Old Testament, except in 2 Peter 3:16, where it refers to the writings of Paul. The difficulty in this case arises because no such passage as the one quoted here is found in so many words in the Old Testament, nor any passage of which it can fairly be regarded as a quotation.

The only solution to the difficulty which seems at all satisfactory to me is to suppose that the apostle, in the remark made here in the form of a quotation, refers to the Old Testament. However, he did not have his eye on any particular passage and did not mean to quote the words literally. Instead, he meant to refer to the current teaching or general spirit of the Old Testament, or he meant to say that this sentiment was found there and intended to embody the sentiment in words himself, putting it into a condensed form.

His eye was on envy as being at the bottom of many of the contentions and strifes existing on earth (James 3:16) and of the spirit of the world which prevailed everywhere (James 4:4). He refers to the general teaching of the Old Testament that the soul is by nature inclined to envy, or that this has a deep lodging in the heart of man.

That truth, uttered everywhere in the Scriptures, was not taught "in vain." The abundant facts showing its development and operation in contentions, wars, and a worldly spirit proved that it was deeply embedded in the human soul. This general truth—that man is prone to envy, or that there is much in our nature which inclines us to it—is abundantly taught in the Old Testament.

For example: I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour (Ecclesiastes 4:4). Wrath killeth, and envy slayeth the silly one (Job 5:2). Envy is the rottenness of the bones (Proverbs 14:30). Who is able to stand before envy? (Proverbs 27:4). For particular instances of this, and its effects, see Genesis 26:14, Genesis 30:1, Genesis 37:11, Psalms 106:16, and Psalm 73:3.

These passages prove that there is a strong propensity in human nature to envy, and it was in accordance with the apostle's design to show this. The effects of envy to which he himself referred evinced the same thing. They demonstrated that the utterance given to this sentiment in the Old Testament was not "in vain," or was not false, because the records in the Old Testament on the subject found strong confirmation in the wars, strifes, and worldliness of which he was speaking.

Says in vain. This means "says falsely;" that is, the testimony thus given is true. The apostle means that what was said in the Old Testament on the subject found abundant confirmation in the facts that were continually occurring, and especially in those to which he was referring.

The spirit that dwells in us. Many have supposed that the word "spirit" here refers to the Holy Spirit or the Christian spirit. However, in adopting this interpretation, they are obliged to render the passage as, "the spirit that dwells in us lusts against envy," or tends to check and suppress it. But this interpretation is forced and unnatural, and one that the Greek does not well support. The more obvious interpretation is to refer it to our spirit or disposition as we are by nature, and it is equivalent to saying that we are naturally prone to envy.

Lusts to envy. This means strongly tends to envy. The margin reads "enviously," but the sense is the same. The idea is that there is in man a strong inclination to look with dissatisfaction on the superior happiness and prosperity of others, to desire to make what they possess our own, or at any rate to deprive them of it by detraction, by fraud, or by robbery.

It is this feeling that leads to calumny, contentions, wars, and that strong worldly ambition which makes us anxious to surpass all others and which is so hostile to the humble and contented spirit of religion. He who could trace all wars, contentions, and worldly plans to their source—all the schemes and purposes of even professed Christians that do so much to mar their religion and make them worldly-minded, to their real origins—would be surprised to find how much is to be attributed to envy.

We are pained that others are more prosperous than we are. We desire to possess what others have, though we have no right to it. This leads to the various guilty methods pursued to lessen their enjoyment of it, to obtain it ourselves, or to show that they do not possess as much as they are commonly supposed to.

This purpose will be accomplished if we can obtain more than they have, or if we can diminish what they actually possess. It is also accomplished if, by any statements to which we can give currency in society, the general impression becomes that they do not possess as much wealth, domestic peace, happiness, or honour as is commonly supposed—for in this way the spirit of envy in our bosoms will be gratified.