Charles Ellicott 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 . . .?—The Apostle's tone changes to one of appeal, which, perhaps (but see below), may be rendered this way: Suppose you that the Scripture says in vain, The (Holy) Spirit that dwells in us jealously regards us as His own?

Our Authorised version does not allow for this apparent reference to the Spirit of God indwelling His human temples (1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19 and following), for “lusteth to envy,” or enviously, would imply evil and not good.

It would be well that the unfaithful, addressed in James 4:4, should keep the general sentiment of this verse in mind, and not imagine such warnings of holy writ were uttered emptily, in vain.

Many commentators have been puzzled to say from where the words came which are quoted as authoritative by St. James. Surely the substance was sufficient for him, as for other inspired writers, without a slavish adherence to the form: compare Genesis 2:7 for the inbreathing of the Spirit, with any such chapter as Deuteronomy 32:0 for His jealous inquisition.

It must, however, be noted that a slightly varied punctuation of the verse will give quite another sense to its questioning. (See Wordsworth.) Suppose you that the Scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit, which took up His abode in you, lust to envy?

And defensible or not as this translation may be, at least it escapes some of the difficulties of the foregoing. (Exhaustive notes, with references to most authorities, are in Alford; or an easy summary of the matter may be read in Plumptre’s St. James.)