Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary James 2:3

"and ye have regard to him that weareth the fine clothing, and say, Sit thou here in a good place; and ye say to the poor man, Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool;" — James 2:3 (ASV)

The rich man is shown “special attention” (GK 2098), a word that means “to look with favor on” someone and so to give assistance (cf. its use in Lk 9:38). This rich man is the object of solicitous attention as he is shown to “a good seat.” In contrast, “the poor man” is abruptly told to “stand there,” perhaps in the back of the assembly or in some other out-of-the-way place; his other alternative is to “sit on the floor by my feet” (lit., “sit by my footstool”). The contrast between the speaker who has a stool for his feet and the beggar who must sit on the floor heightens the discrimination.