Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary James 5:1

"Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you." — James 5:1 (ASV)

That this verse begins a new section is indicated by the repeated call for attention, “Now listen” (cf. 4:13). The rich are to “weep [GK 3081] and wail [GK 3909].” While the first word may describe audible weeping, the second term most certainly does. It is an onomatopoeic word that sounds like howling. In 4:9 James’s readers are commanded to make themselves miserable in all-out repentance. But here in 5:1 the rich are told that God will send the miseries of judgment upon them.