Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary James 5:6

"Ye have condemned, ye have killed the righteous [one]; he doth not resist you." — James 5:6 (ASV)

The final crime of the wicked rich was that they had “murdered innocent men.” In 2:6 the rich are accused of dragging believers into court; here they are charged with murder. This is not to be taken figuratively but literally. Examples are Christ, Stephen, James the son of Zebedee, and, later, the author himself. By “innocent” (lit., “righteous”; GK 1465) James has in mind that class of people known as “the righteous,” i.e., believers, who came largely from the ranks of the poor (cf. 2:5–7). “Who were not opposing you” misses the bluntness of James’s indictment. The Greek text abruptly declares, “He does not oppose you.” The rich were guilty of attacking not merely a righteous person but a person who was defenseless or who refused to fight back.