ris3n's Apologetics Codex
James 1.13-14
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Passage

James 1.13-14

Book: James · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

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ASV

11. For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and withereth the grass; and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his goings. 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to them that love him.

13. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: 14. but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

  1. Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death. 16. Be not deceived, my beloved brethren. (James 1:11-16, ASV)
WEB

11. For the sun arises with the scorching wind, and withers the grass, and the flower in it falls, and the beauty of its appearance perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in his pursuits. 12. Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him.

13. Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

  1. Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, produces death. 16. Don’t be deceived, my beloved brothers. (James 1:11-16, WEB)
KJV

11. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways. 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

13. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: evil: or, evils 14. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

  1. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. 16. Do not err, my beloved brethren. (James 1:11-16, KJV)
YLT

11. for the sun did rise with the burning heat, and did wither the grass, and the flower of it fell, and the grace of its appearance did perish, so also the rich in his way shall fade away! 12. Happy the man who doth endure temptation, because, becoming approved, he shall receive the crown of the life, which the Lord did promise to those loving Him.

13. Let no one say, being tempted, 'From God I am tempted,' for God is not tempted of evil, and Himself doth tempt no one, 14. and each one is tempted, by his own desires being led away and enticed,

  1. afterward the desire having conceived, doth give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, doth bring forth death. 16. Be not led astray, my brethren beloved; (James 1:11-16, YLT)

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Setting

  • Speaker: James (Iakōbos), identified by the great majority of interpreters as the brother of Jesus (Galatians 1:19; Mark 6:3), leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 15:13; Acts 21:18). He introduces himself simply as "a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" (James 1:1), never as a relative.
  • Audience: Jewish believers outside Palestine, addressed as "the twelve tribes which are of the Dispersion" (James 1:1). The congregations meet in a synagōgē (James 2:2) and include both poor members and wealthy visitors.
  • Location: Jerusalem, from which James led the mother church.
  • Time period: Date disputed. An early date (c. AD 44-49) would make this the earliest surviving Christian writing; a later one places it before James's death, which Josephus dates to AD 62 (Antiquities 20.200). The letter shows no awareness of the Gentile-circumcision controversy settled in Acts 15, which many take as evidence for the early date.

Theological reading

"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed."

The excuse refused. Having blessed the one who endures trial (1:12), James blocks a familiar evasion: blaming God when trial turns into temptation to sin. The excuse is as old as Eden: "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:12).

Two reasons. God "cannot be tempted with evil," and "he himself tempteth no man." The KJV tags "cannot be tempted" as Strong's G551, a different word from the ordinary verb "tempt" (G3985) that runs through both verses. Evil has no hold on God's own nature, and he does not set out to draw anyone into it.

The source within. "Each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed." The word for "lust" (G1939) means desire, and the desire is "his own." Temptation works through what a person already wants. Verse 15 traces where it leads: "Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death."

Not a denial of testing. Scripture says that "God did prove Abraham" (Genesis 22:1). James does not deny that God tests his people (1:2-3, 12). He denies that God is the author of the pull toward evil.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.