James 2:16
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith, but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?
17 So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- If one of you tells him, “Go in peace; stay warm and well fed,” but does not provide for his physical needs, what good is that?
- KJV
- And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
- WEB
- and one of you tells them, “Go in peace. Be warmed and filled;” yet you didn’t give them the things the body needs, what good is it?
- ASV
- and one of you say unto them, Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it profit?
- DARBY
- and one from amongst you say to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled; but give not to them the needful things for the body, what [is] the profit?
- BLB
- and anyone of you⁺ says to them, “Go in peace; be warmed and be filled,” but does not give to them the needful things for the body, what [is] the gain?
- ÅB
- og noen av dere sier til dem: Gå bort i fred, varm dere og mett dere! men dere ikke gir dem det som legemet trenger, hva nytter det?
- OTB
- og en av dere sier til dem, "Gå i fred; hold dere varme og mette," men gjør ingenting for deres fysiske behov, hva godt gjør det?
- B1930
- og nogen av eder sier til dem: Gå bort i fred, varm eder og mett eder! men I ikke gir dem det som legemet trenger, hvad nytter det?
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Proverbs 3:27–28
Do not withhold good from the deserving when it is within your power to act.
Read in context1 John 3:16–18
By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
Read in contextMatthew 25:42–45
For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink,
Read in contextRomans 12:9
Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.
Read in context2 Corinthians 8:8
I am not making a demand, but I am testing the sincerity of your love in comparison to the earnestness of others.
Read in contextMatthew 14:15–16
When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
Read in contextJob 22:7–9
You gave no water to the weary and withheld food from the famished,
Read in contextMatthew 15:32
Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to send them away hungry, or they may faint along the way.”
Read in context