James 4:11
9 Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.
12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.
- KJV
- Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
- WEB
- Don’t speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
- ASV
- Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
- DARBY
- Speak not against one another, brethren. He that speaks against [his] brother, or judges his brother, speaks against [the] law and judges [the] law. But if thou judgest [the] law, thou art not doer of [the] law, but judge.
- BLB
- Do not speak against one another, brothers. The one speaking against a brother or judging his brother speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge.
- ÅB
- Baktal ikke hverandre, brødre! Den som baktaler en bror eller dømmer sin bror, han baktaler loven og dømmer loven; men dømmer du loven, da er du ikke lovens gjører, men dens dommer.
- OTB
- Brødre og søstre, tal ikke mot hverandre. Den som taler mot en bror eller søster eller dømmer dem, taler mot loven og dømmer den. Hvis du dømmer loven, er du ikke en lovens gjører, men en dommer over den.
- B1930
- Baktal ikke hverandre, brødre! Den som baktaler en bror eller dømmer sin bror, han baktaler loven og dømmer loven; men dømmer du loven, da er du ikke lovens gjører, men dens dommer.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
1 Peter 2:1
Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
Read in contextJames 5:9
Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
Read in contextRomans 2:1
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
Read in contextLuke 6:37
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Read in contextPsalms 140:11
May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.
Read in contextRomans 14:10–12
Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
Read in contextMatthew 7:1–2
“Do not judge, or you will be judged.
Read in contextEphesians 4:31
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.
Read in context