Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin. The sin, when it is full grown, produces death.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Parallel Translations

  • WEB World English Bible

    Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin. The sin, when it is full grown, produces death.

  • TYNDALE Tyndale New Testament (1534)

    Then when lust hath conceaved she bringeth forth synne and synne when it is fynisshed bringeth forthe deeth.

  • GNV Geneva Bible (1599)

    Then when lust hath conceiued, it bringeth foorth sinne, and sinne when it is finished, bringeth foorth death.

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Examined in Scripture Analysis

Contradictions (1)

Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.

  • Does hell exist?

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Cross-references (14)

Passages linked to James 1:15 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.

  • Psalms 7:14 Behold, he travails with iniquity. Yes, he has conceived mischief, and brought out falsehood.
  • Job 15:35 They conceive mischief, and produce iniquity. Their heart prepares deceit.”
  • Romans 5:12-21 Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; so death passed to all men, because all sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world; but sin is not charged when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those whose sins weren’t like Adam’s disobedience, who is a foreshadowing of him who was to come. But the free gift isn’t like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not as through one who sinned; for the judgment came by one to condemnation, but the free gift came of many trespasses to justification. For if by the trespass of the one, death reigned through the one; so much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ. So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life. For as through the one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one, many will be made righteous. The law came in that the trespass might abound; but where sin abounded, grace abounded more exceedingly; that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
  • Genesis 2:17 but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”
  • Isaiah 59:4 No one sues in righteousness, and no one pleads in truth. They trust in vanity, and speak lies. They conceive mischief, and give birth to iniquity.
  • Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.
  • Romans 6:21-23 What fruit then did you have at that time in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now, being made free from sin and having become servants of God, you have your fruit of sanctification and the result of eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
  • Micah 2:1-3 Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil on their beds! When the morning is light, they practice it, because it is in the power of their hand. They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage. Therefore Yahweh says: “Behold, I am planning against these people a disaster, from which you will not remove your necks, neither will you walk haughtily; for it is an evil time.
  • Genesis 3:17-19 To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and ate from the tree, about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ the ground is cursed for your sake. You will eat from it with much labor all the days of your life. It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field. You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.”
  • Genesis 4:5-8 but he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.” Cain said to Abel, his brother, “Let’s go into the field.” While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.
  • Revelation 20:14-15 Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
  • Acts 5:1-3 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being aware of it, then brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land?
  • Psalms 9:17 The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God.
  • Matthew 26:14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests,

Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)

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Explain this verse (17 sources)

Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.

John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 15 Then when lust hath conceived. He first calls…

15 Then when lust hath conceived. He first calls that lust which is not any kind of evil affection or desire, but that which is the fountain of all evil affections; by which, as he shews, are conceived vicious broods, which at length break forth into sins. It seems, however, improper, and not according to the usage of Scripture, to restrict the word sin to outward works, as though indeed lust itself were not a sin, and as though corrupt desires, remaining closed up within and suppressed, were not so many sins. But as the use of a word is various, there is nothing unreasonable if it be taken here, as in many other places, for actual sin.

And the Papists ignorantly lay hold on this passage, and seek to prove from it that vicious, yea, filthy, wicked, and the most abominable lusts are not sins, provided there is no assent; for James does not shew when sin begins to be born, so as to be sin, and so accounted by God, but when it breaks forth. For he proceeds gradually and shews that the consummation of sin is eternal death, and that sin arises from depraved desires, and that these depraved desires or affections have their root in lust. It hence follows that men gather fruit in eternal perdition, and fruit which they have procured for themselves.

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By perfected sin, therefore, I understand, not any one act of sin perpetrated, but the completed course of sinning. For though death is merited by every sin whatever, yet it is said to be the reward of an ungodly and wicked life. Hence is the dotage of those confuted who conclude from these words, that sin is not mortal until it breaks forth, as they say, into an external act. Nor is this what James treats of; but his object was only this, to teach that there is in us the root of our own destruction.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain By sin is meant in this place actual sin.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth…
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Then when lust hath conceived; lust (compared to a…
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Then when lust hath conceived,.... A proposal of pleasure…
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Then desire having conceived - By our own will…
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 15. When lust hath conceived] When the evil…
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Then when lust hath conceived - Compare Job 15:35.…
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain When concupiscence hath conceived, (man’s free will yielding to…
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain The guilty union is committed by the will embracing…
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 15. Conceived—Lust, by consent of will, becomes a harlot…
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 15. when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin]…
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (15) Then when lust have conceived. . . .—Then…
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain It shows where temptation passes into sin. jEpiqumia, lust,…
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 15. When lust hath conceived. The course of sin…
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain sin Sin.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 1:15 When evil desires conceive, they give birth to…

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