for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.
Parallel Translations
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for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.
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For the wrath of man worketh not that which is ryghteous before God.
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For the wrath of man doeth not accomplish the righteousnesse of God.
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Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to James 1:20 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- 2 Timothy 2:24-25 The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient, in gentleness correcting those who oppose him: perhaps God may give them repentance leading to a full knowledge of the truth,
- Ephesians 4:26 “Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,
- James 3:17-18 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
- Numbers 20:11-12 Moses lifted up his hand, and struck the rock with his rod twice, and water came out abundantly. The congregation and their livestock drank. Yahweh said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn’t believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (15 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain That which God appointeth.
That which God appointeth.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the…
20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
Ver. 20. For the wrath of man] Unless it be as Moses’ and Christ’s anger was, pure and free from guile and gall, prompting us to pity and pray for the party, Exo 32:32; Mar 3:5.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness…
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. This is so far from engaging persons to do that which is right and acceptable in the sight of God, that it puts them upon doing that which is evil. The Alexandrian copy reads, "with the wrath of men do not work the righteousness of God"; do not attend upon the word and ordinances of God with a wrathful spirit. Compare, with this, Ti1 2:8.
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James 1:21
jam 1:21
jam 1:21
jam 1:21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness,.... All manner of filthiness, both of flesh and spirit; all pride, vanity, wrath, malice, and evil speaking, under hearing the word: the allusion seems to be to a boiling pot, which casts up scum and filth, which must be taken off: and such is the spirit of wrathful men; it throws up the filth of haughtiness and pride, of anger, wrath, and wickedness, which must be taken off, and laid aside; or the word will not be heard to any profit, or advantage:
and superfluity of naughtiness, or "malice"; the abundance and overflow of it, which arises from such an evil heart, where wrath prevails, and governs: see Pe1 2:1. There seems to be an allusion to the removing of the superfluous foreskin of the flesh, in circumcision, typical
of the foreskin of the heart, spoken of in Jer 4:4 which the Targum, in that place, calls , "the wickedness", or "naughtiness of your hearts" to be removed:
and receive with meekness the ingrafted word; which becomes so when it is received; when it is put into the heart by the Spirit of God, and is mixed with faith by them that hear it; so that it is, as it were, incorporated into them, and becomes natural to them, which before was not; and taking deep root in them, brings forth much fruit: and where it comes with power, it reduces every high thought into the obedience of Christ, and makes men meek and humble; and only such receive the truth in the love of it; and to such is the Gospel preached, Isa 61:1, and none but such hear it with profit and edification:
which is able to save your souls; even your whole persons, both soul and body: but the soul is only mentioned, as being the more excellent part of man: this must not be understood of the word, as if it was the author or cause of salvation, but as an instrument; it being a declaration of salvation by Christ, or what shows unto men the way of salvation by him; and is the power of God unto salvation to them, when it is attended with the energy of the Spirit, and the efficacy of divine grace. See Ti2 3:15.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The righteousness of God here includes all duties prescribed…
The righteousness of God here includes all duties prescribed by him, and pleasing to him.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 20. The wrath of man] A furious zeal…
Verse 20. The wrath of man] A furious zeal in matters of religion is detestable in the sight of God; he will have no sacrifice that is not consumed by fire from his own altar. The zeal that made the Papists persecute and burn the Protestants, was kindled in hell. This was the wrath of man, and did not work any righteous act for God; nor was it the means of working righteousness in others; the bad fruit of a bad tree. And do they still vindicate these cruelties? Yes: for still they maintain that no faith is to be kept with heretics, and they acknowledge the inquisition.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness…
For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God - Does not produce in the life that righteousness which God requires. Its tendency is not to incline us to keep the law, but to break it; not to induce us to embrace the truth, but the opposite. The meaning of this passage is not that our wrath will make God either more or less righteous; but that its tendency is not to produce that upright course of life, and love of truth, which God requires. A man is never sure of doing right under the influence of excited feelings; he may do that which is in the highest sense wrong, and which he will regret all his life. The particular meaning of this passage is, that wrath in the mind of man will not have any tendency to make him righteous. It is only that candid state of mind which will lead him to embrace the truth which can be hoped to have such an effect.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain The anger of man, &c. Let us not then…
The anger of man, &c. Let us not then be angry with each other on the way to eternal life, but rather march on with the troop of our companions and brethren meekly, peaceably, and lovingly; nay, I say to you absolutely and without exception, be not angry at all, if it be possible, and admit no pretext whatsoever to open the gate of your heart to so destructive a passion: for St. James here tells us positively, and without reservation, "the anger of man works not the justice of God." (St. Francis de Sales, Introduction to a devout life, p. 3. chap. viii.) --- The patient man is better than the valiant; and he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh cities. (Proverbs chap. xvi. 32.) The anger of man is the daughter of pride, the mother of enmities, he enemy of peace and harmony, and the source of stubbornness and blindness of mind and heart. The justice of God is humility, meekness, charity, peace, docility, and forbearance. How great the contrast!
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain Man's angry zeal in debating, as if jealous for…
Man's angry zeal in debating, as if jealous for the honor of God's righteousness, is far from working that which is really righteousness in God's sight. True "righteousness is sown in peace," not in wrath (Jam 3:18). The oldest and best reading means "worketh," that is, practiceth not: the received reading is "worketh," produceth not.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 20. Righteousness of God—God’s righteousness, prescribed by him to…
20. Righteousness of God—God’s righteousness, prescribed by him to man. Note on Rom_1:17. Man’s wrath works not in man the righteousness designed and enjoined by God.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 20. the wrath of man …] Better, A man’s…
20. the wrath of man …] Better, A man’s wrath, so as to represent the absence of the article in the original. By “the righteousness of God”—the phrase is common to St James and St Paul (Rom_10:3; 2Co_5:21; Php_3:9)—is meant the righteousness which God requires and which He also gives. The besetting sin of the Jews was to identify their own anger against what seemed sin and heresy with the Will of God, to think that they did God service by deeds of violence (Joh_16:2), that they were thus working out His righteousness. The teaching is again after the pattern of the purely ethical books of the Old Testament (Ecc_7:9). The MSS. give two forms of the verb rendered “work;” the commonly received one, which conveys the thought, “does not work out or bring to completeness,” and that of the better MSS. which means simply, “does not work, or practise.”
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (20) For the wrath of man worketh not the…
(20) For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.—Sarcastically rings the context. Perhaps there is still a sharper point to the satire: the wrath of man does not work God’s righteousness “to the full.” The warning may well be sounded in the ears of Christians still, who are not less apt than Jonah of old to say quickly and in self-excuse, “I do well to be angry” (Jon_4:9). How many a holy work of household and parish has been and is thus hindered and destroyed; and if the golden words of the first bishop of the Church had been heeded better, there never had appeared one page of her long history blotted with the blood of a religious war.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain It gives the reason why men should be slow…
It gives the reason why men should be slow to wrath. Because man"s wrath does not work God"s righteousness dikaiosunhn Qeou), the righteousness which God demands and requires.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 20. For the wrath of man. An angry man…
20. For the wrath of man. An angry man will show forth something very different from God's righteousness.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain 20. The “righteousness of God” here mentioned contrasts vividly…
ARGUMENT 4
THE RESIDUE OF SIN
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20. The “righteousness of God” here mentioned contrasts vividly with our own righteousness, arising from our good works, which is filthy in the sight of God, and utterly inadequate to the severity of the Divine judgments. Unless we are covered with the righteousness of God in Christ, received, and appropriated by faith only, we are certain to go down under condemnation when we stand before the great white throne.
21. “Therefore laying aside pollution and residue of evil, receive with meekness the engrafted word which is able to save your souls.” When the sinner receives the “righteousness of God,” mentioned in Jas 1:20, he is then freely and fully justified by faith for Christ’s sake; however the pollution of original sin, “the residue of evil,” still survives in the heart. Apothemenoi, laying aside, is the Greek aorist, always revealing an instantaneous action. Hence we see clearly and unequivocally in this verse the second work of grace, in sanctification instantaneously wrought in the heart, in the removal of the pollution and remainder of sin. The residue theory of depravity surviving in the heart after regeneration, is hotly contested by Zinzendorfians, but a clear translation of this verse forever sweeps all controversy from the field. “Superfluity of naughtiness” is perfectly, correctly, and more lucidly translated “residue of sin” or “remainder of evil,” which clearly and forever settles the question that there is a residue of evil in the heart of the regenerate, to be eliminated by a subsequent work of grace. Sanctification actually engrafts the word in the heart, so it is no longer a dead letter like a branch severed from the trunk, but a living graft full of spiritual vitality, always flourishing and bearing fruit, perpetuating and consummating the Salvation of the soul.
22. Full salvation completely purifying the heart, always makes the outward life truly exemplary and obedient.
23, 24. The Bible is God’s looking-glass in which we all, when duly illuminated by the Holy Ghost, see ourselves as we are. That is the reason why candid spiritual truth has always been intolerably odious to impenitent sinners, and explains why Paul raised a row and received a thrashing everywhere he went. History repeats itself. In the days of Christ and the apostles, the Jewish churches were largely filled with impenitent sinners. It is equally true of the worldly churches of the present day.
Hence the pulpit in the main has laid aside the straight, hard, spiritual truth of conviction, conversion and sanctification, and gone off into intellectualism, which has no power to disturb the conscience nor save the soul. The sanctified preachers are set out of the churches for no reason save that they incessantly hold up God’s looking glass, i.e., the Bible, before the eyes of the wicked, carnal people, till they see themselves as they are in God’s sight, horrifically ugly with depravity, and black all over with transgression. Then they become mad and want to break the glass and kill the man who holds it up.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain (See Scofield "Rom 3:21").
righteousness
(See Scofield "Rom 3:21").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.