This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. 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.
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James 3:15-17 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. 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.
Parallel Translations
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This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.
For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.
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.
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This wisdome descedeth not from a boue: but is erthy and naturall and divelisshe.
For where envyinge and stryfe is there is stablenes and all maner of evyll workes.
But the wisdom that is from above is fyrst pure then peasable gentle and easy to be entreated full of mercy and good frutes without iudgynge and without simulacion:
Show all 3 translations
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This wisedome descendeth not from aboue, but is earthly, sensuall, and deuilish.
For where enuying and strife is, there is sedition, and all maner of euill workes.
But the wisedome that is from aboue, is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easie to be intreated, full of mercie and good fruites, without iudging, and without hipocrisie.
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Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (94)
- Galatians 5:22-23 (v17) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things…
- Proverbs 2:6 (v17) For Yahweh gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.
- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (v17) Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its…
- James 3:15 (v17) This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.
- James 3:14 (v16) But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth.
Show all 90 cross-references
- Romans 12:9 (v17) Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.
- James 3:17 (v15) But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and…
- James 1:5 (vv15, 17) But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
- James 1:17 (vv15, 17) Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning…
- Matthew 5:8 (v17) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
- 1 Corinthians 2:6-7 (vv15, 17) We speak wisdom, however, among those who are full grown, yet a wisdom not of this world nor of the rulers of this world who are coming to…
- 1 Corinthians 3:3 (vv15–16) for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the…
- 1 Peter 1:22 (v17) Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from…
- 1 John 3:18 (v17) My little children, let’s not love in word only, or with the tongue only, but in deed and truth.
- Luke 21:15 (v17) for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to contradict.
- 1 John 3:3 (v17) Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.
- 1 Corinthians 14:33 (v16) for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace, as in all the assemblies of the saints.
- 2 Timothy 2:24 (v17) The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle toward all, able to teach, patient,
- 1 Corinthians 3:19 (v15) For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, “He has taken the wise in their craftiness.”
- Hebrews 12:14 (v17) Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord,
- Isaiah 32:15-17 (v17) until the Spirit is poured on us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is considered a forest.…
- Luke 6:36 (v17) “Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful.
- Job 28:28 (v17) To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’ ”
- 1 John 3:12 (v16) unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
- 1 Chronicles 22:12 (v17) May Yahweh give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel; that so you may keep the law of Yahweh your God.
- Isaiah 11:2-9 (v17) Yahweh’s Spirit will rest on him: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of…
- Romans 15:14 (v17) I myself am also persuaded about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to…
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 (v15) Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are…
- Philippians 3:19 (v15) whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things.
- Colossians 1:10 (v17) that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of…
- Hebrews 12:11 (v17) All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those…
- James 2:4 (v17) haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
- Philippians 4:8 (v17) Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever…
- John 3:17 (v15) For God didn’t send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him.
- 1 Corinthians 12:8 (v17) For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit;
- Galatians 5:20 (v16) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
- 1 Timothy 4:1 (v15) But the Spirit says expressly that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of…
- Job 28:23 (v17) “God understands its way, and he knows its place.
- 2 Corinthians 1:12 (v15) For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of…
- 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (v15) For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles. And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an…
- 1 Timothy 5:21 (v17) I command you in the sight of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the chosen angels, that you observe these things without prejudice, doing…
- 1 Peter 2:1 (v17) Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking,
- 1 Kings 3:9 (v17) Give your servant therefore an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge…
- Daniel 1:17 (v17) Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and…
- Malachi 2:9 (v17) “Therefore I have also made you contemptible and wicked before all the people, according to the way you have not kept my ways, but have had…
- John 1:14 (v17) The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
- Romans 12:18 (v17) If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.
- 1 Kings 3:12 (v17) behold, I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart; so that there has been no one like you…
- 1 Kings 3:28 (v17) All Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king; for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do…
- Isaiah 32:6 (v17) For the fool will speak folly, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice profanity, and to utter error against Yahweh, to make empty…
- Malachi 3:3 (v17) and he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them as gold and silver; and they…
- Matthew 23:28 (v17) Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
- Luke 12:1-2 (v17) Meanwhile, when a multitude of many thousands had gathered together, so much so that they trampled on each other, he began to tell his…
- Acts 11:24 (v17) For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and many people were added to the Lord.
- Titus 1:15 (v17) To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their mind and their conscience…
- Titus 3:2 (v17) to speak evil of no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all humility toward all men.
- James 4:8 (v17) Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded.
- Jude 1:19 (v15) These are those who cause divisions and are sensual, not having the Spirit.
- Genesis 41:38-39 (v17) Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God…
- Exodus 36:2 (v17) Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab, and every wise-hearted man, in whose heart Yahweh had put wisdom, even everyone whose heart stirred him…
- Job 28:12 (v17) “But where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding?
- Isaiah 2:4 (v17) He will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears…
- Isaiah 9:6-7 (v17) For a child is born to us. A son is given to us; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,…
- Jeremiah 4:22 (v15) “For my people are foolish. They don’t know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skillful in doing evil,…
- John 1:47 (v17) Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
- Acts 9:36 (v17) Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which when translated, means Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and acts of…
- 1 Corinthians 1:19-20 (v15) For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise. I will bring the discernment of the discerning to nothing.” Where is the wise?…
- Ephesians 5:9 (v17) for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,
- Philippians 1:11 (v17) being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
- 1 Thessalonians 2:7 (v17) But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother cherishes her own children.
- Genesis 3:1-5 (v15) Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You…
- Genesis 11:9 (v16) Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad…
- 2 Samuel 16:23 (v15) The counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the inner sanctuary of God. All the counsel of…
- 1 Chronicles 22:9 (v17) Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of peace. I will give him rest from all his enemies all around; for his name shall…
- Isaiah 40:11 (v17) He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who…
- Luke 16:8 (v15) “His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser…
- John 8:44 (v15) You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand…
- Acts 13:10 (v15) and said, “You son of the devil, full of all deceit and all cunning, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the…
- Romans 1:22 (v15) Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
- 1 Corinthians 1:27 (v15) but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world that he…
- 2 Corinthians 11:3 (v15) But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is…
- 2 Thessalonians 2:9 (v15) even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
- 1 John 3:8-10 (v15) He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. To this end the Son of God was revealed: that he might…
- 2 Samuel 13:3 (v15) But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very subtle man.
- 2 Samuel 15:31 (v15) Someone told David, saying, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” David said, “Yahweh, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel…
- 2 Corinthians 9:10 (v17) Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your…
- 2 Corinthians 10:1 (v17) Now I Paul, myself, entreat you by the humility and gentleness of Christ, I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am…
- Revelation 2:24 (v15) But to you I say, to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as don’t have this teaching, who don’t know what some call ‘the deep things of…
- Revelation 9:11 (v15) They have over them as king the angel of the abyss. His name in Hebrew is “Abaddon”, but in Greek, he has the name “Apollyon”.
- Revelation 12:9 (v15) The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown…
90 distinct cross-references across this passage (94 total citations).
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (21 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv15–17 15 This wisdom descendeth not. As hypocrites with difficulty…
15 This wisdom descendeth not. As hypocrites with difficulty give way, he sharply checked their haughtiness, denying that to be true wisdom with which they were inflated, while they were extremely morose in searching out the vices of others. Conceding to them, however, the term wisdom, he shews by the words he applies to it its true character, and says that it is earthly, sensual, devilish, or demoniac, while true wisdom must be heavenly, spiritual, divine; which three things are directly contrary to the three preceding ones. For James takes it as granted, that we are not wise, except when we are illuminated by God from above through his Spirit. However, then, the mind of man may enlarge itself, all its acuteness will be vanity; and not only so, but being at length entangled in the wiles of Satan, it will become wholly delirious.
Sensual, or animal, is in opposition to what is spiritual, as in 1 Corinthians 2:14, where Paul says that the sensual or animal man receives not the things of God. And the pride of man could not have been more effectually cast down, than when thus is condemned whatever wisdom he has from himself, without the Spirit of God; nay, when from himself a transition is made to the devil. For it is the same as though he had said, that men, following their own sense, or minds, or feelings, soon became a prey to the delusions of Satan.
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 On v17 He setteth mercy against the fierce and cruel nature…
He setteth mercy against the fierce and cruel nature of man, and showeth that heavenly wisdom bringeth forth good fruits, for he that is heavenly wise, referreth all things to God’s glory, and the profit of his neighbor.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv15–17 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is…
15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
Ver. 15. Earthly, sensual] Here is a true character of carnal wisdom; the world is a pearl in its eyes, it cannot see God. Earthly it is called, as managing the lusts of the eyes unto the ends of gain; sensual, managing the lusts of the flesh unto the ends of pleasure; and devilish, managing the pride of life unto the ends of power.
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.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv15–17 This wisdom, which they pretended so much to, who…
This wisdom, which they pretended so much to, who so criticized on other men’s actions, and inveighed against them, and which was accompanied with strife and envy.
Descendeth not from above; i.e. from God the author of wisdom, from whom, though every good and perfect gift descends, Jam 1:17, and even knowledge and skill in natural things, Isa 28:26,29; yet this wisdom, being sinful, is not from him, because it
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is earthly, of the earth, of no higher original than from the first Adam, who was of the earth, and earthly, 1Co 15:47; and likewise because it is employed, and fixeth men’s minds, on earthly things.
Sensual; this may be understood either:
1. According to the reading in the text, the word here used being so rendered, Jud 1:19, agreeable to 1Th 5:23, where soul, from whence the word is derived, is opposed to spirit, and taken for the sensitive powers, which men have in common with brutes, in distinction from the intellectual, which go under the name of spirit, and are proper to men: mere reason, without the Divine grace, being apt to degenerate into brutishness, and easily brought to serve the ends of sensual appetite, this wisdom may well be called sensual. Or:
2. According to Jud 1:19, natural, in opposition to spiritual. The natural man {1Co 2:14, where the same word, in the Greek, is used as here} is one that lives under the conduct of his own carnal reason, not enlightened, nor regenerated by the Spirit of God; a man of soul, (as the word imports), or that hath no better, no higher principle in him than his own soul. Accordingly, this wisdom here mentioned, is such as proceeds merely from a man’s own soul, in its natural state, destitute of the light and grace of God’s Spirit, and therefore may be termed natural.
Devilish; because it is of the devil, or such as is in him, and makes men like him, who is a proud spirit, and envious, a liar and slanderer, Joh 8:44, and who observes men’s faults, not to amend them, but accuse them for them.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On v17 Our apostle here enters upon a comparison between earthly…
Our apostle here enters upon a comparison between earthly wisdom, and spiritual heavenly wisdom; between wisdom that is not, and wisdom that is from above.
Observe, 1. That wisdom which is not from above characterized and described. 1. It is earthly, it is suited to earthly minds, and it is employed about earthly things: earthly wisdom is mere folly; it is said to be wise only for this world, and to have such an unsavory spirit as will relish nothing but what is earthly. 2. Sensual; such wisdom as tendeth only to gratify the senses, and is conversant about outward pleasures, which are the pleasures of the beast, and not of the man: such sensual satisfactions do only please the sensitive appetite, which it is the highest rational pleasure to mortify an subdue. 3. Devilish; because it is such wisdom as is found in the devil; he is only wise to do mischief. As a man has a fleshly part in common with the beast, so there are some sins which the Scripture calls fleshly and beastly lusts, as uncleanness, riot, excess, and the like; but as man has somewhat in common with the angels, namely, his spirit and soul, so there are some sins which are called Satan’s lusts, His lusts he will do Joh 8:44.
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Thus envy, pride, wrath, revenge, malice, slander, these sins make a man devilish, like unto Satan; hence is St. Paul’s exhortation, To cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit. 2Co 7:1
Lord, pity the deplorable ruins of mankind, compassionate fallen man, who hath not only somewhat of the beast, but also somewhat of the devil, in him by nature! O deplorable degradation! And should he sacrifice himself, he could not save himself without a sanctifier: he must be restored to the divine likeness here, or never enjoy his Maker hereafter.
Observe, 2. He next describes spiritual wisdom to us, and that, first by its original, it is from above. All wisdom is known by its descent; carnal wisdom is of the earth earthly; spiritual wisdom is from above, and has a heavenly Author, and its original and descent is heavenly: The wisdom that is from above.
Secondly, he describes spiritual wisdom by its effects and fruits, by its properties and qualities, and reckons up eight of them.
1. True wisdom is pure and holy wisdom, and sinless craftiness: the heart of such a person is clean, though not wholly free from sin, and his way is undefiled: this pure wisdom will not brook the filthiness either of error in judgment, or sin in practice: error is a blot as well as sin, and is as damnable as sin; the one is an open road, the other a secret path to hell and destruction; he that is wise, and has a due care of his soul’s salvation, will be as much afraid of erroneous principles, as he is of debauched practices. 2. Peaceable: true wisdom teaches to avoid all strife and contention: there is a sweet connection between wisdom and peace; the wisest are the meekest men; they are peaceable and peace-makers; not ready to provoke others, nor easily provoked themselves: such as see most need of pardon from God, are most ready to pardon others, to live peaceable with all: yet note, though wisdom be pure and peaceable, yet it is first pure, then peaceable; as God is the first and best of Beings, so purity is the first and best of blessings; the chief care then must be for purity and truth; but next to purity we must regard peace: truth must be preferred, but peace must not be neglected; we must treat with God by prayer, and treat with man by condescension, as far as a good conscience will suffer, for obtaining and preserving peace: The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable. 3. True wisdom is gentle, in opposition to strife and contention; the word also signifies moderate and patient, Php 4:5 1Ti 3:3. Such a Christian is moderate in doubtful opinions, moderate in his judging of others, moderate and patient in his whole conversation, receding sometimes from his own right for peace sake. 4. Easy to be entreated; not inflexible, but persuadable: he that has an inflexible will, had need have an infallible judgment. Indeed there may be a flexibility and easiness to a fault; some good natures (as they are called) are easily drawn away to sin by evil company, and wicked counsel; in such a case, to turn a deaf ear to all entreaties is not obstinacy, but religious resolution. 5. Full of mercy; this has a double object, such as want, and such as offend: and so there is mercy in giving and in forgiving: it is the glory of a man to pass by a transgression, and the honour of a Christian to put on bowels of mercy: without this garment we shall appear naked at the bar of God. 6. Full of good works. Religion is not a dry rod, but it blossoms and brings forth fruit; fruits of humanity and civil courtesy, as well as fruits of piety and pious charity: when we begin to be religious, we must not leave off to be kind and courteous: Be pitiful, be couteous, 1Pe 3:8. 7. Without partiality; that is, without making any difference between person and person, because of outward respects, which is a high point of wisdom; folly discovers itself in nothing more than by doting upon outward splendor. Fools, like children, account nothing good but what is gay; but wisdom teaches us to value and put an estimate upon persons and things, according to their intrinsic worth, and doth nothing by partiality. 8. Without hyposcrisy: in true wisdom there is no prevailing guile, but a true simplicity, and godly sincerity found with it, and this is the highest piece of wisdom; the hypocrite is the greatest fool; the sincere Christian is the truly wise, and the only wise man. The wisdom from above is pure and peaceable, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv15–17 This wisdom descendeth not from above,.... If it must…
This wisdom descendeth not from above,.... If it must be called wisdom, as it ought not; an envious, quarrelsome, and contentious spirit, does not deserve such a name; yet if any will call it so, or can think that a man of such a disposition is a man possessed of wisdom; it is such wisdom as does not come from above, from heaven, from the Father of lights, from Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and from the spirit of wisdom and revelation: what the Jews say (o) of the wisdom of Egypt, may be said of this, that it is "wisdom from below", or inferior wisdom, as it follows:
but is earthly, sensual, and devilish; it is "earthly", or of the earth, and springs from thence; and it is only conversant about earthly things, and is only suitable to earthly minds: it is sensual, or natural; what a natural man, one destitute of the Spirit of God, and without the knowledge of the things of the Spirit, may have; it is what is acquired by the mere strength of nature, and only relates to natural things; and is only agreeable to corrupt nature, or to a natural and unregenerate man: yea, it is devilish, or such as the devil himself has; and which comes from him, and being used, serves only his kingdom and interest.
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(o) Zohar in Gen. fol. 119. 2.
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 On vv15, 17 This wisdom - Which is consistent with such zeal.…
This wisdom - Which is consistent with such zeal. Is earthly - Not heavenly; not from the Father of Lights. Animal - Not spiritual; not from the Spirit of God. Devilish - Not the gift of Christ, but such as Satan breathes into the soul.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv15–17 Verse 15. This wisdom descendeth not from above] God…
Verse 15. This wisdom descendeth not from above] God is not the author of it, because it is bitter-not meek. See at the end of this chapter. "Jas 3:18"
Is earthly] Having this life only in view.
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Sensual] ψυχικη. Animal-having for its object the gratification of the passions and animal propensities.
Devilish] δαιμονιωδης. Demoniacal-inspired by demons, and maintained in the soul by their indwelling influence.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On v17 Jas 3:17. But the wisdom that is from above…
Jas 3:17. But the wisdom that is from above — Of celestial origin; which comes from God; is first pure — From all unholy and corrupt mixtures, whether of error or sin. It is agreeable to the tenor of divine and evangelical truth, and conscientious in the discharge of every duty to God and man; it is therefore purified from all that is earthly, sensual, and devilish; then peaceable — Desirous of making and maintaining peace; and willing, in order thereto, to sacrifice any thing, except important truth and manifest duty; gentle — Soft, mild, yielding, not rigid; easy to be entreated — Persuaded and reconciled where any matters of disgust may have arisen; not stubborn, sour, morose; full of mercy — Of pity and compassion toward persons in a state of ignorance, guilt, and depravity; ready to relieve the miseries and pardon the faults of others; and good fruits — Both in the heart and in the life; two of which are immediately specified; without partiality — To those of our own sentiments or denomination, to the injury of others; loving all without respect of persons; embracing all good things, rejecting all evil. The original word, αδιακριτος, is, literally, without making a difference. This character of true religion was very properly mentioned to those whom the apostle had rebuked for their respect of persons, Jas 2:1-9. Without hypocrisy — Intending all the kindness it expresses, and glad to extend its good offices as universally as possible; or without dissimulation, as ανυποκριτος may be rendered; that is, frank and open. Thus, “in this beautiful passage, St. James describes the excellent nature of that temper which is recommended by the Christian religion, and the happy effects which it produces. It is the highest wisdom; it comes from God, and makes those who receive it holy and happy. All the apostles, except Paul, were illiterate men; but, according to their Master’s promise, they had, by the inspiration of the Spirit, a wisdom and eloquence given them, far exceeding what they could have acquired by the deepest erudition. Of the fulfilment of Christ’s promise, the epistle of James is a striking proof. Search all heathen antiquity, and see whether it can produce any sentiments more noble, or more simply and beautifully expressed, than those contained in this chapter, and indeed throughout the whole epistle.” — Macknight.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv15–17 This wisdom descendeth not from above - Compare the…
This wisdom descendeth not from above - Compare the notes at 1Co 3:3. The wisdom here referred to is that carnal or worldly wisdom which produces strife and contention; that kind of knowledge which leads to self-conceit, and which prompts a man to defend his opinions with over-heated zeal. In the contentions which are in the world, in church and state, in neighborhoods and families, at the bar, in political life, and in theological disputes, even where there is the manifestation of enraged and irascible feeling, there is often much of a certain kind of wisdom. There is learning, shrewdness, tact, logical skill, subtle and skilful argumentation - “making the worse appear the better reason;” but all this is often connected with a spirit so narrow, bigoted, and contentious, as to show clearly that it has not its origin in heaven. The spirit which is originated there is always connected with gentleness, calmness, and a love of truth.
But is earthly - Has its origin in this world, and partakes of its spirit. It is such as men exhibit who are governed only by worldly maxims and principles.
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Sensual - Margin, “natural.” The meaning is, that it has its origin in our sensual rather than in our intellectual and moral nature. It is that which takes counsel of our natural appetites and propensities, and not of high and spiritual influences.
devilish - Demoniacal (δαιμονιώδης daimoniōdēs). Such as the demons exhibit. See the notes at Jam 2:19. There may be indeed talent in it, but there is the intermingling of malignant passions, and it leads to contentions, strifes, divisions, and “every evil work.”
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 On v17 But the true wisdom, which is from above,...is chaste,…
But the true wisdom, which is from above,...is chaste, and pure, peaceable, modest, free from such divisions, tractable, easy to be persuaded [6] of the truths foretold in the Scriptures, &c. Now the fruit and effect of such justice, piety, and sanctity, is sown in peace, with peaceable dispositions, in those who with sincerity seek true peace, and who hereby shall gain the reward of an eternal peace and happiness. (Witham) --- St. Paul gives a similar character of charity. (1 Corinthians chap. xiii.) "Charity is patient, is kind,...is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil,...believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." --- Easy to be persuaded. A good lesson for those devotees, who are not few in number, who are so obstinate and so wedded to their own opinions and ways, as to be unwilling to be controlled, even by those whom God has placed over them, for the direction of their souls. (Haydock) --- Without judging. That is, it does not condemn a neighbour upon light grounds, or think evil of him. It puts the best construction upon every thing he says or does, and never intrudes itself into the concerns of others. (Calmet) --- "Judge not, and you shall not be judged," says the Saviour of our souls; "condemn not, and you shall not be condemned." (St. Luke, vi. 37.) "No," says the holy apostle, (1 Corinthians iv. 5.) "judge not before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart."
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[BIBLIOGRAPHY]
Suadibilis, Greek: eupeithes; which may either signify easy to be persuaded or who can easily persuade.
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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 On vv15–17 This wisdom--in which ye "glory," as if ye were…
This wisdom--in which ye "glory," as if ye were "wise" (Jam 3:13-14).
descendeth not from above--literally, "is not one descending," &c.: "from the Father of lights" (true illumination and wisdom), Jam 1:17; through "the Spirit of truth," Joh 15:26.
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earthly--opposed to heavenly. Distinct from "earthy," Co1 15:47. Earthly is what is IN the earth; earthy, what is of the earth.
sensual--literally, "animal-like": the wisdom of the "natural" (the same Greek) man, not born again of God; "not having the Spirit" (Jde 1:19).
devilish--in its origin (from "hell," Jam 3:6; not from God, the Giver of true wisdom, Jam 1:5), and also in its character, which accords with its origin. Earthly, sensual, and devilish, answer to the three spiritual foes of man, the world, the flesh, and the devil.
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 On vv15–17 15. This wisdom—Two counter pictures of the opposite wisdoms…
15. This wisdom—Two counter pictures of the opposite wisdoms in 15-18. There is a proud wisdom that boasts of its worldly value, and knows how to fight its way and beat all before it. Whence came it?
Not from above—It is not the wisdom revealed from God by the holy Jesus. And what is it? Its threefold character is sketched in three terrible words. Man in ascending grades is body, soul, and spirit. See note on 1Co_15:44. In ascending scale man is corporeal, soulical, spiritual, and by the spiritual, angel-like. In descending scale he is earthly=corporeal; sensual=soulical, animal; spiritual=demoniac, devilish. This wisdom belongs to the descending scale; descending to the infernal by an awful anticlimax of wickedness and woe. Plenty of this wisdom rules among the rulers of this world. Thence come partisan politics, unprincipled diplomacies, and the wars and fightings of Jas_4:1.
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 On vv15–17 15. This wisdom descendeth not from above] St James…
15. This wisdom descendeth not from above] St James returns to the thought of chap. Jas_1:5, that true wisdom was the gift of God, coming, like every other good and perfect gift, from above (ch. Jas_1:17). But this was not “the wisdom” of which the “many teachers” of the party of the Circumcision were boasting. It was, however, that of the Proverbs of Solomon, and of the Wisdom of the Son of Sirach, on which so much of St James’s teaching was modelled. (Comp. Sir_1:1-10.) It was that which had been manifested to mankind in all its fulness in Christ.
earthly, sensual, devilish] Each word is full of meaning. (1) The counterfeit wisdom is “earthly” in its nature and origin as contrasted with that which cometh from above. (Comp. St Paul’s “who mind earthly things,” Php_3:19). (2) It is “sensual.” The word is used by classical writers for that which belongs to the “soul” as contrasted with the “body.” This rested on the twofold division of man’s nature. The psychology of the New Testament, however, assumes generally the threefold division of body, soul, and spirit, the second element answering to the animal, emotional life, and the third being that which includes reason and will, the capacity for immortality and for knowing God. Hence the adjective formed from “soul” acquired a lower meaning, almost the very opposite of that which it once had, and expresses man’s state as left to lower impulses without the control of the spirit. So St Paul contrasts the natural man with the spiritual (1Co_2:14), the natural and the spiritual body (1Co_15:44; 1Co_15:46). So St Jude describes the false teachers, whom he condemns as “sensual, having not the Spirit.” What St James says then of the false wisdom is that it belongs to the lower, not the higher, element in man’s nature. It does not come from the Spirit of God, and therefore is not spiritual. (3) In “devilish” we have yet a darker condemnation. Our English use of the same word, “devil,” for the two Greek words diabolos and dœmonion, tends, however, to obscure St James’s meaning. The epithet does not state that the false wisdom which he condemns came from the devil, or was like his nature, but that it was demon-like, as partaking of the nature of the “demons” or “unclean spirits,” who, as in the Gospels, are represented as possessing the souls of men, and reducing them to the level of madness. Such, St James says, is the character of the spurious wisdom of the “many masters” of Jas_3:1. Met together in debate, wrangling, cursing, swearing, one would take them for an assembly of demoniacs. Their disputes were marked by the ferocity, the egotism, the boasting, the malignant cunning of the insane. St Paul’s account of the “doctrines of devils,” i. e. proceeding from demons (1Ti_4:1), not from the Spirit of God, presents a striking parallel. St James’s previous allusion to “demons” (see note on ch. Jas_2:19) confirms the interpretation thus given, as shewing how much his thoughts had been directed to the phænomena of possession.
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 On vv15–17 (15) This wisdom descendeth not from above . .…
(15) This wisdom descendeth not from above . . . .—Better thus, This is not the wisdom coming down from above, but is earthly, natural, devilish. This—it were profanation to call it by the holy name of Σοφία (Sophia), being in sharpest contrast to it, of the earth earthy; natural (as margin), or “psychical,” in the second sense of the tripartite division of man—body, soul, and spirit—explained under Jas_1:21 (comp. Jud_1:19, “Sensual, having not the Spirit”); and even worse, akin to the craft of devils.
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 On vv15–17 Vers. 15-18. Contrast between the earthly and the heavenly…
Vers. 15-18. Contrast between the earthly and the heavenly wisdom:
(1) the earthly (vers. 15, 16);
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(2) the heavenly (vers. 17, 18).
"This wisdom of which you boast is not a wisdom which cometh down from above." Vulgate, non est enim ista sctpientia desursum descendens. But is earthly, sensual, devilish. Dr. Farrar well says that this wisdom is "earthly because it avariciously cares for the goods of earth; (Php_3:19) animal, because it is under the sway of animal lusts; (1Co_2:14) demon-like, because full of pride, egotism, malignity, and ambition, which are the works of the devil." (1Ti_4:1) Sensual (yucikh), Vulgate, animalis; R.V margin, natural or animal. The position of the word is remarkable, occurring between ejpigeiov and daimoniwdhv. it is never found in the LXX, nor (apparently) in the apostolic Fathers. In the New Testament it occurs six times three times of the "natural" body, which is contrasted with the swma pneumatikon, (1Co_15:44 (twice) 46) and three times with a moral emphasis resting upon it, "and in every instance a most depreciatory", (see 1Co_2:14) "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God," and contev. Jud_1:19, Yucikoi, pneuma mh e. The yuch in general in the New Testament is that which is common to man with the brute creation, including the passions, appetites, etc.; and therefore, by the use of this word yucikov to describe the wisdom which cometh not from above, but is "earthly, sensual or, "animal", devilish," we are reminded of the contrast between the spirit of man which goeth upward and the spirit of a beast which goeth downward. (Ecc_3:21) The "animal" man, then, is one who is ruled entirely by the yuch in the lower sense of the word; and by the depreciatory sense given to the adjective we are strongly reminded that "nature" is nothing without the aid of grace. See further Archbishop Trench"s "Synonyms of the N. T.," and for the later history of the word (it was applied by the Montanists to the orthodox), Suicer"s "Thesaurus," vol. it. p. 1589.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv15, 17 This wisdom descendeth not from above
Jam_3:15-16
This wisdom descendeth not from above
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The wisdom that is from below
There are two characteristics here specified which we shall find are given as the infallible signs of the heavenly wisdom; and their opposites as signs of the other.
The heavenly wisdom is fruitful of good deeds, and inspires those who possess it with gentleness. The other wisdom is productive of nothing really valuable, and inspires those who possess it with contentiousness. This test is a very practical one, and we can apply it to ourselves as well as to others. How do we bear ourselves in argument and in controversy? Are we serene about the result, in full confidence that truth and right should prevail? Are we desirous that truth should prevail, even if that should involve our being proved to be in the wrong? Are we meek and gentle towards those who differ from us? or are we apt to lose our tempers and become heated against our opponents? If the last is the case we have reason to doubt whether our wisdom is of the best sort. In meekness of wisdom. On this St. James lays great stress. The Christian grace of meekness is a good deal more than the rather second-rate virtue which Aristotle makes to be the mean between passionateness and impassionateness, and to consist in a due regulation of ones angry feelings (Eth. Nic. IV. 5.). It includes submissiveness towards God, as well as gentleness towards men; and it exhibits itself in a special way in giving and receiving instruction, and in administering and accepting rebuke. It was, therefore, just the grace which the many would-be teachers, with their loud professions of correct faith and superior knowledge, specially needed to acquire. But if, instead of this meekness, ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not, and lie not against the truth. With a gentle severity St. James status as a mere supposition what he probably knew to be a fact. There was plenty of bitter zealousness and party spirit among them; and from this fact they could draw their own conclusions. It was an evil from which the Jews greatly suffered; and a few years later it hastened, if it did not cause, the overthrow of Jerusalem. This jealousy or zeal (ζῆλος) itself became a party name in the fanatical sect of the Zealots. It was an evil from which the primitive Church greatly suffered, as passages in the New Testament and in the sub-Apostolic writers prove; and can we say that it has ever become extinct? Jealousy or zeal may be a good or a bad thing, according to the motive which inspires it. To make it quite plain that it is to be understood in a bad sense here, St. James adds the epithet bitter to it, and perhaps thereby recalls what he has just said about a mouth that utters both curses and blessings being as monstrous as a fountain spouting forth both bitter water and sweet. Moreover, he couples it with faction (ἐριθεία), a word which originally meant working for hire, and especially weaving for hire (Isa_38:12), and thence any ignoble pursuit, especially political canvassing, intrigue, or factionsness. What St. James seems to refer to in these two words is hitter religious animosity; a hatred of error (or what is supposed to be such), manifesting itself, not in loving attempts to win over those who are at fault, but in bitter thoughts and words and party combinations. Glory not, and lie not against the truth. To glory with their tongues of their superior wisdom, while they cherished jealousy and faction in their hearts, was a manifest lie, a contradiction of what; they must know to be the truth. In their fanatical zeal for the truth, they were really lying against the truth, and ruining the cause which they professed to serve. Of how many a controversialist would that be true; and not only of those who have entered the lists against heresy and infidelity, but of those who are preaching crusade against vice! This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. The wisdom which is exhibited in such a thoroughly un-christian disposition is of no heavenly origin. It may be a proof of intellectual advantages of some kind, but it is not such as those who lack it need pray for (Jam_1:5), nor such as God bestows liberally on all who ask in faith. And then, having stated what it is not, St. James tells in three words, which form a climax, what the wisdom on which they plume themselves, in its nature, and sphere, and origin, really is. It belongs to this world, and has no connection with heavenly things. Its activity is in the lower part of mans nature, his passions, and his human intelligence, but it never touches his spirit. And in its origin and manner of working it is demoniacal. Not the gentleness of Gods Holy Spirit, but the fierce recklessness of Satans emissaries, inspires it. Does this seem to be an exaggeration? St. James is ready to justify his strong language. For where jealousy and faction are, there is confusion and every vile deed. And who are the authors of confusion and vile deeds? Are they to be found in heaven, or in hell? Is confusion, or order, the mark of Gods work? Jealousy and faction mean anarchy; and anarchy means a moral chaos in which every vile deed finds an opportunity. We know, therefore, what to think of the superior wisdom which is claimed by those in whose hearts jealousy and faction reign supreme. The professed desire to offer service to God is really only a craving to obtain advancement for self. Self-seeking of this kind is always ruinous. It both betrays and aggravates the rottenness that lurks within. It was immediately after there had been a contention among the apostles, which of them was accounted to be greatest (Luk_22:24), that they all forsook Him and fled. (A. Plummer, D. D.)
The wisdom which is not from above
I. THE PRESCRIBED COURSE: THAT REQUIRED BY AND INDICATIVE OF TRUE WISDOM (Jam_3:13). Wise--that is, gifted with spiritual discernment and discretion, with capacity and enlightenment in regard to Divine things. Endued with knowledge--having large information, acquaintance with facts, doctrines, precepts. The ablest, those whose intellects are the clearest and whose judgments are the soundest, must work in the dark; they must stumble and err egregiously if they lack requisite information. Religion is often represented under this aspect. It is the highest and, indeed, the only true wisdom. Well, how is such a person to proceed? How is he to prove his character, how evince his wisdom? Let him show out of a good conversation his works. He is to manifest what he really is, to give open evidence of his spiritual understanding and prudence. His light is to shine, his principles are to appear. The grand general effect is to be a consistent, godly walk--a walk regulated by the doctrines and the precepts of Christianity. Out of it he is to show his works--that is, rising from the even tenor of his way, the fair and fertile field of holy living, special, individual works of faith and love are to stand forth prominent, conspicuous. These fruits of the Spirit are to come out as the separate, noticeable features, and prove the nature of the tree on which they are found growing. He adds, with meekness of wisdom. Here is the disposition, the spirit in which their works were to be shown forth out of a good conversation. In it lies the special distinction and difference between the true and the false wisdom, which he unfolds in this passage. The expression is remarkable--the meekness of wisdom--that is, the meekness which is characteristic of wisdom, which is its proper attribute. Meekness is gentleness, mildness, submissiveness. Wisdom is a thing calm, quiet, peaceful. It is not fierce, violent, contentions. It is not passionate, disputatious, or tumultuous, It looks at matters with a steady, patient mind, and shapes its course with deliberation and caution. It knows how weak and prone to err the very best are, and what need there ever is for consideration and forbearance. Let us not mistake, however. This meekness is not a feeble, crouching, despicable thing; on the contrary, it is strong, noble, and victorious. It is consistent with the utmost firmness; and, indeed, that is saying little, for it is essential to true and enduring firmness. Jesus was meek and lowly in heart; He did not strive nor cry, when reviled He reviled not again, when He suffered lie threatened not; and yet He was most perfectly stedfast, immovable as a rock is the prospect of--yes, and under the pressure of--sorrows and sufferings, not only infinitely beyond human endurance, but even as far beyond human conception. And so, in all ages, the gentlest of His servants have been the strongest, The most stable and invincible. Think of the meek, lamb-like pair, Henry Martyn and Daniel Corrie, whose friendship was so close and whose characters were so similar. Where shall we find any more resolute, unbending than they were? It is also consistent with the most ardent zeal. Along with it, under it, there may be the warmest affections--a faith and love of no ordinary fervour and power. We see this in the sainted men to whom I have already referred. They were animated by a zeal which consumed them as that of their Divine Master did Him. Who of mortals dared more or accomplished more than Moses, the leader and lawgiver of Israel? And yet was not he the meekest of men? The prophet testifies, In quietness and in confidence shall be your strength.
II. THE OPPOSITE COURSE WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT INDICATES (verse 14). But if--implying, not obscurely, that this was no mere supposition, but the actual and painful fact in too many instances ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts. The word rendered envying is literally zeal, but it often has the meaning of jealousy, emulation, rivalry. It originates in bitter feelings, not in attachment to truth, but in opposition to per-sons--in selfish, ambition, crooked designs. Its root is evil. It appears in bitter actings, venting itself, as it does, in speeches and proceedings fitted to wound, alienate, exasperate. It scatters firebrands, reckless of feelings and of consequences. And it issues in bitter results, causing conflicts, separations, and manifold evils. And strife--rivalry. This is the natural consequence of such envying--such unhallowed and envenomed zeal. It is the parent of controversy, with all that passion and violence by which it is so often marked. He says, if ye have this bitter envying and strife in your hearts. It is in your hearts, not in your conduct, your proceedings.
No; and the manner in which the thing is put here teaches, as it doubtless was designed to do, more than one important lesson. The spring of this whole evil lies within, in the region of the heart. It is all to be traced to its carnal lusts, its depraved principles and propensities. And it must be dealt with there, if dealt with thoroughly, dealt with to any good purpose. You can get rid of the fruits only by cutting down the deadly upas tree on which they grow so luxuriantly. Again, it intimates that there might be much of this envying and strife in the bosom, while it did not fully appear, but was skilfully disguised in the life. And still farther, it teaches that we are not to judge here by mere appearances; for as in one case our decision might be too favourable, as we have seen, so in another it might be the very opposite. It is not always what outwardly seems to be envying and strife that is so in reality. We are to contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints, and we may do it most resolutely without being in the least degree actuated by such a spirit. He says, if ye have these feelings in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. Glory not--boast not of your alleged wisdom, pride not yourselves on any such supposed attainment. And lie not--bringing out still more strongly the contrariety, the direct and thorough antagonism. They professed to believe, and even presumed to teach, the Christian system. They set themselves up as its witnesses and advocates. Well, by the spirit they manifested, and the conduct to which it led, they flatly contradicted the truth, they misrepresented its whole nature and design. Missionaries, from India and elsewhere, tell us that this is perhaps the very greatest hindrance with which they have to contend, and that no argument is more frequently used or more difficult to combat. He now characterises the so-called wisdom of these parties. This wisdom descendeth not from above (verse 15); or, more pointedly, is not such as descendeth from above--it is not that, it has nothing in common with that, which so descendeth. It is wholly different from the heavenly in its origin and nature. It is earthly. It belongs to this lower, clouded sphere, this world of sin and sense, and bears throughout its impress. It is prevalent in earthly affairs. It may gain men a reputation for ability, for discretion, for sagacity, and raise them to professional or political eminence. Not to be despised in its own place, this has nothing spiritual and saving in its composition. It is marked by earthly principles. Its calculations and its plans are framed on the basis of the opinions, maxims, and habits which prevail in society. Self-interest and expediency go a great length with it, and often shut out all higher considerations of truth and duty. And it is devoted to earthly objects. It seeks not heavenly ends and interests, but those which are worldly. Gain rather than godliness is what it pursues. It labours for the meat which perishes, not for that which endures unto everlasting life. Sensual. What is intimated is, that this wisdom, however imposing it may seem, and however useful it may really be, pertains not to our nobler being--the soul--as it is when possessed and purified by the Holy Ghost. It is limited to the narrow, inferior domain of self, with its circle of objects and interests. It is unspiritual. Another feature yet remains, and the most repulsive of all--devilish. It is demoniacal, satanic. Not from above, it is from below. The tongue was said to be set on fire of hell; and the wisdom which keeps company with envying and strife has the same origin. What a dark and dreadful description! This account of it he justifies by the effects which it produces. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work (verse 16). The wisdom consists with, if not in, envying and strife; and where such a spirit prevails, what are its natural fruits, its inevitable results? The terms are the same as those used in the 14th verse, without the qualification of bitter, that being understood, and not requiring repetition. There is confusion--disorder, anarchy, tumult, all kinds of agitation and disturbance. And every work. They are productive of whatever is bad and base, of all sorts and measures of wickedness. There is no error, no folly, no vice, no crime to which they do not readily conduct. They shut out everything good, they open the door to everything evil. As the fruit reveals the species of tree on which it grows, so do the effects here the nature of those principles from which they proceed. (John Adam.)
Two kinds of wisdom distinguished
I. THERE IS ONE WISDOM EARTHLY, ANOTHER HEAVENLY, THAT CONDEMNED, AND THIS COMMENDED AMONG MEN.
1. Concerning the former, which is wicked wisdom (if we may call it wisdom, by the common speech of men so calling it), it is described here by three qualities.
(1) It is earthly, such as savoureth altogether of the earth and of the world, and of worldly demeanour and manners. The wisdom of earthly and worldly minded men is to be proud, contentious, quarrellous, given to revenge every offence, every injury.
(2) As earthly, so is this wisdom sensual, naturally blind in heavenly things. Such whereunto by common sense, men are carried as brute beasts, who, suffering injuries one of the other, forthwith either strike again Or push with horn, or bite and tear with mouth, and so are avenged. Such wisdom is to be contentious and given to revenge; this wisdom is not purged, but corrupt with evil affections of nature. This proceedeth from those who, being carnal men, men natural, not regenerate, perceive net the things of God, neither can they understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. This is a part of the wisdom of the flesh, which is enmity with God, and neither is, neither can be, subject to Him.
(3) It is devilish. The original of envy and contention, wherein the wicked worldlings repose wisdom, is from Satan himself, the author, the well-head of maliciousness, envy, contention among men, whereunto only through him are men moved. Now as the worldly and wicked wisdom is by properties noted, so is it also set down by effects, which follow contention and strife. Whereof St. James saith, Where envying and strife is, there is sedition and all manner of evil works. Whereby he teacheth that sedition and all manner of evil works ensue and follow contention and strife among men, and therefore ought it with all carefulness and diligence to be avoided.
II. Now as there is wisdom which is wicked, so ALSO IS THERE GODLY WISDOM, whereof St. James saith, But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without judging, without hypocrisy. Where the apostle in eight properties setteth down this heavenly wisdom unto men. (R. Turnball.)
For where envying and strife is, there is confusion
Envy and strife lead to confusion
That the life of man is unhappy, that his days are not only few, but evil, that he is surrounded by dangers, distracted by uncertainties, and oppressed by calamities, requires no proof. This is a truth which every man confesses, or which he that denies it denies against conviction. When such is the condition of beings, not brute and savage, but endowed with reason, and united in society, who would not expect that they should join in a perpetual confederacy against the certain or fortuitous troubles to which they are exposed? that they should universally cooperate in the proportion of universal felicity? that every man should easily discover that his own happiness is connected with that of every other man? This expectation might be formed by speculative wisdom, but experience will soon dissipate the pleasing illusion. Instead of hoping to be happy in the general felicity, every man pursues a private and independent interest, proposes to himself some peculiar convenience, and prizes it more as it is less attainable by others. When the ties of society are thus broken, and the general good of mankind is subdivided into the separate advantages of individuals, it must necessarily happen that many will desire when few can possess, and consequently that some will be fortunate by the disappointment or defeat of others, and, since no man suffers disappointment without pain, that one must become miserable by anothers happiness. The misery of the world, therefore, so far as it arises from the inequality of conditions, is incurable. Every man may, without a crime, study his own happiness if he be careful not to impede, by design, the happiness of others. In the prosecution of private interest, which Providence has either ordained or permitted, there must necessarily be some kind of strife. Where blessings are thrown before us as the reward of industry there must be a constant struggle of emulation. But this strife would be without confusion if it were regulated by reason and religion, if men would endeavour after lawful ends by lawful means. But as there is a laudable desire of meliorating the condition of life which communities may not only allow, but encourage, as the parent of useful arts; as there is likewise an honest contention for preference and superiority, by which the powers of greater minds are pushed into action; so there is likewise a strife, of a pernicious and destructive kind, which daily disturbs the quiet of individuals, and too frequently obstructs, or disturbs, the happiness of nations; a strife which always terminates in confusion, and which it is therefore every mans duty to avoid himself, and every mans interest to repress in others. This strife the apostle has, in his prohibition, joined with envying. And daily experience will prove that he has joined them with great propriety; for perhaps there has seldom been any great and lasting strife in the world of which envy was not either the original motive or the most forcible incentive. The ravages of religious enthusiasts and the wars kindled by difference of opinions may perhaps be considered as calamities, which cannot properly be imputed to envy; yet even these may often be justly suspected of rising from no higher or nobler causes. No man whose reason is not darkened by some inordinate perturbation of mind can possibly judge so absurdly of beings, partakers of the same nature with himself, as to imagine that any opinion can be recommended by cruelty and mischief, or that he, who cannot perceive the force of argument, will be more efficaciously instructed by penalties and tortures. The power of punishment is to silence, not to confute. Whenever, therefore, we find the teacher, jealous of the honour of his sect, and apparently more solicitous to see his opinions established than approved, we may conclude that he has added envy to his zeal, and that he feels more pain from the want of victory, than pleasure from the enjoyment of truth.
I. BY WHAT TOKENS WE MAY DISCOVER IN OURSELVES OR OTHERS THE STRIFE WHICH SPRINGS FROM ENVY, AND ENDS IN CONFUSION.
1. That strife may well be supposed to proceed from some corrupt passion, which is carried on with vehemence, disproportioned to the importance of the end openly proposed.
2. It is a token that strife proceeds from unlawful motives when it is prosecuted by unlawful means. The man whose duty gives way to iris convenience, who, when once he has fixed his eye upon a distant end, hastens to it by violence over forbidden ground, or creeps on towards it through the crooked paths of fraud and stratagem, as he has evidently some other guide than the Word of God, must be supposed to have likewise some other purpose than the glory of God or the benefit of man.
3. There is another token that strife is produced by the predominance of some vicious passion when it is carried on against natural or legal superiority. Thus, if we consider the conduct of individuals towards each other, we shall commonly find the labourer murmuring at him who seems to live by easier means. We shall hear the poor repining that others are rich, and even the rich speaking with malignity of those who are still richer than themselves. And if we survey the condition of kingdoms and commonwealths it will always be observed that governors are censured, that every mischief of chance is imputed to ill designs, and that nothing can persuade mankind that they are not injured by an administration either unskilful or corrupt. It is very difficult always to do right. To seem always to do right to those who desire to discover wrong is scarcely possible. Every man is ready to form expectations in his own favour, such as never can be gratified, and which will yet raise complaints if they are disappointed.
II. THE EVILS AND MISCHIEFS PRODUCED BY THAT CONFUSION WHICH ARISES FROM STRIFE. That the destruction of order, and the abolition of stated regulations, must fill the world with uncertainty, distraction, and solicitude, is apparent, without any long deduction of argument. (John Taylor, LL. D.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain On v17 Chapter 17
Chapter 17
THE WISDOM THAT IS FROM ABOVE.
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Jam_3:17-18
AT the beginning of his Epistle St. James exhorts those of his readers who feel their lack of wisdom to pray for it. It is one of those good and perfect gifts from above, which come down from the Father of lights, who "giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not". {Jam_1:5; Jam_1:17} He now, after having sketched its opposite, states, in a few clear, pregnant words, what the characteristics of this heavenly gift of wisdom are. In both passages he probably had in his mind, and wished to suggest to the minds of his readers, well-known utterances on the same subject in the Books of Proverbs, Ecclesiasticus, and Wisdom.
"My son, if thou cry after discernment, and lift up thy voice for understanding; if thou seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom; out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding". {Pro_2:3-6}
Again, the magnificent "Praise of Wisdom" in the twenty-fourth chapter of Ecclesiasticus, in which Wisdom is made to tell her own glories, opens thus: "I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and covered the earth like a cloud"; and it continues, "Then the Creator of all things gave me a commandment, and He that created me caused my tabernacle to rest, and said, Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thine inheritance in Israel. Before time was, from the beginning, He created me, and until times cease I shall in nowise fail" (vv. 3, 8, 9).
And in the similar passage in the Book of Wisdom, in which the praise of Wisdom is put into the mouth of Solomon, he says, "Wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me. She is the breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation from the glory of the Almighty: therefore doth no defiled thing fall into her. For she is the effulgence {απαυγασμα: Heb_1:3} of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of His goodness. And being one, she can do all things; and remaining in herself, she maketh all things new; and in all generations entering into holy souls, she maketh them friends of God, and prophets. For God loveth nothing but him that dwelleth with wisdom" (7:22, 25-28).
Three thoughts are conspicuous in these passages. Wisdom originates with God. It is consequently pure and glorious. God bestows it upon His people. These thoughts reappear in St. James, and to them he adds another, which scarcely appears in the earlier writers. Wisdom is "peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy, and good fruits." In Proverbs we do indeed read that "all her paths are peace" (Pro_3:17); but the thought is not followed up. It does not seem to occur to the son of Sirach; and not one of the twenty-one epithets which the writer of Wisdom piles up in praise of this heavenly gift (7:22, 23) touches upon its peaceable and placable nature. It was left to the Gospel to teach, both by the example of Christ and by the words of His Apostles, how inevitably the Divine wisdom produces, in those who possess it, gentleness, self-repression, and peace.
"But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated." The "first" and the "then" may be seriously misunderstood. St. James does not mean that the heavenly wisdom cannot be peaceable and gentle until all its surroundings have been made pure from everything that would oppose or contradict it; in other words, that the wise and understanding Christian will first free himself from the society of all whom he believes to be in error, and then, but not till then, will he be peaceable and gentle. That is, so long as folly and falsehood remain, they must be denounced, and made either to recant or to retire; for only when they have disappeared will wisdom show itself easy to be entreated. Purity, i.e., freedom from all that would dim the brightness of truth, must precede peace, and there can be no peace until it is obtained.
This interpretation contradicts the context, and makes St. James teach the opposite of what he says very plainly in the sentences which precede, and in those which follow, the words which we are considering. It tries to enlist him on the side of partisanship and persecution, at the very moment when he is pleading most earnestly against them. He is stating a logical, and not a chronological order, when he declares that true wisdom is "first pure, then peaceable." In its inmost being it is pure; among its very various external manifestations are the six or seven beneficent qualities which follow the "then." If there were no one to be gentle to, no one coming to entreat, no one needing mercy, the wisdom from above would still be pure; therefore this quality comes first.
When the author of the Book of Wisdom says that wisdom is "a pure emanation from the glory of God: therefore can no defiled thing fall into her" (7:25), he is thinking of a pure stream, into which no foul ditch is able to empty its polluting contents, or of a pure ray of light, which does not admit of mixture with anything that would color or darken it. He does not use the word for pure which we have here (αγνος) but one which signifies "unmixed," and hence "unsullied" (ειλικρινης) and which occurs in Php_1:10 and 2Pe_3:1. The word used here by St. James is akin to "holy" (αγιος), and primarily signifies what is associated with religious awe (αγος), and hence "hallowed," especially by sacrifice. From this it became narrowed in meaning to what is free from the pollution of unchastity or bloodshed. As a Biblical word it sometimes has this narrow meaning; but generally it implies freedom from all stain of sin, and therefore is not far removed in meaning from "holy." But it is worth noting that whereas Christ and good men are spoken of as both pure and holy, yet God is called holy, but never pure. Divine holiness cannot be assailed by any polluting influence. Human holiness, even that of Christ, can be so assailed, and in resisting the assault it remains "pure."
In the passage before us "pure" must certainly not be limited to mean simply "chaste." The word "sensual," applied to the wisdom from below, does not mean unchaste, but living wholly in the world of sense; and the purity of the heavenly wisdom does not consist merely in victory over temptations of the flesh, but in freedom from worldly and low motives. Its aim is that truth should become known and prevail, and it condescends to no ignoble arts in prosecuting this aim. Contradiction does not ruffle it, and hostility does not provoke it to retaliate, because its motives are thoroughly disinterested and pure. Thus, its peaceable and placable qualities flow out of its purity. It is "first pure, then peaceable." It is because the man who is inspired with it has no ulterior selfish ends to serve that he is gentle, sympathetic, and considerate towards those who oppose him. He strives, not for victory over his opponents, but for truth both for himself and for them; and he knows what it costs to arrive at truth. We have a noble illustration of this temper in some of the opening passages of St. Augustines treatise against the so-called "Fundamental Letter" of Manichaeus. He begins thus:-
"My prayer to the one true God Almighty, of whom, and through whom, and in whom are all things, has been and is, that in refuting and disproving the heresy of you Manichaeans, to which you adhere perchance more through thoughtlessness than evil intent, He would give me a mind composed and tranquil, and aiming rather at your amendment than your discomfiture… It has been our business, therefore, to prefer and choose the better part, that we might have an opportunity for your amendment, not in contention, and strife, and persecutions, but in gentle consolation, affectionate exhortation, and quiet discussion; as it is written, The Lords servant must not strive, but be gentle towards all, teachable, forbearing, in meekness correcting them that oppose themselves"…
"Let those rage against you who know not with what toil truth is found, and how difficult it is to avoid errors…Let those rage against you who know not with how great difficulty the eye of the inner man is made whole, so that it can behold its Sun…Let those rage against you who know not with what sighs and groans it is made possible, in however small a degree, to comprehend God."
Finally, let those rage against you who have never been deceived by such an error as that whereby they see you deceived…
"Let neither of us say that he has already found the truth. Let us seek it as if it were unknown to us both. For it can be sought for with zeal and unanimity only if there be no rash assumption that it has been found and is known."
And to the same effect, although in a different key, a critical writer of our own day has remarked that "by an intellect which is habitually filled with the wisdom which is from heaven, in all its length and breadth, objections against religion are perceived at once to proceed from imperfect apprehension. Such an intellect cannot rage against those who give words to such objections. It sees that the objectors do but intimate the partial character of their own knowledge."
It will be observed that while the writer just quoted speaks about the intellect, St. James speaks about the heart. The difference is not accidental, and it is significant of a difference in the point of view. The modern view of wisdom is that it is a matter which mainly consists in the strengthening and enrichment of the intellectual powers. Increase of capacity for acquiring and retaining knowledge; increase in the possession of knowledge: this is what is meant by growth in wisdom. And by knowledge is meant acquaintance with the nature and history of man, and with the nature and history of the universe. All this is the sphere of the intellect rather than of the heart. The purification and development of the moral powers, if not absolutely excluded from the scope of wisdom, is commonly left in the background and almost out of sight. What St. James says here is fully admitted: the highest wisdom keeps a man from the bitterness of party spirit. But why? Because his superior intelligence and information tell him that the opposition of those who dissent from him is the result of ignorance, which requires, not insult and abuse, but instruction. St. James does not dissent from this view, but he adds to it. There are further and higher reasons why the truly wise man does not rail at others, or try to browbeat and silence them. Because, while he abhors folly, he loves the fool, and would win him over from his foolish ways; because he desires not only to impart knowledge, but to increase virtue; and because he knows that strife means confusion, and that gentleness is the parent of peace. Christians are charged to be "wise as serpents, but harmless as doves."
The Scriptural view of wisdom does not contradict the modern one, but it is taken from the other side. In it the education of the moral and spiritual powers is the main thing, while intellectual advancement is in the background or out of sight. There is nothing in the teaching of Christ or his Apostles that is hostile to intellectual progress; but neither by His example, nor by the directions which His disciples received or delivered, do we find that culture was regarded as part of, or necessary to, or even a very desirable companion for, the Gospel. Neither Christ nor any one of His immediate followers came forward as a great promoter of intellectual pursuits. Why is this? It would perhaps be a sound and sufficient answer to say, that valuable as such work would have been, there was much more serious and important work to be done. To convert men from. sin to righteousness was far more urgent than to improve their minds. But there is more to be said than this. That perverse generation had to "turn, and become as little children," before it could enter into the kingdom of heaven. To develop a mans intellectual powers is not always the best way to make him "humble himself as a little child." Increase of knowledge may make a Newton feel like a child picking up pebbles on the shore of truth, but it is apt to make "the natural man" less childlike. But for no one, whether catechumen, or convert, or mature Christian, can the cultivation of his intellect be as pressing a duty as the cultivation of his heart. "To speak with the tongues of men and of angels," and to "know all mysteries and all knowledge," is as nothing in comparison with love. And it is in some measure possible to see why this is so. Mans moral nature certainly suffered, and ruinously suffered, at the Fall. It is not so certain that his intellectual nature suffered also. If it did suffer, it suffered through the moral nature, because depravation of the heart depraved the brain. In neither case would there be any necessity for the Gospel to pay special attention to the regeneration of the intellect. If mans intellect was unscathed by his fall from innocence, it could continue its natural development, and go on from strength to strength towards perfection. If, however, the loss of innocence has entailed a loss of mental capacity, then the wound inflicted on the intellectual nature through the moral nature must be healed in the same way. First purify the heart and regenerate, the will, and then the recovery of the intellect will follow in due course. It is easy to reach the intellect through the heart, and this is what the wisdom that is from above aims at doing. If we begin with the intellect, we shall very likely end there; and in that case the man is not raised from his degradation, but equipped with additional powers of mischief. "Into a soul that deviseth evil, wisdom will not enter, nor yet dwell in a body that is sunk in sin". {/RAPC Wis 1:4}
"Full of mercy and good fruits." The wisdom from above is not only peaceable, reasonable, and conciliatory, when under provocation or criticism, it is also eager to take the initiative in doing all the good in its power to those whom it can reach or influence. Thus it goes hand in hand with that pure and undefiled religion which visits "the fatherless and widows in their affliction" {Jam_1:27}. Just as St. James has no sympathy with a faith which does not clothe the naked and feed the hungry, and offer of its best to God, {Jam_2:15-16; Jam_2:21} nor with a tongue which blesses God and curses men, {Jam_2:9} so he has no belief in the heavenly character of a wisdom which holds itself aloof in calm superiority to all cavil and complaint, with a condescending air of passionless impartiality. The intellectual miser, who gloats over the treasures of his own accumulated knowledge, and smiles with lofty indifference upon the criticisms and squabbles of the imperfectly instructed, has no share in the wisdom that is from above. He is peaceful and moderate, not but of love and sympathy, but because his time is too precious to be wasted in barren controversy, and because he is too proud to place himself on a level with those who would dispute with him. No selfish arrogance of this kind has any place in the character of the truly wise. His wisdom not only enlightens his intellect, but warms his heart and strengthens his will. He believes that "the wise man alone is king," and that "the wise man alone is happy," yet not because he has the crown of knowledge and abundance of intellectual enjoyment, but because he "fulfils the royal law, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," {Jam_2:8} and because happiness is to be found in promoting the happiness of others.
"Without variance, without hypocrisy." These are the last, two of the goodly qualities which St. James gives as marks of the heavenly wisdom. Similarity in sound, which cannot well be preserved in English, has evidently had something to do with their selection (αδιακριτος, ανυποκριτος). The first of the two has perplexed translators, and the English versions give us considerable choice: "without variance," "without wrangling," "without partiality," "without doubtfulness," "without judging." Purvey has for the two epithets "deeming without feigning," following the Sixtine edition of the Vulgate, which has judicans sine simulatione, instead of non judicans, sine simulatione. The word occurs nowhere else either in the Old or in the New Testament; but it is cognate with a word which St. James uses twice at the beginning of this Epistle, {διακρινομενος, Jam_1:6} and which is there rendered "doubting" or "wavering." Of the various possible meanings of the word before us we may therefore prefer "without doubtfulness." The wisdom from above is unwavering, steadfast, singleminded. Thus Ignatius charges the Magnesians (15) to "possess an unventuring spirit" (αδιακριτον πνευμα), and tells the Trallians (1) that he has "learned that they have a mind unblameable and unwavering in patience" (αδιακριτον εν υπομονη). And Clement of Alexandria ("Paed.," II 3, p. 190) speaks of "unwavering faith" (αδιακριτω πιστει), and a few lines farther on he reminds his readers, in words that suit our present subject, that "wisdom is not bought with earthly coin, nor is sold in the market, but in heaven." If he had said that wisdom is not sold in the market, but given from heaven, he would have made the contrast both more pointed and more true.
"The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace." The Greek may mean either "for them that make peace," or "by them that make peace"; and we need not attempt to decide. In either case it is the peacemakers who sow the seed whose fruit is righteousness, and the peacemakers who reap this fruit. The whole process begins, progresses, and ends in peace.
It is evident that the heavenly wisdom is preeminently a practical wisdom. It is not purely or mainly intellectual; it is not speculative; it is not lost in contemplation. Its object is to increase holiness rather than knowledge, and happiness rather than information. Its atmosphere is not controversy and debate, but gentleness and peace. It is full, not of sublime theories or daring hypotheses, but of mercy and good fruits. It can be confident without wrangling, and reserved without hypocrisy. It is the twin sister of that heavenly love which "envieth not, vaunteth not itself, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh no account of evil."
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv15–17 15. This wisdom. Wisdom (not real wisdom but false)…
15. This wisdom. Wisdom (not real wisdom but false) which gives rise to envy and strife is not from heaven. It is earthly, of the passions, of the devil, not of God.
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.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from…
This is not the wisdom that comes down from above
Here "This" refers to the "bitter jealousy and strife" described in the previous verses. The phrase "from above" is a metonym that represents "heaven" which represents God himself. AT: "This is not the kind of wisdom that God teaches us from heaven" (See: Metonymy)
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This is not the wisdom that comes down from above. Instead, it is earthly, unspiritual, demonic
The abstract noun "wisdom" can be stated as "wise." - AT: "Whoever acts like this is not wise according to what God in heaven teaches us. Instead this person is earthly, unspiritual, and demonic" (See: Abstract Nouns)
earthly
The word "earthly" refers to the values and behaviors of the people who do not honor God. AT: "not honoring to God" (See: Metonymy)
unspiritual
"not from the Holy Spirit" or "not spiritual"
demonic
"from demons"
For where there are jealousy and ambition, there is confusion and every evil practice
This can be restated to remove the abstract nouns "jealousy," "ambition," and "confusion." AT: "For when people are jealous and selfish, this causes them to act in disorderly and evil ways" (See: Abstract Nouns)
there is confusion
"there is disorder" or "there is chaos"
every evil practice
"every kind of sinful behavior" or "every kind of wicked deed"
But the wisdom from above is first pure
Here "from above" is metonym that represents "heaven" which represents God himself. The abstract noun "wisdom" can be stated as "wise." AT: "But when a person is wise according to what God in heaven teaches, he acts in ways that are first pure" (See: Abstract Nouns)
is first pure
"is first holy"
full of mercy and good fruits
Here "good fruits" refer to kind things that people do for others as a result of having wisdom from God. AT: "full of mercy and good deeds" (See: Metaphor)
and sincere
"and honest" or "and truthful"
The fruit of righteousness is sown in peace among those who make peace
People making peace is spoken of as if they were sowing seeds, and righteousness is spoken of as if it were the fruit that grows up as a result of making peace. AT: "The result of making peace is righteousness" or "Those who work peacefully to help people live in peace produce righteousness" (See: Metaphor)
make peace
The abstract noun "peace" can be stated as "peacefully." AT: "cause people to live peacefully" or "help people not to be angry with each other" (See: Abstract Nouns)
translationWords
wise
demon
jealous
pure
peace
mercy
fruit
righteous
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v15 3:15 The wisdom that is earthly is not part…
3:15 The wisdom that is earthly is not part of the good creation; it is the opposite of heavenly wisdom because it excludes God. It is unspiritual because it does not acknowledge or respond to God’s Spirit (1 Cor 2:14; Jude 1:19). It is demonic since it comes from the devil, the ultimate source of this destructive wisdom (Jas 3:6; 4:6; 1 Tim 4:1).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.