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NASB | James 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"? |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | James 4:5 Or do you think that the Scripture says to no purpose that the [human] spirit which He has made to dwell in us lusts with envy? [Gen 6:5] |
Subject: What is meant by this passage? |
Bible Note: "Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?" James 4:5 Amplified NT Tim: I sincerely thank you for making a very careful and serious examination of James 4:5 (Compare the verse in the Amplified New Testament.) You write: "Now that we have translated the verse, we still have to interpret it. This is just a difficult task as the tranlation, since it is not clear to what Scripture verse James is referring." You are quite correct when you say it is not clear to what Scripture verse James is referring. The phrase "Scripture says" is a common NT way of introducing an OT quote. The quote that follows, however, is not found as such in the OT; it is a composite of general OT teaching. (I can just hear some know-it-all (not you Tim; sincerely NOT you) asking, "Well, who has the authority to use a mere composite of OT teaching?" The obvious answer is: James, as he was borne along by the Holy Spirit, has the authority. Or maybe our circus performers think they know better than James. Who knows what they think? Who cares?) |