Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of James 5:20
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
20. from the error of his way ] The noun always involves the idea of being deceived as well as erring. Comp. 2Pe 2:18 ; 2Pe 3:17; 1Jn 4:6.
shall save a soul from death ] The soul is obviously that of the sinner who is converted. Death, bodily and spiritual, would be the outcome of the error if he were left alone, and in being rescued from the error he is therefore saved also from death.
and shall hide a multitude of sins ] The phrase is one of those which St James has in common with St Peter (1Pe 4:8). It occurs also in the LXX. of Psa 85:2, and in a nearly identical form in Psa 32:1. The Hebrew, and English version, of Pro 10:12 present a still closer parallel, but the LXX. seems to have followed a different text, and gives “Friendship covers all those that are not contentious.” The context leaves hardly any room for doubt that the “sins” which are thought of as covered are primarily those of the man converted, and not those of the converter. There is, however, a studied generality in the form of the teaching, which seems to emphasise the wide blessedness of love. In the very act of seeking to convert one for whom we care we must turn to God ourselves, and in covering the past sins of another our own also are covered. In such an act love reaches its highest point, and that love includes the faith in God which is the condition of forgiveness.
The absence of any formal close to the Epistle is in many ways remarkable. In this respect it stands absolutely alone in the New Testament, the nearest approach to it being found in 1Jn 5:21. It is a possible explanation of this peculiarity, that we have lost the conclusion of the Epistle. It is, however, more probable that the abruptness is that of emphasis. The writer had given utterance to a truth which he desired above all things to impress on the minds of his readers, and he could not do this more effectually than by making it the last word he wrote to them.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Let him know – Let him who converts the other know for his encouragement.
That he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way – Any sinner; anyone who has done wrong. This is a general principle, applicable to this case and to all others of the same kind. It is a universal truth that he who turns a sinner from a wicked path does a work which is acceptable to God, and which will in some way receive tokens of his approbation. Compare Deu 12:3. No work which man can perform is more acceptable to God; none will be followed with higher rewards. In the language which is used here by the apostle, it is evidently intended not to deny that success in converting a sinner, or in reclaiming one from the error of his ways, is to be traced to the grace of God; but the apostle here refers only to the divine feeling towards the individual who shall attempt it, and the rewards which he may hope to receive. The reward bestowed, the good intended and done, would be the same as if the individual were able to do the work himself. God approves and loves his aims and efforts, though the success is ultimately to be traced to himself.
Shall save a soul from death – It has been doubted whether this refers to his own soul, or to the soul of him who is converted. Several manuscripts, and the Vulgate, Syriac, Arabic, and Coptic versions, here read: his soul. The most natural interpretation of the passage is to refer it to the soul of the one converted, rather than of him who converts him. This accords better with the uniform teaching of the New Testament, since it is nowhere else taught that the method of saving our souls is by converting others; and this interpretation will meet all that the scope of the passage demands. The object of the apostle is to present a motive for endeavoring to convert one who has wandered away; and assuredly a sufficient motive for that is furnished in the fact, that by this means an immortal soul would be saved from eternal ruin. The word death here must refer to eternal death, or to future punishment. There is no other death which the soul is in danger of dying. The body dies and moulders away, but the soul is immortal. The apostle cannot mean that he would save the soul from annihilation, for it is in no danger of that. This passage proves, then, that there is a death which the soul may die; that there is a condition which may properly be called death as a consequence of sin; and that the soul will suffer that unless it is converted.
And shall hide a multitude of sins – Shall cover them over so that they shall not be seen; that is, they shall not be punished. This must mean either the sins which he has committed who is thus converted and saved, or the sins of him who converts him. Whichever is the meaning, a strong motive is presented for endeavoring to save a sinner from the error of his ways. It is not easy to determine which is the true sense. Expositors have been about equally divided respecting the meaning. Doddridge adopts substantially both interpretations, paraphrasing it, not only procuring the pardon of those committed by the convert, but also engaging God to look with greater indulgence on his own character, and to be less ready to mark severely what he has done amiss. The Jews regarded it as a meritorious act to turn a sinner from the error of his ways, and it is possible that James may have had some of their maxims in his eye. Compare Clarke, in loc. Though it may not be possible to determine with certainty whether the apostle here refers to the sins of him who converts another, or of him who is converted, yet it seems to me that the reference is probably to the latter, for the following reasons:
(1) Such an interpretation will meet all that is fairly implied in the language.
(2) This interpretation will furnish a strong motive for what the apostle expects us to do. The motive presented is, according to this, that sin will not be punished. But this is always a good motive for putting forth efforts in the cause of religion, and quite as powerful when drawn from our doing good to others as when applied to ourselves.
(3) This is a safe interpretation; the other is attended with danger. According to this, the effort would be one of pure benevolence, and there would be no danger of depending on what we do as a ground of acceptance with God. The other interpretation would seem to teach that our sins might be forgiven on some other ground than that of the atonement – by virtue of some act of our own.
(4) And there might be danger, if it be supposed that this refers to the fact that our sins are to be covered up by this act, of supposing that by endeavoriug to convert others we may live in sin with impunity; that however we live, we shall be safe if we lead others to repentance and salvation.
If the motive be the simple desire to hide the sins of others – to procure their pardon – to save a soul from death, without any supposition that by that we are making an atonement for our own sins – it is a good one, a safe one. But if the idea is that by this act we are making some atonement for our own offences, and that we may thus work out a righteousness of our own, the idea is one that is every way dangerous to the great doctrine of justification by faith, and is contrary to the whole teaching of the Bible. For these reasons it seems to me that the true interpretation is, that the passage refers to the sins of others, not our own; and that the simple motive here presented is, that in this way we may save a fellow-sinner from being punished for his sins. It may be added, in the conclusion of the notes at this Epistle, that this motive is one which is sufficient to stimulate us to great and constant efforts to save others. Sin is the source of all the evil in the universe: and the great object which a benevolent heart ought to have, should be that its desolating effects may be stayed; that the sinner may be pardoned; and that the guilty soul may be saved from its consequences in the future world. This is the design of God in the plan of redemption; this was the object of the Saviour in giving himself to die; this is the purpose of the Holy Spirit in renewing and sanctifying the soul; and this is the great end of all those acts of Divine Providence by which the sinner is warned and turned to God. When we come to die, as we shall soon, it will give us more pleasure to be able to recollect that we have been the means of saying one soul from death, than to have enjoyed all the pleasures which sense can furnish, or to have gained all the honor and wealth which the world can give.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 20. Let him know] Let him duly consider, for his encouragement, that he who is the instrument of converting a sinner shall save a soul from eternal death, and a body from ruin, and shall hide a multitude of sins; for in being the means of his conversion we bring him back to God, who, in his infinite mercy, hides or blots out the numerous sins which he had committed during the time of his backsliding. It is not the man’s sins who is the means of his conversion, but the sins of the backslider, which are here said to be hidden. See more below.
1. MANY are of opinion that the hiding a multitude of sins is here to be understood of the person who converts the backslider: this is a dangerous doctrine, and what the Holy Spirit never taught to man. Were this true it would lead many a sinner to endeavour the reformation of his neighbour, that himself might continue under the influence of his own beloved sins and conversion to a particular creed would be put in the place of conversion to God, and thus the substance be lost in the shadow. Bishop Atterbury, (Ser. vol. i. p. 46,) and Scott, (Christian Life, vol. i. p. 368,) contend “that the covering a multitude of sins includes also, that the pious action of which the apostle speaks engages God to look with greater indulgence on the character of the person that performs it, and to be less severe in marking what he has done amiss.” See Macknight. This from such authorities may be considered doubly dangerous; it argues however great ignorance of God, of the nature of Divine justice, and of the sinfulness of sin. It is besides completely antievangelical; it teaches in effect that something besides the blood of the covenant will render God propitious to man, and that the performance of a pious action will induce God’s justice to show greater indulgence to the person who performs it, and to be less severe in marking what he has done amiss. On the ground of this doctrine we might confide that, had he a certain quantum of pious acts, we might have all the sins of our lives forgiven, independently of the sacrifice of Christ; for if one pious act can procure pardon for a multitude of sins, what may not be expected from many?
2. The Jewish doctrine, to which it is possible St. James may allude, was certainly more sound than that taught by these Christian divines. They allowed that the man who was the means of converting another had done a work highly pleasing to God, and which should be rewarded; but they never insinuate that this would atone for sin. I shall produce a few examples: –
In Synopsis Sohzar, p. 47, n. 17, it is said: Great is his excellence who persuades a sick person to turn from his sins.
Ibid, p. 92, n. 18: Great is his reward who brings back the pious into the way of the blessed Lord.
Yoma, fol. 87, 1: By his hands iniquity is not committed, who turns many to righteousness; i.e. God does not permit him to fall into sin. What is the reason? Ans. Lest those should be found in paradise, while their instructer is found in hell.
This doctrine is both innocent and godly in comparison of the other. It holds out a motive to diligence and zeal, but nothing farther. In short, if we allow any thing to cover our sins beside the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, WE shall err most dangerously from the truth, and add this moreover to the multitude of OUR sins, that we maintained that the gift of God could be purchased by our puny acts of comparative righteousness.
3. As one immortal soul is of more worth than all the material creation of God, every man who knows the worth of his own should labour for the salvation of others. To be the means of depriving hell of her expectation, and adding even one soul to the Church triumphant, is a matter of infinite moment; and he who is such an instrument has much reason to thank God that ever he was born. He who lays out his accounts to do good to the souls of men, will ever have the blessing of God in his own. Besides, God will not suffer him to labour in vain, or spend his strength for naught. At first he may see little fruit; but the bread cast upon the waters shall be found after many days: and if he should never see it in this life, he may take for granted that whatsoever he has done for God, in simplicity and godly sincerity, has been less or more effectual.
After the last word of this epistle , of sins, some versions add his, others theirs; and one MS. and the later Syriac have Amen. But these additions are of no authority.
The subscriptions to this epistle, in the VERSIONS, are the following: The end of the Epistle of James the apostle. – SYRIAC. The catholic Epistle of James the apostle is ended. – SYRIAC PHILOXENIAN. The end. – AETHIOPIC. Praise be to God for ever and ever; and may his mercy be upon us. Amen. – ARABIC. The Epistle of James the son of Zebedee, is ended. – ITALA, one copy. Nothing. – COPTIC. Nothing. – Printed VULGATE. The Epistle of James is ended. – Bib. VULG. Edit. Eggestein. The Epistle of St. James the apostle is ended. – Complutensian.
In the MANUSCRIPTS: Of James. – Codex Vaticanus, B. The Epistle of James. – Codex Alexandrinus. The end of the catholic Epistle of James. – Codex Vaticanus, 1210. The catholic Epistle of James the apostle. – A Vienna MS. The catholic Epistle of the holy Apostle James. – An ancient MS. in the library of the Augustins, at Rome. The end of the Epistle of the holy Apostle James, the brother of God. – One of Petavius’s MSS., written in the thirteenth century. The same is found in a Vatican MS. of the eleventh century. The most ancient MSS. have little or no subscription.
Two opinions relative to the author are expressed in these MSS. One copy of the Itala, the Codex Corbejensis, at Paris, which contains this epistle only, attributes it to James, the son of Zebedee; and two, comparatively recent, attribute it to James, our Lord’s brother. The former testimony, taken in conjunction with some internal evidences, led Michaelis, and some others, to suppose it probable that James the elder, or the son of Zebedee, was the author. I should give it to this apostle, in preference to the other, had I not reason to believe that a James, different from either; was the author. But who or what he was, at this distance of time, it is impossible to say. Having now done with all comments on the text, I shall conclude with some particulars relative to James, our Lord’s brother, and some general observations on the structure and importance of this epistle.
I have entered but little into the history of this James, because I was not satisfied that he is the author of this epistle: however, observing that the current of modern authors are decided in their opinion that he was the author, I perceive I may be blamed unless I be more particular concerning his life; as some of the ancients have related several circumstances relative to him that are very remarkable, and, indeed, singular. Dr. Lardner has collected the whole; and, although the same authors from whom he has taken his accounts are before me, yet, not supposing that I can at all mend either his selections or arrangement, I shall take the accounts as he states them.
“I should now proceed,” says this learned man, “to write the history of this person (James) from ancient authors; but that is a difficult task, as I have found, after trying more than once, and at distant spaces of time. I shall therefore take DIVERS passages of Eusebius and others, and make such reflections as offer for finding out as much truth as we can.
“Eusebius, in his chapter concerning our Saviour’s disciples, (Eccl. Hist. lib. i., cap. 12,) speaks of James, to whom our Lord showed himself after his resurrection, 1Cor 15:7, as being one of the seventy disciples.
“The same author has another chapter, (Hist. Eccl., lib. ii., cap. 1,) entitled, Of Things constituted by the Apostles after our Saviour’s Ascension, which is to this purpose: –
“The first is the choice of Matthias, one of Christ’s disciples, into the apostleship, in the room of Judas; then the appointment of the seven deacons, one of whom was Stephen, who, soon after his being ordained, was stoned by those who had killed the Lord, and was the first martyr for Christ; then James, called the Lord’s brother, because he was the son of Joseph, to whom the Virgin Mary was espoused. This James, called by the ancients the just, on account of his eminent virtue, is said to have been appointed the first bishop of Jerusalem; and Clement, in the sixth book of his Institutions, writes after this manner: That after our Lord’s ascension, Peter, and James, and John, though they had been favoured by the Lord above the rest, did not contend for honour, but chose James the just to be bishop of Jerusalem; and in the seventh book of the same work he says, that after his resurrection the Lord gave to James the just, and Peter, and John, the gift of knowledge; and they gave it to the other apostles, and the other apostles gave it to the seventy, one of whom was Barnabas: for there were two named James, one the just, who was thrown down from the battlement of the temple and killed by a fuller’s staff; the other is he who was beheaded. Of him who was called the just, Paul also makes mention, saying, Other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.
“I would now take a passage from Origen, in the tenth vol. of his Commentaries upon Mat 13:55; Mat 13:56: Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? They thought, says Origen, that he was the son of Joseph and Mary. The brethren of Jesus, some say, upon the ground of tradition, and particularly of what is said in the gospel according to Peter, or the book of James, were the sons of Joseph by a former wife, who cohabited with him before Mary. They who say this are desirous of maintaining the honour of Mary’s virginity to the last, (or her perpetual virginity,) that the body chosen to fulfil what is said, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee, Lu 1:35, might not know man after that: and I think it very reasonable that, as Jesus was the first fruits of virginity among men, Mary should be the same among women; for it would be very improper to give that honour to any besides her. This James is he whom Paul mentions in his Epistle to the Galatians, saying, Other of the apostles, saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother. This James was in so great repute with the people for his virtue, that Josephus, who wrote twenty books of the Jewish antiquities, desirous to assign the reason of their suffering such things, so that even their temple was destroyed, says that those things were owing to the anger of God for what they did to James, the brother of Jesus, who is called Christ. And it is wonderful that he, who did not believe our Jesus to be the Christ, should bear such a testimony to James. He also says that the people thought they suffered those things on account of James. Jude, who wrote an epistle, of a few lines indeed, but filled with the powerful word of the heavenly grace, says, at the beginning, Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James. Of Joses and Simon we know nothing.
“Origen, in his books against Celsus, quotes Josephus again as speaking of James; to the like purpose; but there are not now any such passages in Josephus, though they are quoted as from him by Eusebius also. As the death of James has been mentioned, I shall now immediately take the accounts of it which are in Eusebius, and I will transcribe a large part of the twenty-third chapter of the second book of his Ecclesiastical History: ‘But when Paul had appealed to Caesar, and Festus had sent him to Rome, the Jews being disappointed in their design against him, turned their rage against James, the Lord’s brother, to whom the apostles had consigned the episcopal chair of Jerusalem, and in this manner they proceeded against him: having laid hold of him, they required him, in the presence of all the people, to renounce his faith in Christ; but he, with freedom and boldness beyond expectation, before all the multitude declared our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to be the Son of God. They, not enduring the testimony of a man who was in high esteem for his piety, laid hold of the opportunity when the country was without a governor to put him to death; for Festus having died about that time in Judea, the province had in it no procurator. The manner of the death of James was shown before in the words of Clement, who said that he was thrown off the battlement of the temple, and then beat to death with a club. But no one has so accurately related this transaction as Hegesippus, a man in the first succession of the apostles, in the fifth book of his Commentaries, whose words are to this purpose: James, the brother of our Lord, undertook together with the apostles, the government of the Church. He has been called the just by all, from the time of our Saviour to ours: for many have been named James; but he was holy from his mother’s womb. He drank neither wine nor strong drink, nor did he eat any animal food; there never came a razor upon his head; he neither anointed himself with oil, nor did he use a bath. To him alone was it lawful to enter the holy place. He wore no woollen, but only linen garments. He entered into the temple alone, where he prayed upon his knees; insomuch that his knees were become like the knees of a camel by means of his being continually upon them, worshipping God, and praying for the forgiveness of the people. Upon account of his virtue he was called the just, and Oblias, that is, the defence of the people, and righteousness. Some, therefore, of the seven sects which were among the Jews, of whom I spoke in the former part of these Commentaries, asked him, Which is the gate of Jesus? or, What is the gate of salvation? and he said, Jesus is the Saviour, or the way of salvation. Some of them therefore believed that Jesus is the Christ. And many of the chief men also believing, there was a disturbance among the Jews and among the scribes and Pharisees, who said there was danger lest all the people should think Jesus to be the Christ. Coming therefore to James they said, We beseech thee to restrain the error of this people; we entreat thee to persuade all who come hither at the time of passover to think rightly concerning Jesus, for all the people and all of us put confidence in thee. Stand therefore on the battlement of the temple, that being placed on high thou mayest be conspicuous, and thy words may be easily heard by all the people; for because of the passover all the tribes are come hither, and many Gentiles. Therefore the scribes and Pharisees before named placed James upon the battlement of the temple, and cried out to him and said, O Justus, whom we ought all to believe, since the people are in an error, following Jesus, who was crucified, tell us what is the gate of Jesus. And he answered with a loud voice, Why do you ask me concerning the Son of man? He even sitteth in the heaven, at the right hand of the great Power, and will come in the clouds of heaven. And many were fully satisfied and well pleased with the testimony of James, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! But the same scribes and Pharisees said one to another, We have done wrong in procuring such a testimony to Jesus. Let us go up and throw him down, that the people may be terrified from giving credit to him. And they went up presently, and cast him down, and said, Let us stone James the just: and they began to stone him because he was not killed by the fall. But he turning himself, kneeled, saying, I entreat thee, O Lord God the Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. As they were stoning him, one said, Give over. What do ye? The just man prays for you. And one of them, a fuller, took a pole, which was used to beat clothes with, and struck him on the head. Thus his martyrdom was completed. And they buried him in that place; and his monument still remains near the temple. This James was a true witness, both to Jews and Gentiles, that Jesus is the Christ. Soon after Judea was invaded by Vespasian, and the people were carried captive.’ So writes Hegesippus at large, agreeably to Clement. For certain, James was an excellent man, and much esteemed by many for his virtue; insomuch that the most thoughtful men among the Jews were of opinion that his death was the cause of the siege of Jerusalem, which followed soon after his martyrdom: and that it was owing to nothing else but the wickedness committed against him. And Josephus says the same in these words: ‘These things befell the Jews in vindication of James the just, who was brother of Jesus, called the Christ. For the Jews killed him; who was a most righteous man.’
“The time of the death of James may be determined without much difficulty; he was alive when Paul came to Jerusalem at the pentecost, in the year of Christ 58, and it is likely that he was dead when St. Paul wrote the Epistle to the Hebrews at the beginning of the year 63. Theodoret, upon Heb 13:7 supposes the apostle there to refer to the martyrdoms of Stephen, James the brother of John, and James the just. According to Hegesippus, the death of James happened about the time of passover, which might be that of the year 62; and if Festus was then dead, and Albinus not arrived, the province was without a governor. Such a season left the Jews at liberty to gratify their licentious and turbulent disposition, and they were very likely to embrace it.”
I have said but little relative to the controversy concerning the apostleship of James, our Lord’s brother; for, as I am still in doubt whether he was the author of this epistle, I do not judge it necessary to enter into the question. I proceed now to some general observations on the epistle itself, and the evidence it affords of the learning and science of its author.
1. I have already conjectured that this epistle ranks among the most ancient of the Christian writings; its total want of reference to the great facts which distinguish the early history of the Church, viz., the calling of the Gentiles, the disputes between them and the Jews, the questions concerning circumcision, and the obligation of the law in connection with the Gospel c., c., shows that it must have been written before those things took place, or that they must have been wholly unknown to the author which is incredible, allowing him to have been a Christian writer.
2. The style of this epistle is much more elevated than most other parts of the New Testament. It abounds with figures and metaphors, at once bold, dignified, just, and impressive. Many parts of it are in the genuine prophetic style, and much after the manner of the Prophet Zephaniah, to whom there is a near resemblance in several passages.
3. An attentive reader of this epistle will perceive the author to be a man of deep thought and considerable learning. He had studied the Jewish prophets closely, and imitated their style but he appears also to have read the Greek poets: his language is such as we might expect from one who had made them his study, but who avoided to quote them. We find a perfect Greek hexameter in Jas 1:17, and another may be perceived in Jas 4:4; but these are probably not borrowed, but are the spontaneous, undesigned effort of his own well cultivated mind. His science may be noted in several places, but particularly in Jas 1:17, on which see the note and the diagram, and its explanation at the end of the chapter. Images from natural history are not unfrequent; and that in Jas 1:14; Jas 1:15 is exceedingly correct and appropriate, but will not bear a closely literal translation.
4. His constant attention and reference to the writings and maxims of his own countrymen is peculiarly observable. Several of his remarks tend to confirm the antiquity of the Talmud; and the parallel passages in the different tracts of that work cast much light on the allusions of St. James. Without constant reference to the ancient Jewish rabbins, we should have sought for the meaning of several passages in vain.
5. St. James is in many places obscure; this may arise partly from his own deep and strong conceptions, and partly from allusions to arts or maxims which are not come down to us, or which lie yet undiscovered in the Mishna or Talmud. To elucidate this writer I have taken more than common pains, but dare not say that I have been always successful, though I have availed myself of all the help within my reach. To Schoettgen’s Horae Hebraicae I am considerably indebted, as also to Dr. Macknight, Kypke, Rosenmuller, c., but in many cases I have departed from all these, and others of the same class, and followed my own light.
6. On the controversy relative to the doctrine of justification, as taught by Paul and James, I have not entered deeply I have produced in the proper places what appeared to me to be the most natural method of reconciling those writers. I believe St. James not to be in opposition to St. Paul, but to a corrupt doctrine taught among his own countrymen relative to this important subject. The doctrine of justification by faith in Christ Jesus, as taught by St. Paul, is both rational and true. St. James shows that a bare belief in the God of Israel justifies no man; and that the genuine faith that justifies works by love, and produces obedience to all the precepts contained in the moral law; and that this obedience is the evidence of the sincerity of that faith which professes to have put its possessor in the enjoyment of the peace and favour of God.
7. This epistle ends abruptly, and scarcely appears to be a finished work. The author probably intended to have added more, but may have been prevented by death. James, our Lord’s brother, was murdered by the Jews, as we have already seen. James, the son Zebedee, had probably a short race; but whether either of these were its author we know not. The work was probably posthumous, not appearing till after the author’s death; and this may have been one reason why it was so little known in the earliest ages of the primitive Church.
8. The spirit of Antinomianism is as dangerous in the Church as the spirit of Pharisaism; to the former the Epistle of James is a most powerful antidote; and the Christian minister who wishes to improve and guard the morals of his flock will bring its important doctrines, in due proportion, into his public ministry. It is no proof of the improved state of public morals that many, who call themselves evangelical teachers, scarcely ever attempt to instruct the public by texts selected from this epistle.
For other particulars, relative to the time of writing this epistle, the author, his inspiration, apostleship, &c., I must refer to Michaelis and Lardner, and to the preface.
Millbrook, Dec. 9, 1816 Finished correcting this epistle for a new edition, Dec. 31, 1831.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Of his way; of his life and actions, which is contrary to the way which God hath prescribed.
Shall save; men are said to save in the same way as to convert, viz. instrumentally.
A soul; the soul of him that is thus converted, 1Ti 4:16; soul for person, as Jam 1:21.
From death: eternal death, unto which he was hastening while he continued in the error of his way, which led him toward destruction.
And shall hide a multitude of sins; in the same sense as before he is said to convert and save his soul, viz. in being instrumental to bring him to faith and repentance, upon which God pardons, i.e. hides his sins, {Psa 32:1} though not from the eye of his omniscience, yet from the eye of his vindictive justice, and so as not to bring them forth in judgment against him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
20. Let himthe converted.
knowfor his comfort,and the encouragement of others to do likewise.
shall savefuture. Thesalvation of the one so converted shall be manifested hereafter.
shall hide a multitude ofsinsnot his own, but the sins of the converted. The Greekverb in the middle voice requires this. Pr10:12 refers to charity “covering” the sins of othersbefore men; James to one’s effecting by the conversion ofanother that that other’s sins be covered before God, namely,with Christ’s atonement. He effects this by making the convertpartaker in the Christian covenant for the remission of all sins.Though this hiding of sins was included in the previous “shallsave,” James expresses it to mark in detail the greatness of theblessing conferred on the penitent through the converter’sinstrumentality, and to incite others to the same good deed.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Let him know,…. And observe it for his encouragement:
that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his way; who is the instrument of restoring a backsliding professor, for such an one is meant by a sinner, and not a profane person; or of turning a poor bewildered believer, who is got out of the way of truth and holiness, into the right way again; or of convincing him of the error of his way, whether it be in point of doctrine, or of duty; and so of bringing him to the fold of Christ again, from whence he has strayed:
shall save a soul from death; not efficiently, but instrumentally, as in 1Ti 4:16 for otherwise Christ is the only Saviour; and he will be the means of saving “a soul”, which is of more worth than a world; and that from death, the second death which lies in the separation of the soul from God, and in a sense of his wrath; which apostasy threatens with, and leads unto, if grace prevents not. The Alexandrian copy and others, and the Vulgate Latin version read, “his soul”; but the common reading is more emphatic; the Syriac and Arabic versions render it, “his own soul”; and the Ethiopic version, “himself”, as respecting him that is the instrument of the conversion of the other, and not the person converted:
and shall hide a multitude of sins; either “his own”, as the same versions read; and then the sense is, he shall be blessed with a discovery and application of the forgiveness of all his sins, though they have been many and great; or rather the sins of the person converted. Sin is only covered by the blood and righteousness of Christ; and thereby it is so covered, as not to be seen by the eye of vindictive justice and in such manner as that the persons of those who are covered therewith are all fair, without fault and unreproveable in the sight of God; and though their sins are many, even a multitude, they are blotted out as a thick cloud, and are abundantly pardoned; yea, all their sins are covered, be they ever so many, for God forgives all trespasses, for Christ’s sake; and the blood of Christ cleanses from all sin, and his righteousness justifies from all: and whoever is an instrument of bringing a backslider to a sense of the evil of his ways, and to true repentance for the same; as he, upon such repentance, has his iniquities caused to pass from him, or, in other words, to be covered, as from the sight of God, so from his own; he may be said to be the instrument of this also.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Let him know (). Present active imperative third person singular of , but Westcott and Hort read (know ye) after B. In either case it is the conclusion of the condition in verse 19.
He which converteth ( ). First aorist active articular participle of of verse 19.
From the error ( ). “Out of the wandering” of verse 19 (, from which is made). See 1Jo 4:6 for contrast between “truth” and “error.”
A soul from death ( ). The soul of the sinner () won back to Christ, not the soul of the man winning him. A few MSS. have added (his soul), which leaves it ambiguous, but is not genuine. It is ultimate and final salvation here meant by the future ().
Shall cover a multitude of sins ( ). Future active of , old verb, to hide, to veil. But whose sins (those of the converter or the converted)? The Roman Catholics (also Mayor and Ropes) take it of the sins of the converter, who thus saves himself by saving others. The language here will allow that, but not New Testament teaching in general. It is apparently a proverbial saying which Resch considers one of the unwritten sayings of Christ (Clem. Al. Paed. iii. 12). It occurs also in 1Pe 4:8, where it clearly means the sins of others covered by love as a veil thrown over them. The saying appears also in Pr 10:12: “Hatred stirs up strife, but love hides all transgressions”–that is “love refuses to see faults” (Mayor admits). That is undoubtedly the meaning in 1Pet 4:8; Jas 5:20.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
1) Errors, mingled with truth, constitute greater danger to children of God. One may err from the truth through intellectual pride, through a speculative turn of thought and confidence in a false teacher, or through association with bad company. A child of God should avoid each, 2Co 6:14-17.
2) Any brother, however, who is instrumental in converting the erring one from the error of his ways, is said to save his “soul of life,” the “person of life” from death and cover a multitude of sins. Whether this refers to rescuing one from the chastening hand of God upon an erring brother to the taking of his life, or whether it be interpreted that he shall save him from a barren, unfruitful life (spiritual death) with regards to service, is not clear.
3) To win the lost from sin and hell is important, but to stay an erring brother from moral or doctrinal wrong and rescue his life of usefulness, may also be an instrument of winning many to Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord of their lives. Such seems to be the predominant thought here expressed. Blessed are they who pursue such a course without fainting, Gal 6:9; Psa 126:5-6.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
20 Let him know. I doubt whether this ought rather to have been written, γιςώσκετε, “know ye.” Both ways the meaning however is the same. For James recommends to us the correction of our brethren from the effect produced that we may more assiduously attend to this duty. Nothing is better or more desirable than to deliver a soul from eternal death; and this is what he does who restores an erring brother to the right way: therefore a work so excellent ought by no means to be neglected. To give food to the hungry, and drink to the thirsty, we see how much Christ values such acts; but the salvation of the soul is esteemed by him much more precious than the life of the body. We must therefore take heed lest souls perish through our sloth, whose salvation God puts in a manner in our hands. Not that we can bestow salvation on them; but that God by our ministry delivers and saves those who seem otherwise to be nigh destruction.
Some copies have his soul, which makes no change in the sense. I, however, prefer the other reading, for it has more force in it.
And shall hide a multitude of sins. He makes an allusion to a saying of Solomon, rather than a quotation. (Pro 10:12.) Solomon says that love covers sins, as hatred proclaims them. For they who hate burn with the desire of mutual slander; but they who love are disposed to exercise mutual forbearance. Love, then, buries sins as to men. James teaches here something higher, that is, that sins are blotted out before God; as though he had said, Solomon has declared this as the fruit of love, that it covers sins; but there is no better or more excellent way of covering them than when they are wholly abolished before God. And this is done when the sinner is brought by our admonition to the right way: we ought then especially and more carefully to attend to this duty.
END OF THE EPISTLE OF JAMES
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(20) Let him know.Or, as it rather seems to be, Know ye; be absolutely sure of this, in a knowledge better than all the Gnostic and Agnostic learning of the day. He which turneth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from deaththe means thereto being given him by the Saviour of alland shall hide a multitude of sins; not, of course, his own, but those of the penitent, brought back by this good servant into the fold. So is it possible to be a fellow-worker with Christ (2Co. 6:1), and a sharer in His work of salvation, as, in another sense, we too vicariously suffer for the sins and faults of others. (Comp. Col. 1:24, and Butlers Analogy, part 2, chap. 5)
What St. James was in word that also was he in deed; for he prayed fervently for the pardon and conversion of those who killed him. Hold, said some of the by-standers. when the martyr sank upon the stones, the Just is praying for you! Stephens prayer won Saul for the infant Church: it can hardly be that Jamess last breathings of pity were unanswered of God.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. Let him know Or, by a reading preferred by Alford, know ye. What now follows is stated as a universal truth, implying that this individual case would be included under it.
The sinner Rather, a sinner, whoever and wherever he may be.
Error of his way Error, or wandering, is the characteristic quality of the way he is pursuing.
Shall save The future far reaching beyond the present.
Death The eternal consequent, commenced here and perpetuated hereafter, of unpardoned sin.
Hide Cover from sight. So Psa 32:1-2, “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” And Psa 85:2, “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people; thou hast covered all their sin.” The sins which he shall cover are, of course, the sins of the sinner. The idea of some commentators, that the converter will thereby cover his own sins, is unevangelical. The converter’s sins must be covered by his own penitence and faith, not by bringing somebody else to these conditions. Our apostle incites us to the work of converting the sinner by the greatness and glory in the result itself. Not only a soul is saved from death, but a mass of sins is forgiven, and no longer offends the eye of a holy God, or the hearts of holy men. Doubtless the blessed work performed in true faith has, also, its own exceeding great reward to the worker. But that reward is not the forgiveness of the converter’s sins, but consists in his own increased blessedness and his richer final glory. Truly, he that winneth souls is wise; wise for the saved soul, wise for the approbation of heaven and earth, wise for his own soul.
‘Let him know, that he who turns a sinner round from the error of his way.’
That is to be the purpose of all God’s people, to turn men from their sins and from the error of their ways (compare the use of the word in Luk 22:32), so that they come back to God and begin to live in accordance with His Law and with His requirements, and is to be especially their concern for any one of their brothers who may have fallen. This is basic to Biblical teaching. The prophets constantly sought to make the people return to God. Daniel declared that, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Dan 12:3). And Paul urged Timothy to, “Take heed to yourself, and to your teaching, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1Ti 4:16).
‘Will save a soul from death.’
The wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). Sin can bring premature death to failing believers (1Co 11:30) and eternal death to unconcerned sinners. So whatever the state of the one ‘turned round’ they will be saved from death, either premature or eternal. But the stress here probably has Jas 5:15 in mind, recognising that often such a sick man also needed ‘turning round’ so that his sins might be forgiven him, and he might then be healed and ‘saved from death’.
‘And will cover a multitude of sins.’
To ‘cover’ sins is an Old Testament way of speaking of atonement and cleansing, thus his final words bring out the writer’s deep involvement in Old Testament ideas (compare Psa 32:1; Psa 85:2 LXX, the only other two examples where the Greek word is connected with sin, and there forgiveness, pardon and being ‘justified’ are in mind, for sin will not be imputed to them). Those who are turned round will have their sins ‘covered’ before God. They will be forgiven, pardoned and have no sin imputed to them. And the aim of God’s people is to be to bring about the covering of as many sins as possible, sins which in each person are so many that they can be described as ‘a multitude’. That is why Jesus came, to save His people from their sins’. In the words of Paul, ‘Where sin abounds, grace does much more abound’ (Rom 5:20). In these words the heart of James, and his concern for the flock, are laid bare. His aim, like His Lord’s, is that they may all be presented before God ‘holy and without blemish’, genuinely saved and with their sins forgiven. May that be our concern too.
Jam 5:20. From the error of his way This seems to be in its primary sense the same which is called the committing of sin, Jam 5:15 for the person erring is here called a sinner; but the expression undoubtedly includes the conversion of any unawakened person to the life of God. A man may err from the truth, by apostacy from the Christian religion, or by a wicked life, and embracing such corrupt doctrines as willadminister to and support his vices, or by an alienation in any way from the life of God. 1Ti 6:3. &c. Tit 1:1. In this text it cannot signify apostacy from the Christian doctrine, but some other crime committed bya professing Christian, or his withdrawing from that union with God which he before experienced; for he is called , one among you; that is, one who had not cast off the Christian profession, though he had acted in a high degree contrary to it. The phrase of covering sin is found Psa 32:1; Psa 35:2. Pro 10:12. 1Pe 4:8 and it is used for one man’s kindly overlooking the faults of another; 1Pe 4:8. It is here to be understood of God’s not taking any notice of the faults of justified souls, so as to punish them: when they had repented of and forsaken them, and obtained remission for them, they would be, as it were, covered up and hid from the view of God. The same thing is to be understood by the phrases made use of Psa 103:12. Isa 38:17; Isa 43:25. Mic 7:18. Though, by reclaiming a sinner from the error of his way, we may prevent his being punished, and so cover his sins; yet that will not cover any of our own sins, in which we persist impenitently. If we ourselves be indeed, through divine grace, truly holy, we may, by converting others, increase our own reward; Dan 12:3.; but converting others willnot cover any of those sins which we ourselves have not repented of and forsaken.
Inferences.Let rich men read the address of the apostle to persons in their circumstances, with holy awe, and with a jealousy over themselves, lest their present prosperity be succeeded by misery, and their joy by weeping and howling; as it undoubtedly will be, if wealth be unjustly gotten, or sordidly hoarded up, or luxuriously employed to pamper their appetites, while the truest and noblest use of it, the relief of the poor, and the benefit of mankind, is forgotten. Especially have they reason to tremble who abuse wealth and power as the instruments of oppression; soon will all their stores be wasted, soon will they become poor and indigent, and find a terrible account remaining, when all the gaieties and pleasures of life are utterly vanished. In the mean time, the saints of God may be among the poor and the oppressed; but let them wait patiently for the day of the Lord, for his coming is near. They sow in tears, but let them comfort their hearts with the view of the harvest; in like manner as the husbandman demands not immediately the fruits of that seed which he has committed to the furrows. Adored be that kind Providence, which gives the former and the latter rain in its season. To him, from whom we have received the bounties of nature, let us humbly look for the blessings of grace, and trust him to fulfil all his promises, both for time and eternity.
And may it ever be remembered by all, and especially by the ministers of the gospel, of how great importance it is to be instrumental in saving a soul from death, an immortal soul from everlasting death; that so they may be animated to the most zealous and laborious efforts for that blessed purpose; and think themselves richly rewarded, though it were for the otherwise unsuccessful labours of a whole life, by succeeding even in a single instance.
Whatever trials we may meet with in this or any other part of duty, may we take the prophets of old, and the apostles of our Lord, for examples of suffering adversity and patience; especially remembering their Lord, and ours; remembering how abundantly the patience of good men has been rewarded, the end of the Lord with respect to holy Job, and many others, who have trod in his steps in succeeding ages; and remembering especially, that the Judge stands at the door, that in a very little time he will appear, not only to put an end to the trials of his faithful servants, but to crown their virtues and graces! In the mean time, the bowels of his compassion are abundant, and he will not be wanting in communicating all necessary consolations and supports. May we be so happy as to be acquainted with those of devotion, that in our affliction we may pray, and in our cheerfulness sing psalms; that we may know by blessed experience the efficacy of such a temper to soften the sorrows of life, and to sweeten its enjoyments. And as we desire to be visited of God in our afflictions, may we with Christian sympathy be ready to visit and relieve others in their sickness, or other kinds of distress. It is indeed the special office of the elders of the church, who should be sent for upon such occasions with readiness, and who, if they be worthy of their office, will attend with pleasure. But it is not their office alone. Let us be ready to pray for each other, in faith and charity; and where offences have been committed, let there be a frank and candid acknowledgment of them on the one side, and as hearty a forgiveness on the other. In a word, let the efficacy of the fervent prayer of the righteous be often reflected on, to excite fervour, and to engage to righteousness, and to lead us to honour those who maintain such a character, and who offer such petitions and supplications; that God may, in answer to their requests, shower down his blessings upon us, that our land may yield its increase, that righteousness may spring up out of the earth, and that in every sense, God, as our own God, may bless us. (Psa 67:6-7; Psa 85:11.)
REFLECTIONS.1st, The apostle addresses himself,
1. To the rich oppressors. Go to now, ye rich men, whose portion is in this world only, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you, both temporal and eternal. Your riches are corrupted, your hoarded stores putrify; and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered, laid by in useless bags; and the rust of them, which by time they have contracted like iron, shall be a witness against you, to upbraid your covetousness and avarice; and shall eat your flesh as it were fire, bringing down divine vengeance upon your guilty heads: ye have heaped treasure together for the last days, to provide for distant years to come, but they shall be a prey to the destroyers of your city and nation, and be to you a treasure of wrath against the day of wrath. Behold, the hire of the labourers which have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth against you for judgment, and the cries of them which have reaped, complaining of your injustice and oppression, are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, who will avenge their quarrel. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; indulging every brutish appetite, and making provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof: ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter; faring sumptuously on the spoils of iniquity, fattening yourselves as beasts for the slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just, both the Lord himself, and many of his righteous servants; and he doth not resist you, meekly and patiently resigned to suffer. Note; (1.) Though wicked men may prosper for a while, God keeps a strict account of all their ways, and will bring them to judgment for these things. (2.) Riches are to be used, not to be hoarded in bags, or barns, or wardrobes; then they prove a blessing, else they are only treasures of wrath. (3.) Though the poor may groan under the yoke of oppression without present redress, there is one who heareth their appeal, and will vindicate their cause. (4.) Pleasure, luxury, and indulgence, may for a while lull the sinner’s soul asleep; but he will soon be awakened from his short-lived dream, and startled with the fearful looking-for of judgment, when too late he will begin to weep and howl in vain.
2. He addresses himself to the persecuted poor saints. [1.] Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord, who will come, and will not tarry, to espouse your cause, and rescue you from the power of your oppressors. Behold the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain, expecting the desired harvest, when he hopes to reap the fruit of all his toils. Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh, when your redemption from every misery will be completed for ever. [2.] Grudge not one against another, brethren; groan not under your sufferings through envy, fretfulness, or desire to revenge; lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door; and that consideration should powerfully plead with you to wait with patience, and refer yourselves entirely to his determination. [3.] Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, faithfully discharging their commission, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience, whose noble behaviour bravely imitate under the like persecutions. Behold, we count them happy which endure with meekness and resignation the will of God, because their end must be peace and blessedness eternal. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, how eminently exemplary, and have seen the end of the Lord, the happy issue which God put to his troubles; or that perfect pattern of submission to the will of God which Jesus himself shewed under all his sufferings: that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy, sympathising with his suffering saints, and delivering them out of all their afflictions. We need not therefore be discouraged under any cross; the victory is secured for every faithful saint, and the end of it shall be their eternal glory.
2nd, The apostle, 2. He teaches them how to behave in adversity and prosperity. Is any among you afflicted, let him pray, humbly spreading his case before the Lord, that he may obtain the needful relief. Is any merry? in prosperous circumstances, and happy, in his soul, let him sing psalms, and praise the gracious giver of every good gift.
3. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, as the symbol of the miraculous power with which the elders were invested; and the prayer of faith shall save and recover the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, which may have brought such a visitation upon him, they shall be forgiven him. Note; The removal of sickness is a great mercy, but the pardon of sin still far greater, for which we are especially called upon to offer up our prayers.
4. Confess your faults one to another, and take shame to yourselves, where you have offended your brother. Or if any thing lies particularly upon your conscience, communicate it to some pious friend, or able minister of Christ, and pray one for another over the sins you confess and bewail, that they may be healed, their guilt pardoned, and their power subdued.
5. He shews the great efficacy of prayer. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much; a memorable example of which we have in the case of Elias, who was a man subject to like passions as we are, liable to many infirmities; and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, as a punishment upon Ahab and rebellious Israel, and a means to convince them of the greatness of their sins; and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months; so long the land of Israel was parched with drought, and a severe famine followed. And he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit; and as the effect of Elijah’s prayer was so wonderful, we may comfortably be assured, that when we, like him, pray with faith and fervency, our prayers too shall receive an answer of peace.
6. He concludes with warmly recommending a zeal for the conversion of men’s souls. Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, in principle or in practice, backsliding from Christ, and one convert him, recovering him back again to the great Shepherd’s fold; let him know, that he which converteth a sinner from the error of his ways, shall save a soul from death, preventing that eternal ruin which must otherwise have ensued, and shall hide a multitude of sins, which, when a sinner is converted, shall be forgiven and blotted out, as well as be the means of preventing all the evil which must have ensued from his ill example and influence. Note; (1.) Nothing is so valuable an acquisition as an immortal soul: one such won to Christ is better than the riches of both the Indies. (2.) Death eternal, of body and soul, is the wages of sin; and unless we are saved from it now, we must be undone for ever.*
* The Reader is referred to the different Authors mentioned often already.
Jas 5:20 forms the apodosis.
] The mentioned in the second half of the preceding verse is the subject the converter and not the converted. The remarkableness of the repetition of the subject after disappears, when it is considered that the idea to be taken to heart is expressed as a sentence which is universally valid. [1] Calvin rightly draws attention to the fact that the tendency of the verse is to excite zeal for the conversion of the erring.
The word is to be retained in its general signification, and not to be referred simply to ; it denotes the genus to which he that errs from the truth belongs as species.
] not = ex erroris vita (Schulthess); correctly Luther: “from the error of his way.” states the nature of the way on which the walks, and forms the contrast to .
[ ] ] i.e. he will save a ( his ) soul from the death to which otherwise it would have fallen a prey. The future is here used because James “has in view the final result of such a saving deed” (Wiesinger). On , comp. chap. Jas 1:21 ; on the reading of the Receptus Estius remarks: absolute posita emphasin habet. But probably is the correct reading. , eternal destruction, as in chap. Jas 1:15 . Lange strangely explains it as “the moral dissolution of the ontological life eternally self-generating itself.”
] is to be understood not of the sins of the converter, who by his good work obtains forgiveness, whether on the part of God (Zacharias, ep. I. ad Bonifac.; Bede, Erasmus, Bouman, and others) or on the part of man (Augusti: “his own offences will not be remembered”), but of the sins of the converted (so most expositors). The words are an echo of Pro 10:12 (comp. 1Pe 4:8 ), although it is doubtful if James had this passage actually in view; especially here does not, as a strict translation of the Hebrew , see Neh. 3:36 (LXX. ed. Tisch. Jas 4:6 ); Psa 32:1 ; Psa 85:3 , signify to forgive , but the figurative expression is used by James in the sense that the sins of the converted are by the converter covered or concealed from the eyes of God, i.e. their forgiveness is effected. By are meant not the sins which the would otherwise commit (Jaspar: peccata adhuc patranda), and which were now prevented by his conversion (Pott: multa futura impediet), but the multitude of sins which he committed before his conversion. [2] Lange thinks: “this restriction misapprehends the progressive nature of guilt;” but how could sins which have not been committed be forgiven? [3] That the mention here is not of human, but of divine forgiveness, the close connection of the idea with the preceding shows. Correctly Wiesinger: “ carries on further the , and states the ground of this salvation.”
[1] Wiesinger: “ is not to be taken as equivalent to he who , in strict reference to the subject of , but expresses the general idea that every one who converts a sinner performs a great work; it is the general statement, under which he who is designated by subordinates his doing.”
[2] De Wette takes objection to the strong expression , as he thinks that the reference here is only to aberration , and not to a vicious life; and on this account he will consider, along with this, the sins of those who stand in reciprocal action with him who has erred, and were or might have been injured and led astray by him; but without reason; especially corresponds entirely to the idea , provided it be not arbitrarily weakened (so also Brckner).
[3] “In order to give prominence to the noble historical import of the Epistle, which has been only too much missed and neglected,” Lange maintains that James here, at the conclusion, invites the believing part of his people to engage in intercession and in “the work of salvation, that many individuals may be saved from death, and a multitude of sins might be atoned for.”
REFLECTIONS
In closing up this short, but sweet scripture, let not the Reader overlook the tender care and watchful love of God the Holy Ghost to the Church, in uniformly, from Chapter to Chapter, shewing the striking contrast between his people and the ungodly. While the rich worldling is bid to weep and howl in the awful prospect of miseries before him, the faithful, though poor in this world, but rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, are desired to rejoice in their exercises, and in patience to possess their souls, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Ver. 20. Shall save a soul ] A high honour to have any hand in such a work.
Cover a multitude ] i.e. He shall be a means that God shall cover them.
20 .] know (or, with the rec. , let him know , viz. the last , for his comfort, and for the encouragement of others to do the like by this proclamation of the fact), that he who converteth (not, ‘ has converted :’ our English present, when connected with a future, exactly gives the aor. participle. The first action is necessarily antecedent to the second, which is all that the Greek requires) a sinner from the error of his way (thus is the person converted more generally expressed than before; not only, , but any ) shall save a soul from death (in eternity: the future shews that the spoken of is not contemporary with the , but its ultimate result), and shall cover a multitude of sins (viz. by introducing the convert into that state of Christian faith, wherein all sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven and done away. See reff. and for the expression, Psa 31:1 ; Neh 4:5 LXX. The , following , necessarily binds the reference to the converted, not the converters. It is not (as Syr., “hideth the multitude of his sins”), because the Apostle wishes to put in its most striking abstract light the good deed thus done. The objection (Whitby) that thus we should have a tautology, the saving of his soul including the covering of his sins, is entirely obviated by this latter consideration: even without Wiesinger’s reply, that “the words carry on further the , and state the ground of that salvation.” The idea that they are the sins of the converter (Zacharias Eph 1 ad Bed., Erasmus, Whitby, Hammond, al.) is thus as abhorrent from the context, as it is generally repugnant to apostolic teaching: cf. on the whole, 1Pe 4:8 . “Commendat,” says Calvin, “fratrum correctionem ab effectu, ut majore studio in eam intenti simus”).
Jas 5:20 . : taking this as an indicative one may regard the words that follow as a quotation, a course which commends itself owing to the comparatively large number of quotations with which the Epistle abounds; at the same time it must be remembered that the weight of MS. evidence is in favour of . (Hebrew ) cf. 1Pe 4:8 , one of the strongest of the many marks of Jewish authorship which the Epistle contains; according to Jewish doctrine good works balance evil ones; the good work of converting a sinner is reckoned here as one of the most efficacious in obliterating evil deeds; on the whole subject see Introduction IV., 2.
know. App-132.
the = a.
from. Greek. ek App-104.
soul. App-110.
hide = cover. Compare 1Pe 4:8. This refers to Pro 10:12.
20.] know (or, with the rec. , let him know, viz. the last , -for his comfort, and for the encouragement of others to do the like by this proclamation of the fact), that he who converteth (not, has converted: our English present, when connected with a future, exactly gives the aor. participle. The first action is necessarily antecedent to the second, which is all that the Greek requires) a sinner from the error of his way (thus is the person converted more generally expressed than before; not only, , but any ) shall save a soul from death (in eternity: the future shews that the spoken of is not contemporary with the , but its ultimate result), and shall cover a multitude of sins (viz. by introducing the convert into that state of Christian faith, wherein all sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven and done away. See reff. and for the expression, Psa 31:1; Neh 4:5 LXX. The , following , necessarily binds the reference to the converted, not the converters. It is not (as Syr., hideth the multitude of his sins), because the Apostle wishes to put in its most striking abstract light the good deed thus done. The objection (Whitby) that thus we should have a tautology,-the saving of his soul including the covering of his sins, is entirely obviated by this latter consideration: even without Wiesingers reply, that the words carry on further the , and state the ground of that salvation. The idea that they are the sins of the converter (Zacharias Ephesians 1 ad Bed., Erasmus, Whitby, Hammond, al.) is thus as abhorrent from the context, as it is generally repugnant to apostolic teaching: cf. on the whole, 1Pe 4:8. Commendat, says Calvin, fratrum correctionem ab effectu, ut majore studio in eam intenti simus).
Jam 5:20. , let him know) both the one who converts another, that he may be more intent upon it, and the one who is converted, that he may be led to grateful obedience.-, he shall save) The Future: it shall hereafter be evident.- , his soul) the sinners. A great work.- , from death) which will destroy (swallow up) the sinners. The connection is: not only in diseases of the body, Jam 5:14, do you succour one another, but also drive away the death of the soul.-, shall hide) impelled by that same love, under the influence of which he recalled him when in error; 1Pe 4:8, note.[77]- , a multitude of sins) either the sins which the person in error had committed, and which are known to him who converts him, or those which he was about to commit.[78] Steph. and thiop. read, of his sins. I know not why Steph. is inserted by Baumgarten. James concludes as though it were an ordinary book and not a letter.[79]
[77] Shall in love charitably hide, not reveal to others, but intercede with God for, the sins of his neighbour whom he converts.-E.
[78] And also the sins which either had been committed, or might still hereafter be committed, by the converter or others.-V. g.
[79] Bengel, J. A. (1866). Vol. 5: Gnomon of the New Testament (M. E. Bengel & J. C. F. Steudel, Ed.) (W. Fletcher, Trans.) (35-42). Edinburgh: T&T Clark.
sins
Sin. (See Scofield “Rom 3:23”) .
that he: Jam 5:19
shall save: Pro 11:30, Rom 11:14, 1Co 9:22, 1Ti 4:16, Phm 1:19
from death: Jam 1:15, Pro 10:2, Pro 11:4, Joh 5:24, Rev 20:6
hide: Psa 32:1, Pro 10:12, 1Pe 4:8
Reciprocal: Deu 22:1 – Thou shalt Psa 51:13 – converted Psa 56:13 – For Isa 53:6 – his own Eze 3:18 – to save Eze 3:21 – he shall Dan 12:3 – turn Oba 1:21 – saviours Mal 2:6 – and did Mat 18:3 – Except Mat 18:15 – thou hast Joh 4:36 – he that reapeth receiveth Joh 12:40 – and be Act 3:19 – be Rom 6:21 – for the 1Co 5:5 – that 1Co 7:16 – O wife 1Co 9:19 – that Gal 6:1 – restore 2Th 3:15 – admonish 1Ti 3:1 – desireth 1Pe 3:1 – won
Jas 5:20. A sinner is any person who is doing wrong, whether he be a man of the world or an erring disciple. No man can repent for another but he may be able to persuade the guilty one to repent. If he succeeds he will save a soul from death because the one in error was going the way that leads to spiritual death. Hide is from KALUPTO. and both Thayer and Robinson explain it to mean that by reason of the repentance of the erring one, the Lord will overlook and not punish the one who had gone astray. This act of the Lord’s mercy would be equivalent to hiding the sins because they would not be brought up to judgment afterward.
Jas 5:20. Let him know, as an inducement to attempt the work of restoring the erring, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his wayrestores him to the truth
shall save a soul from death. Here, evidently, eternal death is meant, the punishment of the condemned, the death of the soul; a death compared with which the death of the body is but a trifle; thus intimating in the strongest manner the infinite importance of the restoration of the erring.
and shall hide a multitude of sins; that is, the sins not of the person who converts, but of the person who is converted; the multitude of his sins are blotted out; his actual sins, not the possible sins which the sinner might have committed, but of which his conversion has prevented the commission. The covering of sins is a common phrase for their remission. Thus David says: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (Psa 32:1). And certainly to aim at the conversion of our fellow-men is a far more generous motive presented to us, than if the apostle had appealed to the personal good which such a work would confer upon ourselves in promoting our own holiness, or even to the glorious reward in a future life promised to those who have turned many unto righteousness (Dan 12:3).
Verse 20
Shall hide; shall cause to be hidden. The sins which he repents of and forsakes shall be forgiven, and blotted out of remembrance forever.
The soul saved from death is that of the backslider to whom also belongs the multitude of sins. We should probably understand the "soul" to represent the whole person here as well as elsewhere in James’ epistle (cf. Jas 1:21). [Note: See Bob Wilkin, "Soul Talk, Soul Food, and ’Soul Salvation,’" Grace Evangelical Society News 6:12 (December 1991)2; and idem, "’Soul Salvation,’ Part 2; Saving the Soul of a Fellow Christian; James 5:19-20," Grace Evangelical Society News 7:1 (January 1992):2.] Death represents the temporal destruction of the person, not his or her eternal damnation (cf. 1Co 3:15; 1Jn 5:16). The repentance of the reclaimed sinning believer results in the forgiveness (covering) of his or her sins. This description of forgiveness harks back to Old Testament usage where the biblical writers described sin as covered when forgiven. Such usage was understandable for James who was a Jewish believer writing to other Jews primarily (Jas 1:1; cf. Mat 7:1-5; Gal 6:1-5). His description does not contradict other New Testament revelation concerning forgiveness.
This epistle deals with five practical problems that every believer, immature or mature, encounters as he or she seeks to live by faith and the issues underlying these problems. As a skillful physician, James not only identified the problems but uncovered their sources, pointed out complicating factors, and prescribed treatment to overcome them with a view to his readers’ becoming more mature spiritually. The problems and James’ method of dealing with them account for the popularity of this epistle throughout church history and for its perennial value in ministry.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
1. Warns them against all profane swearing. But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea, and your nay nay: except in solemn cases, where an appeal to God is lawful, never exceed a simple affirmation or denial in your conversation, lest ye fall into condemnation, and bring guilt upon your own souls. Note; Swearing is of all sins most unprofitable; and whilst it offers the higher affront to God, affords not even a momentary pleasure to the offender.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)