For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Parallel translations
- WEB For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his natural face in a mirror;
- BSB For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror,
- NKJV For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
- NASB For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
- NLT For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The hearer who does not obey is like a man who glances at his face in a mirror. He sees the truth about himself but does nothing with it.
Overview
James illustrates the merely-hearing person with a man looking at his reflection. The word of God functions like a mirror, revealing who we truly are. The point is not the looking but what follows: real engagement with God's word leads to change, while a passing glance leaves the person unmoved.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Matt 7:26–27And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
- Jas 2:14–26What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
- Ezek 33:31–32And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
- Luke 6:47Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
- Jer 44:16As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.
- Luke 6:7And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The wisdom from above and the royal law of love are the life of those who belong to 'our glorious Lord Jesus Christ' — faith in him made visible in works.
How James 1:23 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.