Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
Parallel translations
- WEB And if a brother or sister is naked and in lack of daily food,
- KJV If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
- NKJV If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,
- NASB If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,
- NLT Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,
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
James imagines a fellow believer lacking clothing and daily food. He sets up an example of faith confronted with real human need.
Overview
To illustrate dead faith, James pictures a brother or sister in genuine destitution—without adequate clothing or daily provision. The scenario presses the question of how professed faith responds to obvious need. It recalls Jesus' teaching that love for Him is shown in caring for the hungry and ill-clad (Matthew 25:35-40).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Luke 3:11John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”
- Matt 25:35–40For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,
- Isa 58:7Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
- Job 31:16–21If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,
- Isa 58:10and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.
- Jas 2:5Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
- Mark 14:7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me.
- Heb 11:37They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated.
- Ezek 18:7He does not oppress another, but restores the pledge to the debtor. He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.
- Acts 9:29He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill 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 2:15 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
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