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You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
James 5:8 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
  • KJV Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
  • NKJV You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
  • NASB You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
  • NLT You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.

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

Be patient and establish your hearts, for the Lord's coming is near. Nearness of Christ's return strengthens steadfast endurance.

Overview

James repeats the call to patience and adds an exhortation to strengthen the heart in resolve, because the Lord's coming is at hand. The expectation of Christ's imminent return is meant to anchor and stabilize believers under trial. This forward-looking hope sustains perseverance, as the certain promise of the returning Lord steadies the faithful.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 19

  • Jas 5:9Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
  • Gal 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
  • Ps 37:7Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.
  • 1 Pet 4:7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.
  • Ps 27:14Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!
  • Phil 4:5Let your gentleness be apparent to all. The Lord is near.
  • 1 Th 3:13so that He may establish your hearts in blamelessness and holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Amen.
  • Rev 22:20He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
  • Mic 7:7But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
  • Lam 3:25–26The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
  • Rom 8:25But if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently.
  • Heb 10:25–37Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
  • Ps 130:5I wait for the LORD; my soul does wait, and in His word I put my hope.
  • 2 Th 3:5May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.
  • Rom 13:11–12And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
  • Hab 2:3For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.
  • 1 Th 1:10and to await His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead—Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
  • Ps 40:1–3For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.
  • Gen 49:18I await Your salvation, O LORD.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — James videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on James 5:8YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JamesMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 5:8 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.