Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you won’t be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door.
- KJV Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.
- NKJV Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!
- NASB Do not complain, brothers and sisters, against one another, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door.
- NLT Don’t grumble about each other, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. For look—the Judge is standing at the door!
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
Don't grumble against one another, for the Judge stands at the door. Mutual complaint under pressure invites God's judgment.
Overview
James warns suffering believers against turning impatience into grumbling against one another, lest they be judged. The image of the Judge standing at the door stresses the nearness and certainty of Christ's coming. The same expectation that gives hope also calls for self-examination and gracious patience toward fellow Christians.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Lev 19:18Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
- 1 Cor 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
- Jas 4:11Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.
- Matt 24:33So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near, right at the door.
- Gal 5:14The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
- Matt 6:14–15For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
- Gen 4:7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.”
- 1 Pet 4:9Show hospitality to one another without complaining.
- Matt 7:1–2“Do not judge, or you will be judged.
- 1 Cor 10:11Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.
- Mark 13:29So also, when you see these things happening, know that He is near, right at the door.
- 1 Pet 4:5But they will have to give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
- Gal 5:26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.
- Ps 59:15They scavenge for food, and growl if they are not satisfied.
- 2 Cor 9:7Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.
- Rev 3:20Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.
- Mark 6:19So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 5:9 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.