Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before 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.
- BSB Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at 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 19:18Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
- 1 Cor 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.
- Jas 4:11Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
- Matt 24:33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
- Gal 5:14For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
- Matt 6:14–15For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
- Gen 4:7If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
- 1 Pet 4:9Use hospitality one to another without grudging.
- Matt 7:1–2Judge not, that ye be not judged.
- 1 Cor 10:11Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
- Mark 13:29So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
- 1 Pet 4:5Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
- Gal 5:26Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
- Ps 59:15Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.
- 2 Cor 9:7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
- Rev 3:20Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
- Mark 6:19Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
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.