James 3 · Verse 14

James 3:14

But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
James 3:14, King James Version

James 3:14 in other translations

BSBBut if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.
WEBBut if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth.
ASVBut if ye have bitter jealousy and faction in your heart, glory not and lie not against the truth.
YLTand if bitter zeal ye have, and rivalry in your heart, glory not, nor lie against the truth;
DARBYbut if ye have bitter emulation and strife in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.
BBEBut if you have bitter envy in your heart and the desire to get the better of others, have no pride in this, talking falsely against what is true.
WebsterBut if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

What does James 3:14 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
14. if ye have--as is the case (this is implied in the Greek indicative). bitter--Ep 4:31, "bitterness." envying--rather, "emulation," or literally, "zeal": kindly, generous emulation, or zeal, is not condemned, but that which is "bitter" [Bengel]. strife--rather, "rivalry." in your hearts--from which flow your words and deeds, as from a fountain. glory not, and lie not against the truth--To boast of your wisdom is virtually a lying against the truth (the gospel), while your lives belie your glorying. Jas 3:15; Jas 1:18, "The word of truth." Ro 2:17, 23, speaks similarly of the same contentious Jewish Christians.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 14. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts. If that is your characteristic. There is reference here to a fierce and unholy zeal against each other; a spirit of ambition and contention.

Glory not. Do not boast, in such a case, of your qualifications to be public teachers. Nothing would render you more unfit for such an office than such a spirit.

And lie not against the truth. You would lie against what is true by setting up a claim to the requisite qualifications for such an office, if this is your spirit. Men should seek no office or station which they could not properly seek if the whole truth about them were known.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 14 If ye have bitter envying and strife - If ye be under the influence of an unkind, fierce, and contemptuous spirit, even while attempting or pretending to defend true religion, do not boast either of your exertions or success in silencing an adversary; ye have no religion, and no true wisdom, and to profess either is to lie against the truth. Let all writers on what is called polemic (fighting, warring) divinity lay this to heart. The pious Mr. Herbert gives excellent advice on this subject: - "Be calm in arguing, for fierceness makes Error a fault, and truth discourtesy; Why should I feel another man's mistakes More than his sickness or his poverty? In love I should; but anger is not love, Nor wisdom neither; therefore g-e-n-t-l-y m-o-v-e."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on James 3:13-18

These verses show the difference between men's pretending to be wise, and their being really so. He who thinks well, or he who talks well, is not wise in the sense of the Scripture, if he does not live and act well. True wisdom may be know by the meekness of the spirit and temper. Those who live in malice, envy, and contention, live in confusion; and are liable to be provoked and hurried to any evil work. Such…

Read the full comment on James 3:13-18 →

James 3:14 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

εἰeiIfG1487
δὲdehoweverG1161
ζῆλονzēlonjealousyG2205
πικρὸνpikronbitterG4089
ἔχετεecheteyou haveG2192
καὶkaiandG2532
ἐριθείανeritheianself-interestG2052
ἐνeninG1722
τῇtēatheG3588
καρδίᾳkardiaheartG2588
ὑμῶν,humōnof you,G4771
μὴmēnotG3361
κατακαυχᾶσθεkatakauchasthedo boast [of it]G2620
καὶkaiandG2532
ψεύδεσθεpseudesthedo lieG5574
κατὰkataagainstG2596
τῆςtēstheG3588
ἀληθείας.alētheiastruth.G225

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for James 3:14

  • James 3:16

    For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

  • 1 Corinthians 13:4

    Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

  • Philippians 2:3

    Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.

  • 1 Corinthians 3:3

    For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

  • Romans 13:13

    Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

  • 2 Corinthians 12:20

    For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults:

  • 1 Peter 2:1-2

    Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

  • Philippians 1:15

    Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

  • James 5:19

    Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;

  • 1 Timothy 6:4

    He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,

  • Titus 3:3

    For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

  • Acts 5:17

    Then the high priest rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the Sadducees,) and were filled with indignation,

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
if.
16; 4:1-5; Ge 30:1,2; 37:11; Job 5:2; Pr 14:30; 27:4; Isa 11:13
Hab 1:3; Mt 27:18; Ac 5:17; 7:9; 13:45; Ro 1:29; 13:13; 1Co 3:3; 13:4
2Co 12:20; Ga 5:15,21,26; Php 1:15; 2:3; 1Ti 6:4; Tit 3:3; 1Pe 2:1,2
glory.
Ro 2:17,23-29; 1Co 4:7,8; 5:2,6; Ga 6:13
and lie.
2Ki 10:16,31; Joh 16:2; Ac 26:9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • James 3:13

    Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.

  • James 3:14

    But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.

  • James 3:15

    This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.

Read all of James 3

James 3:14 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Pero si tenéis envidia amarga y contención en vuestros corazones, no os gloriéis, ni seáis mentirosos contra la verdad:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Mais si vous avez une jalousie amère et un esprit de querelle dans vos cœurs, ne vous glorifiez pas et ne mentez pas contre la vérité.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wenn ihr aber bitteren Neid und Streitsucht in eurem Herzen habt, so rühmet euch nicht und lüget nicht wider die Wahrheit.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quod si zelum amarum habetis, et contentiones sint in cordibus vestris: nolite gloriari, et mendaces esse adversus veritatem: