James 1:14

Amplified Bible

But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion).

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But each person is tempted when he is drawn away and enticed by his own evil desire.

King James Version (1611)
But euery man is tempted, when hee is drawen away of his owne lust, and entised.

King James Version
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

English Standard Version
But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

New American Standard Bible
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

New Century Version
But people are tempted when their own evil desire leads them away and traps them.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.

Berean Standard Bible
But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.

Contemporary English Version
We are tempted by our own desires that drag us off and trap us.

Complete Jewish Bible
Rather, each person is being tempted whenever he is being dragged off and enticed by the bait of his own desire.

Darby Translation
But every one is tempted, drawn away, and enticed by his own lust;

Easy-to-Read Version
You are tempted by the evil things you want. Your own desire leads you away and traps you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
But euery man is tempted, when hee is drawen away by his owne concupiscence, and is entised.

George Lamsa Translation
But every man is tempted by his own lust; and he covets and is enticed.

Good News Translation
But we are tempted when we are drawn away and trapped by our own evil desires.

Lexham English Bible
But each one is tempted when he is dragged away and enticed by his own desires.

Literal Translation
But each one is tempted by his own lusts, being drawn out and being seduced by them .

American Standard Version
but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

Bible in Basic English
But every man is tested when he is turned out of the right way by the attraction of his desire.

Hebrew Names Version
But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

International Standard Version
Instead, each person is tempted by his own desire, being lured and trapped by it.

Etheridge Translation
But each man from his concupiscence tempteth himself, and desireth, and is drawn away.

Murdock Translation
But every man is tempted by his own lust; and he lusteth, and is drawn away.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But euery man is tempted, when he is drawen away, & entised of his owne concupiscence.

English Revised Version
but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

World English Bible
But each one is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own desire and inticed.

Weymouth's New Testament
But when a man is tempted, it is his own passions that carry him away and serve as a bait.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But ech man is temptid, drawun and stirid of his owne coueiting.

Update Bible Version
but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own desire, and enticed.

Webster's Bible Translation
But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.

New English Translation
But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires.

New King James Version
But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.

New Living Translation
Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.

New Life Bible
A man is tempted to do wrong when he lets himself be led by what his bad thoughts tell him to do.

New Revised Standard
But one is tempted by one's own desire, being lured and enticed by it;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, each one, is tempted, when, by his own coveting, he is drawn out and enticed,

Douay-Rheims Bible
But every man is tempted by his own concupiscence, being drawn away and allured.

Revised Standard Version
but each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
But every ma is tepted drawne awaye and entysed of his awne concupiscece.

Young's Literal Translation
and each one is tempted, by his own desires being led away and enticed,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But euery ma is tepted, drawne awaye, & entysed of his awne cocupiscece.

Mace New Testament (1729)
a man is instigated, and drawn into the snare by his own vicious passions, which once indulg'd, are productive of sin,

Simplified Cowboy Version
We all go the bad way, not because of anything God does or doesn't do, but just because we have a natural desire for the wrong ways.

Contextual Overview

¹³Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God" [for temptation does not originate from God, but from our own flaws]; for God cannot be tempted by [what is] evil, and He Himself tempts no one. ¹⁴But each one is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion).¹⁵Then when the illicit desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin has run its course, it gives birth to death. ¹⁶Do not be misled, my beloved brothers and sisters. ¹⁷Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes]. ¹⁸It was of His own will that He gave us birth [as His children] by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits of His creatures [a prime example of what He created to be set apart to Himself—sanctified, made holy for His divine purposes].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

when: James 4:1, James 4:2, Genesis 6:5, Genesis 8:21, Joshua 7:21-24, 2 Samuel 11:2, 2 Samuel 11:3, 1 Kings 21:2-4, Job 31:9, Job 31:27, Proverbs 4:23, Isaiah 44:20, Hosea 13:9, Matthew 5:28, Matthew 15:18, Matthew 15:20, Mark 7:21, Mark 7:22, Romans 7:11, Romans 7:13, Ephesians 4:22, Hebrews 3:13

Reciprocal: Exodus 8:32 - General 2 Samuel 11:4 - he lay 2 Samuel 12:4 - a traveller 2 Samuel 24:1 - he 1 Kings 21:4 - And he laid him 2 Chronicles 18:19 - Who shall entice Job 15:12 - thine heart Job 31:1 - think Proverbs 6:25 - Lust Proverbs 9:17 - Stolen Proverbs 12:26 - but Isaiah 32:6 - and his heart Isaiah 65:2 - after Jeremiah 17:9 - General Jeremiah 22:17 - thine eyes Jeremiah 44:25 - ye will Ezekiel 11:21 - whose Zechariah 7:10 - imagine Malachi 2:15 - take Mark 7:20 - General Romans 6:12 - in the lusts Romans 7:8 - wrought Romans 8:6 - to be carnally minded Romans 8:13 - ye live 1 Thessalonians 3:5 - lest

Cross-References

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God (Elohim) created [by forming from nothing] the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:2
The earth was formless and void or a waste and emptiness, and darkness was upon the face of the deep [primeval ocean that covered the unformed earth]. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.

Genesis 1:3
And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.

Genesis 1:4
God saw that the light was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it; and God separated the light [distinguishing it] from the darkness.

Genesis 1:6
And God said, "Let there be an expanse [of the sky] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters [below the expanse] from the waters [above the expanse]."

Genesis 1:7
And God made the expanse [of sky] and separated the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so [just as He commanded].

Genesis 1:8
God called the expanse [of sky] heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Genesis 1:9
Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place [of standing, pooling together], and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.

Genesis 1:12
The earth sprouted and abundantly produced vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, according to their kind; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.

Genesis 1:14
Then God said, "Let there be light-bearers (sun, moon, stars) in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be useful for signs (tokens) [of God's provident care], and for marking seasons, days, and years;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But every man is tempted,.... To sin, and he falls in with the temptation, and by it,

when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed; the metaphor is taken either from fishes, who are enticed by the bait, and drawn out by the hook; or from a lascivious woman, who meeting with a young man, entices him, and draws him away after her to commit iniquity with her: by "lust" is meant the principle of corrupt nature, which has its residence in the heart of man; is natural and hereditary to him, and therefore is called his own; he is conceived and shapen in it; he brings it into the world with him, and it continues in him, and is called his own heart's lust, Romans 1:24. Now this meeting with some bait, which entices and draws it out, or with some external object, which promises pleasure or profit, a man is allured, and ensnared, and drawn away by it, and so the temptation begins: thus, for instance, covetousness was the predominant lust in Judas; this meeting with an external object, or objects, which promised him profit, he is at once enticed and drawn away to betray his Lord and master for the sake of it: so sin often promises pleasure, though it is but an imaginary, and a short lived one; which takes with a man's own lust, and corruption within him, and so he is allured and drawn aside; and to this, and not to God, should he attribute temptation to sin.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust - That is, the fountain or source of all temptation is in man himself. It is true that external inducements to sin may be placed before him, but they would have no force if there was not something in himself to which they corresponded, and over which they might have power. There must be some “lust;” some desire; some inclination; something which is unsatisfied now, which is made the foundation of the temptation, and which gives it all its power. If there were no capacity for receiving food, or desire for it, objects placed before us appealing to the appetite could never be made a source of temptation; if there were nothing in the soul which could be regarded as the love of acquisition or possession, gold would furnish no temptation; if there were no sensual propensities, we should be in that quarter above the power of temptation.

In each case, and in every form, the power of the temptation is laid in some propensity of our nature, some desire of that which we do not now possess. The word rendered “lust” in this place (ἐπιθυμίας epithumias), is not employed here in the narrow sense in which it is now commonly used, as denoting libidinousness. It means desire in general; an earnest wish for anything. Notes, Ephesians 4:22. It seems here to be used with reference to the original propensities of our nature - the desires implanted in us, which are a stimulus to employment - as the desire of knowledge, of food, of power, of sensual gratifications; and the idea is, that a man may be drawn along by these beyond the prescribed limits of indulgence, and in the pursuit of objects that are forbidden. He does not stop at the point at which the law requires him to stop, and is therefore guilty of transgression. This is the source of all sin. The original propensity may not be wrong, but may be perfectly harmless - as in the case of the desire of food, etc. Nay, it may furnish a most desirable stimulus to action; for how could the human powers be called forth, if it were not for this? The error, the fault, the sin, is, not restraining the indulgence where we are commanded to do it, either in regard to the objects sought, or in regard to the degree of indulgence.

And enticed - Entrapped, caught; that is, he is seized by this power, and held fast; or he is led along and beguiled, until he falls into sin, as in a snare that springs suddenly upon him.

Επιθυμια Epithumia in the New Testament, is sometimes employed in a good sense, Luke 22:15; Phi 1:23; 1 Thessalonians 2:17; often in a bad sense, as in Mark 4:19; John 8:44; Romans 1:24; Romans 6:12; Romans 7:7; 1 John 2:16; but there is no difficulty in making the distinction; the context easily determining the matter. And this passage in James seems at once to fix down on επιθυμιας epithumias the sense of evil or corrupt desire. That it can mean a “harmless propensity;” or that it is a propensity on whose character the apostle does not at all pronounce, is incredible. It is said to “draw away a man and entice him;” to “conceive and bring forth sin:” and a principle from which such fruit springs cannot be very harmless. Without doubt, the apostle traces the whole evil of temptation, which some falsely ascribed to God, to the sinful desires of the human heart; and, as our author remarks, he seems to take the common sense view without entertaining any thought of nice philosophical distinction. We cannot for a moment suppose the apostle to say - “the evil is not to be traced to God, but to a harmless propensity.”

The whole passage, with the words and figures which are used, show that the idea in the apostle’s mind was that of an enticing harlot. The επιθυμια epithumia is personified. She persuades the understanding and will into her impure embrace. The result of this fatal union is the “conception” and ultimate “bringing forth” of actual sin, which again brings forth death. This is the true genealogy of sin (McKnight); and to say that the επιθυμια epithumia, or evil desire, of which the apostle says that it is the “origo mali,” is harmless, - is to contradict him, and Paul also, who in a parallel passage says that he had not known the επιθυμια epithumia, or inward desire after forbidden objects, to be sinful, unless the law had enlightened him and said “thou shalt not covet.” Mr. Scott has spoken in strong terms of the folly of some parties who understand επιθυμια epithumia. Here only of the desire of sensual gross indulgence, to the exclusion of other sinful desires; but the extreme of interpreting it as meaning nothing sinful at all, deserves equal reprehension. The reader, however, will notice that the author does not venture on this assertion. He says “it may be so,” and otherwise modifies his view.)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 14. But every man is tempted — Successfully solicited to sin, when he is drawn away of his own lust-when, giving way to the evil propensity of his own heart, he does that to which he is solicited by the enemy of his soul.

Among the rabbins we find some fine sayings on this subject. In Midrash hanaalam, fol. 20, and Yalcut Rubeni, fol. 17, it is said: "This is the custom of evil concupiscence, יצר הרע yetser hara: To-day it saith, Do this; to-morrow, Worship an idol. The man goes and worships. Again it saith, Be angry."

"Evil concupiscence is, at the beginning, like the thread of a spider's web; afterwards it is like a cart rope." Sanhedrim, fol. 99.

In the words, drawn away by his own lust and enticed, ὑπο της ιδιας επιθυμιας εξελκομενος και δελεαζομενος, there is a double metaphor; the first referring to the dragging a fish out of the water by a hook which it had swallowed, because concealed by a bait; the second, to the enticements of impure women, who draw away the unwary into their snares, and involve them in their ruin. Illicit connections of this kind the writer has clearly in view; and every word that he uses refers to something of this nature, as the following verse shows.