the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
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King James Version
James 1:19
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This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;
Don't let your dally slip on this next part! Be quick to lend an ear, slower'n molasses in winter to open your mouth, and chain up your temper and lock it up tight.
You have knowledge of this, dear brothers. But let every man be quick in hearing, slow in words, slow to get angry;
So that, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
You know this, my dearly-loved brethren. But let every one be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to be angry.
Wherefore my beloued brethren, let euery man bee swift to heare, slow to speake, slow to wrath.
So that, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Wherfore deare brethren, let euery man be swifte to heare, slowe to speake, and slowe to wrath.
Wherefore, my dear brethren, let every one be eager to hear, averse to contradiction, and deaf to passion.
Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.
Understand this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Let everyone be quick to hear [be a careful, thoughtful listener], slow to speak [a speaker of carefully chosen words and], slow to anger [patient, reflective, forgiving];
Ye know this, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Know this, my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
Wherfore deare brethren let every man be swyfte to heare slowe to speake and slowe to wrath.
You know [this], my beloved brothers. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
So then, my brethren beloved, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
My dear brothers and sisters, always be willing to listen and slow to speak. Do not become angry easily,
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters! Let every person be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.
My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
My dear friends, you should be quick to listen and slow to speak or to get angry.
Therefore, my dear brothers, let every person be quick to listen but slow to speak, slow to get angry;
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
Wherefore my deare brethren, let euery man be swift to heare, slowe to speake, and slowe to wrath.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, and slow to speak, and slow to anger:
My dearly loved brothers, understand this: Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
You must understand this, my dear brothers. Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.Proverbs 10:19; 14:17; 16:32; 17:27; Ecclesiastes 5:1-2; 7:9;">[xr]
And you, my beloved brethren, let every one of you be swift to hear, and slow to speak, and slow to be angry;
And be ye, my beloved brethren, every one of you, swift to hear, and slow to speak; and slow to wrath:
So then, [fn] my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.
My Christian brothers, you know everyone should listen much and speak little. He should be slow to become angry.
Ye know this, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger;
Ye know, my brethren beloved, - but let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
You know, my dearest brethren. And let every man be swift to hear, but slow to speak and slow to anger.
Understand this, my dear brothers: every person must be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,
Wherfore my deare brethre, let euery man be swyft to heare, slowe to speake, slowe to wrath.
My dear brothers and sisters, always be more willing to listen than to speak. Keep control of your anger.
You know this, my beloved brothers and sisters. Now everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, but slow to speak and slow to become angry.
Wite ye, my britheren moost loued, be ech man swift to here, but slow to speke, and slow to wraththe;
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
let: Nehemiah 8:2, Nehemiah 8:3, Nehemiah 8:12-14, Nehemiah 8:18, Nehemiah 9:3, Proverbs 8:32-35, Ecclesiastes 5:1, Mark 2:2, Mark 12:37, Luke 15:1, Luke 19:48, Acts 2:42, Acts 10:33, Acts 13:42-44, Acts 13:48, Acts 17:11, 1 Thessalonians 2:13
slow to speak: James 1:26, James 3:1, James 3:2, Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 13:3, Proverbs 15:2, Proverbs 17:27, Proverbs 18:13, Proverbs 18:21, Proverbs 21:23, Ecclesiastes 5:2, Ecclesiastes 5:3
slow to wrath: Nehemiah 9:17, Proverbs 14:17, Proverbs 14:29, Proverbs 15:18, Proverbs 16:32, Proverbs 17:14, Proverbs 19:11, Proverbs 19:19, Proverbs 25:28, Ecclesiastes 7:8, Ecclesiastes 7:9, Matthew 5:22, Galatians 5:20, Galatians 5:21, Ephesians 4:26, Ephesians 4:31, Colossians 3:8, Colossians 3:15
Reciprocal: Genesis 31:36 - was wroth Joshua 22:21 - answered Judges 8:2 - What 1 Samuel 20:30 - Saul's 1 Samuel 25:13 - Gird ye Job 6:24 - Teach me Job 11:2 - the multitude Job 13:5 - and it Job 16:2 - heard Job 18:2 - mark Job 20:2 - and for Job 29:9 - refrained Job 32:16 - General Psalms 34:13 - Keep Psalms 37:8 - Cease Proverbs 5:1 - bow Proverbs 12:16 - but Proverbs 27:4 - General Proverbs 29:20 - Seest Jeremiah 17:16 - I have Joel 2:13 - slow Jonah 4:4 - Doest thou well to be angry Micah 4:2 - and he Nahum 1:3 - slow Matthew 5:9 - are Mark 4:8 - fell Mark 6:33 - General Luke 8:18 - heed Luke 9:54 - wilt Acts 15:13 - after Acts 23:10 - fearing 1 Corinthians 13:5 - is not 1 Timothy 6:4 - words 2 Timothy 2:24 - must Titus 1:7 - not soon Titus 3:2 - gentle James 1:16 - my 1 Peter 4:11 - any
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Wherefore, my beloved brethren,.... Since the Gospel, the word of truth, is the means and instrument which God makes use of in regeneration, and in forming people for himself:
let every man be swift to hear; not anything; not idle and unprofitable talk, or filthy and corrupt communication; but wholesome advice, good instructions, and the gracious experiences of the saints, and, above all, the word of God; to the hearing of which men should fly, as doves to their windows; should make haste, and be early in their attendance on it, as well, as constant; and receive it with all readiness, and with a sort of greediness of mind, that their souls may be profited, and God may be glorified: the phrase is Jewish; things easy and smooth, a man is מהיר לשמען, "swift to hear them l: slow to speak"; against what is heard, without thoroughly weighing and considering what is said; and this may regard silence under hearing the word, and is also a rule to be observed in private conversation: or the sense may be, be content to be hearers of the word, and not forward to be preachers of it; and if called to that work, think before you speak, meditate on the word, and study to be approved to God and men. Silence is not only highly commended by the Pythagoreans, among whom it was enjoined their disciples five years m; but also by the Jews: they say, nothing is better for the body than silence; that if a word is worth one shekel, silence is worth two, or worth a precious stone; that it is the spice of speech, and the chief of all spices; that it is the hedge of wisdom; hence it is the advice of Shammai; "say little, and do much" n: and they cry up, as a very excellent precept, "be silent, and hear"; and as containing more than persons are aware of o:
slow to wrath; in hearing; when admonitions and reproofs are given, sin is exposed, and vice corrected, and the distinguishing doctrines of grace, are preached; which are apt to fill natural men with wrath, and which must greatly hinder the usefulness of the word; see Luke 4:28. This is omitted in the Ethiopic version.
l Gloss. in T. Bab. Megilla, fol. 21. 1. m Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 2. c. 25. n Pirke Abot, c. 1. sect. 15. 17. & 3. 13. T. Bab. Megilla. fol. 18. 1. Vajikra Rabba, sect. 16. fol. 158. 3. Midrash Kohelet, fol. 71. 1. o Philo Zuis Rer. Divin. Haeres. p. 482. Vid. T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 7. 1.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Wherefore, my beloved brethren - The connection is this: “since God is the only source of good; since he tempts no man; and since by his mere sovereign goodness, without any claim on our part, we have had the high honor conferred on us of being made the first-fruits of his creatures, we ought to be ready to hear his voice, to subdue all our evil passions, and to bring our souls to entire practical obedience.” The necessity of obedience, or the doctrine that the gospel is not only to be learned but practiced, is pursued at length in this and the following chapter. The particular statement here James 1:19-21 is, that religion requires us to be meek and docile; to lay aside all irritability against the truth, and all pride of opinion, and all corruption of heart, and to receive meekly the ingrafted word. See the analysis of the chapter.
Let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak - That is, primarily, to hear God; to listen to the instructions of that truth by which we have been begotten, and brought into so near relation to him. At the same time, though this is the primary sense of the phrase here, it may be regarded as inculcating the general doctrine that we are to be more ready to hear than to speak; or that we are to be disposed to learn always, and from any source. Our appropriate condition is rather that of learners than instructors; and the attitude of mind which we should cultivate is that of a readiness to receive information from any quarter. The ancients have some sayings on this subject which are well worthy of our attention. “Men have two ears, and but one tongue, that they should hear more than they speak.” “The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction; but the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth, to hedge it in, and to keep it within proper bounds.” See Benson. So Valerius Maximus, vii. 2.
“How noble was the response of Xenocrates! When he met the reproaches of others with a profound silence, someone asked him why he alone was silent. ‘Because,’ says he, ‘I have sometimes had occasion to regret that I have spoken, never that I was silent.’” See Wetstein. So the son of Sirach, “Be swift to hear, and with deep consideration (ἐν μακροθυμίᾳ en makrothumia) give answer.” So the Rabbis have some similar sentiments. “Talk little and work much.” Pirkey Aboth. c. i. 15. “The righteous speak little and do much; the wicked speak much and do nothing.” Bava Metsia, fol. 87. A sentiment similar to that before us is found in Ecclesiastes 5:2. “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter anything before God.” So Proverbs 10:19. “In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin.” Proverbs 13:3. “He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life.” Proverbs 15:2. “The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright, but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.”
Slow to wrath - That is, we are to govern and restrain our temper; we are not to give indulgence to excited and angry passions. Compare Proverbs 16:32, “He that is slow to anger is greater than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.” See also on this subject, Job 5:2; Proverbs 11:17; Proverbs 13:10; Proverbs 14:16; Proverbs 15:18; Proverbs 19:19; Proverbs 22:24; Proverbs 25:28; Ecclesiastes 7:9; Romans 12:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; 1 Peter 3:8. The particular point here is, however, not that we should be slow to wrath as a general habit of mind, which is indeed most true, but in reference particularly to the reception of the truth. We should lay aside all anger and wrath, and should come to the investigation of truth with a calm mind, and an imperturbed spirit. A state of wrath or anger is always unfavorable to the investigation of truth. Such an investigation demands a calm spirit, and he whose mind is excited and enraged is not in a condition to see the value of truth, or to weigh the evidence for it.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 19. Swift to hear — Talk little and work much, is a rabbinical adage.-Pirkey Aboth, cap. i. 15.
The righteous speak little, and do much; the wicked speak much, and do nothing.-Bava Metzia, fol. 87.
The son of Sirach says, cap. v. 11: Γινου ταχυς εν τῃ ακροασει σου, και εν μακροθυμιᾳ φθεγγου αποκρισιν. "Be swift to hear, and with deep consideration give answer."
Slow to wrath — "There are four kinds of dispositions," says the Midrash hanaalam, cap. v. 11: "First, Those who are easily incensed, and easily pacified; these gain on one hand, and lose on the other. Secondly, Those who are not easily incensed, but are difficult to be appeased; these lose on the one hand, and gain on the other. Thirdly, Those who are difficult to be incensed, and are easily appeased; these are the good. Fourthly, Those who are easily angered, and difficult to be appeased; these are the wicked."
Those who are hasty in speech are generally of a peevish or angry disposition. A person who is careful to consider what he says, is not likely to be soon angry.
