James 4:15

Mace New Testament

your language ought to be this, "if the Lord pleases to give us life, we shall do this, or that."

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."

Simplified Cowboy Version
If you had any brains and were of a mind to listen, this is what you'd say instead, "I'm gonna check with the Boss before I do anything."

Bible in Basic English
But the right thing to say would be, If it is the Lord's pleasure and if we are still living, we will do this and that.

Darby Translation
instead of your saying, If the Lord should [so] will and we should live, we will also do this or that.

World English Bible
For you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Instead of your saying, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that.

Weymouth's New Testament
Instead of that you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we shall live and do this or that."

King James Version (1611)
For that yee ought to say, if the Lord will, we shall liue, and doe this, or that.

Literal Translation
Instead of you saying, If the Lord wills, even we will live, and we will do this or that;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For that ye ought to say: yf the LORDE wil, and yf we liue, let vs do this or that.

Amplified Bible
Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and we will do this or that."

American Standard Version
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that.

Revised Standard Version
Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For that ye ought to saye: yf the lorde will and yf we live let vs do this or that.

Update Bible Version
Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall both live, and do this or that.

Webster's Bible Translation
Instead of that ye [ought] to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Young's Literal Translation
instead of your saying, `If the Lord may will, we shall live, and do this or that;'

New Century Version
So you should say, "If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that."

New English Translation
You ought to say instead, "If the Lord is willing, then we will live and do this or that."

Berean Standard Bible
Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that."

Contemporary English Version
You should say, "If the Lord lets us live, we will do these things."

Complete Jewish Bible
Instead, you ought to say, "If Adonai wants it to happen, we will live" to do this or that.

English Standard Version
Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."

Geneva Bible (1587)
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, and, if we liue, we will doe this or that.

George Lamsa Translation
Instead of that they should say, If the LORD will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Christian Standard Bible®
Instead, you should say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."

Hebrew Names Version
For you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that."

International Standard Version
Instead you should say, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live - and do this or that."Acts 18:21; 1 Corinthians 4:19; 16:7; Hebrews 6:3;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
For instead they should say, If the Lord will, and we live, we will do this or that.

Murdock Translation
Whereas they should say: If the Lord please, and we live, we will do this or that.

New King James Version
Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."

New Living Translation
What you ought to say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."

New Life Bible
What you should say is, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that."

English Revised Version
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that.

New Revised Standard
Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Instead of your saying - If, the Lord, be pleased, we shall both, live and do this or that;

Douay-Rheims Bible
For what is your life? It is a vapour which appeareth for a little while and afterwards shall vanish away. For that you should say: If the Lord will, and, If we shall live, we will do this or that.

King James Version
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Lexham English Bible
Instead you should say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For that ye ought to say: If the Lorde wyll, and yf we lyue, let vs do this or that.

Easy-to-Read Version
So you should say, "If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or that."

New American Standard Bible
Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."

Good News Translation
What you should say is this: "If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For what is youre lijf? A smoke apperinge at a litil, and aftirward it schal be wastid. Therfor that ye seie, If the Lord wole, and if we liuen, we schulen do this thing, ether that thing.

Contextual Overview

¹¹ Don't, my brethren, treat one another with detraction. he that reflects upon his brother, and censures his brother, reflects upon the law, and censures the law: if you censure the law, instead of obeying it, you set up for a judge. ¹² there is but one legislator, and judge, he that has the power of life and death: who art thou, to pass sentence upon another? ¹³ As for you, who affirm, "to-day, or, to-morrow we will go to such a city, we will stay there a whole year, there we will traffic, and find our account." ¹⁴ how do you know, what will happen to-morrow? for, "what is your life?" a vapour that just appears, and then vanishes. ¹⁵ your language ought to be this, "if the Lord pleases to give us life, we shall do this, or that." ¹⁶ you triumph in your vain projects, but your presumption is vicious. ¹⁷ he then that knows what is virtuous, and does not practise it, is a criminal.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

If: 2 Samuel 15:25, 2 Samuel 15:26, Proverbs 19:21, Lamentations 3:37, Acts 18:21, Romans 1:10, Romans 15:32, 1 Corinthians 4:19, 1 Corinthians 16:7, Hebrews 6:3

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 5:19 - inquired Job 22:28 - decree Psalms 37:5 - and Luke 12:18 - General Philippians 2:19 - But

Cross-References

Matthew 26:52
but Jesus said to him, put up your sword in its place: for all that take to the sword, shall perish by the sword.

Revelation 14:9
And a third angel followed them, crying with a loud voice, "if any man worship the beast, or his image, or receive his mark on his forehead, or in his hand,

Revelation 14:11
the smoke of their torment shall ascend for ever and ever: they who worship the beast or his image, they who receive the mark of his name, shall have no rest either day or night."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For that ye ought to say,.... Instead of saying we will go to such and such a place, and do this, and that, and the other thing, it should be said,

if the Lord will, and we shall live, and do this and that; the last "and" is left out in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions; and the passage rendered thus, "if the Lord will, and we shall live, we will do this": so that here are two conditions of doing anything; the one is, if it should be agreeable to the determining will and purpose of God, by which everything in the world comes to pass, and into which the wills of men should be resolved, and resigned; and the other is, if we should live, since life is so very uncertain and precarious: and the sense is, not that this exact form of words should be always used, but what is equivalent to them, or, at least, that there should be always a sense of these things upon the mind; and there should be a view to them in all resolutions, designs, and engagements: and since the words are so short and comprehensive, it might be proper for Christians to use themselves to such a way of speaking; upon all occasions; we find it used by the Apostle Paul frequently, as in

Acts 18:2, and even by Jews, Heathens, and Turks. It is a saying of Ben Syra, the Jew p,

"let a man never say he will do anything, before he says

אם גוזר השם, "if God will"''

So Cyrus, king of Persia, when, under pretence of hunting, he designed an expedition into Armenia, upon which an hare started, and was caught by an eagle, said to his friends, this will be a good or prosperous hunting to us, ην θεος θελη, "if God will" q. And very remarkable are the words of Socrates to Alcibiades, inquiring of him how he ought to speak; says Socrates, εας θεος εθελη, "if God will" r; and says he, in another place s,

"but I will do this, and come unto thee tomorrow, "if God will".''

And it is reported of the Turks t, that they submit everything to the divine will; as the success of war, or a journey, or anything, even of the least moment, they desire to be done; and never promise themselves, or others, anything, but under this condition, "In Shallah", if God will.

p Sentent. 11. q Xenophon. Cyropaed. l. 2. c. 25. r Plato in Aleibiade, p. 135. s Plato in Laches. t Smith de Moribus Turc. p. 74.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For that ye ought to say - Instead of what you do say, “we will go into such a city,” you ought rather to recognise your absolute dependence on God, and feel that life and success are subject to his will. The meaning is not that we ought always to be saying that in so many words, for this might become a mere ostentatious form, offensive by constant unmeaning repetition; but we are, in the proper way, to recognise our dependence on him, and to form all our plans with reference to his will.

If the Lord will ... - This is proper, because we are wholly dependent on him for life, and as dependent on him for success. He alone can keep us, and he only can make our plans prosperous. In a thousand ways he can thwart our best-laid schemes, for all things are under his control. We need not travel far in life to see how completely all that we have is in the hands of God, or to learn how easily he can frustrate us if he pleases. There is nothing on which the success of our plans depends over which we have absolute control; there is nothing, therefore, on which we can base the assurance of success but his favor.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 15. For that ye ought to say — Αντι τοι λεγειν ὑμας· Instead of saying, or instead of which ye should say,

If the Lord will, we shall live — I think St. James had another example from the rabbins in view, which is produced by Drusius, Gregory, Cartwright, and Schoettgen, on this clause: "The bride went up to her chamber, not knowing what was to befall her there." On which there is this comment: "No man should ever say that he will do this or that, without the condition IF GOD WILL. A certain man said, 'To-morrow shall I sit with my bride in my chamber, and there shall rejoice with her.' To which some standing by said, אם גוזר השם im gozer hashshem, 'If the Lord will.' To which he answered, 'Whether the Lord will or not, to-morrow will I sit with my bride in my chamber.' He did so; he went with his bride into his chamber, and at night they lay down; but they both died, antequam illam cognosceret." It is not improbable that St. James refers to this case, as he uses the same phraseology.

On this subject I shall quote another passage which I read when a schoolboy, and which even then taught me a lesson of caution and of respect for the providence of God. It may be found in Lucian, in the piece entitled, Χαρων, η επισκοπουντες, c. 6: Επι δειπνον, οιμαι, κληθεις ὑπο τινος των φιλων ες την ὑστεραιαν, μαλιστα ἡξω, εφη· και μεταξυ λεγοντος, απο του τεγους κεραμις επιπεσουσα, ουκ οιδ' ὁτου κινησαντος, απεκτεινεν αυτον· εγελασα ουν, ουκ επιτελεσαντος την ὑποσχεσιν. "A man was invited by one of his friends to come the next day to supper. I will certainly come, said he. In the mean time a tile fell from a house, I knew not who threw it, and killed him. I therefore laughed at him for not fulfilling his engagement." It is often said Fas est et ab hoste doceri, " we should learn even from our enemies." Take heed, Christian, that this heathen buffoon laugh thee not out of countenance.