James 5:13

Mace New Testament

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. is his mind serene? let him sing psalms.

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Have any of you felt like life has bucked you off and stomped a mud hole in you? That fellow should pray. Is anyone feeling mighty blessed? Let loose in song!

Bible in Basic English
Is anyone among you in trouble? let him say prayers. Is anyone glad? let him make a song of praise.

Darby Translation
Does any one among you suffer evil? let him pray. Is any happy? let him sing psalms.

World English Bible
Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any chearful? let him sing psalms.

Weymouth's New Testament
Is one of you suffering? Let him pray. Is any one in good spirits? Let him sing a psalm.

King James Version (1611)
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing Psalmes.

Literal Translation
Does anyone suffer ill among you? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him praise in song.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf eny of you be euell vexed, let hi praye. Yf eny of you be mery, let him singe Psalmes.

THE MESSAGE
Are you hurting? Pray. Do you feel great? Sing. Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master. Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you've sinned, you'll be forgiven—healed inside and out.

Amplified Bible
Is anyone among you suffering? He must pray. Is anyone joyful? He is to sing praises [to God].

American Standard Version
Is any among you suffering? let him pray. Is any cheerful? let him sing praise.

Revised Standard Version
Is any one among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Yf eny of you be evyll vexed let him praye. Yf eny of you be mery let him singe Psalmes.

Update Bible Version
Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise.

Webster's Bible Translation
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any cheerful? let him sing psalms.

Young's Literal Translation
Doth any one suffer evil among you? let him pray; is any of good cheer? let him sing psalms;

New Century Version
Anyone who is having troubles should pray. Anyone who is happy should sing praises.

New English Translation
Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praises.

Berean Standard Bible
Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.

Contemporary English Version
If you are having trouble, you should pray. And if you are feeling good, you should sing praises.

Complete Jewish Bible
Is someone among you in trouble? He should pray. Is someone feeling good? He should sing songs of praise.

English Standard Version
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merie? Let him sing.

George Lamsa Translation
If any among you be afflicted, let him pray. If any be merry, let him sing psalms.

Christian Standard Bible®
Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.

Hebrew Names Version
Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.

International Standard Version
Is anyone of you suffering? He should keep on praying. Is anyone cheerful? He should keep on singing psalms.Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And if any of you be in affliction, let him pray; and if he rejoice, let him sing;

Murdock Translation
And if any of you shall be in affliction, let him pray; or if he be joyous, let him sing psalms.

New King James Version
1 Kings 18:41-46">[xr] Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.

New Living Translation
Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.

New Life Bible
Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone happy? He should sing songs of thanks to God.

English Revised Version
Is any among you suffering? let him pray. Is any cheerful? let him sing praise.

New Revised Standard
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
In distress, is any among you? Let him pray; Cheerful, is any? Let him strike the strings;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Is any of you sad? Let him pray: Is he cheerful in mind? Let him sing.

King James Version
Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

Lexham English Bible
Is anyone among you suffering misfortune? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praise.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Is any among you afflicted? let hym pray. Is any mery? let him sing psalmes.

Easy-to-Read Version
Are you having troubles? You should pray. Are you happy? You should sing.

New American Standard Bible
Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises.

Good News Translation
Are any among you in trouble? They should pray. Are any among you happy? They should sing praises.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And if ony of you is sorewful, preye he with pacient soule, and seie he a salm.

Contextual Overview

¹² Above all things, my brethren, don't swear, neither by the heaven, nor by the earth, nor use any other oath; but let your affirmation, or negation, be sincere, lest you fall under condemnation. ¹³ Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. is his mind serene? let him sing psalms. ¹⁴ Is any of you sick? let him send for the pastors of the church, to pray for him, and after giving him the unction, in the name of the Lord, ¹⁵ the prayer that proceeds from faith, shall save the sick; the Lord will raise him up, and his sins that may have been the occasion, shall be forgiven. ¹⁶ confess then to one another the offences you have committed, and pray for one another, that you may be healed; the fervent prayer of a virtuous man has great influence. ¹⁷ Elias was only a man, as we are; however, having ardently prayed, that it might not rain, it did not rain in that country for three years and a half: ¹⁸ then be pray'd again: the heavens sent its showers, and the earth push'd out its fruit. ¹⁹ My brethren, when any of you deviates from the truth, whoever sets him right, may be assured, ²⁰ that the retrieving of a sinner from his erroneous habits, is saving a soul from ruin, and cancels a multitude of sins.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

any among: 2 Chronicles 33:12, 2 Chronicles 33:13, Job 33:26, Psalms 18:6, Psalms 50:15, Psalms 91:15, Psalms 116:3-5, Psalms 118:5, Psalms 142:1-3, Lamentations 3:55, Lamentations 3:56, Hosea 6:1, Jonah 2:2, Jonah 2:7, Luke 22:44, Luke 23:42, Acts 16:24, Acts 16:25, 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Hebrews 5:7

any merry: Judges 16:23-25, Daniel 5:4

let him sing: 1 Chronicles 16:9, Psalms 95:2, Psalms 105:2, Micah 4:5, Matthew 26:30, 1 Corinthians 14:26, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16, Colossians 3:17, Revelation 5:9-14, Revelation 7:10, Revelation 14:3, Revelation 19:1-6

Reciprocal: Numbers 21:17 - sang 2 Samuel 23:1 - sweet psalmist 2 Kings 4:33 - prayed 2 Chronicles 6:28 - whatsoever Nehemiah 12:43 - the wives also Psalms 3:4 - I cried Psalms 81:2 - General Ecclesiastes 7:14 - the day Isaiah 37:15 - General Isaiah 65:14 - my servants Jonah 2:1 - prayed Mark 14:26 - sung James 5:15 - the prayer

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Is any among you afflicted?.... As the people of God generally are; they are commonly a poor, and an afflicted people; at least there are many among them that are so, and many are their afflictions: those whom Christ loves, as he did Lazarus, are not free from sicknesses and diseases; and these are rather signs of love than arguments against it; and when this is the case of any of the saints, what is to be done?

let him pray; to God that can save him; in the name of Christ; under the influence of the Spirit; believing in the word of promise. Times of afflictions are proper times for prayer; there is then more especially need of it; and God sometimes lays his afflicting hand upon his people, when they have been negligent of their duty, and he has not heard of them for some time, in order to bring them near to him, to seek his face, pay him a visit, and pour out a prayer before him; see Psalms 50:15.

Is any merry? in good heart and spirit, in a good frame of mind, as well as in prosperous circumstances, in soul, body and estate:

let him sing psalms; let him not only be inwardly joyful, as he should be in prosperity, and be thankful to God for his many mercies, temporal and spiritual, he enjoys; but let him express it vocally, and melodiously, by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs: not that these are the only persons that are to sing psalms, or this the only time, any more than that afflicted persons are the only ones that are to pray, or the time of affliction the only time of prayer; but as affliction more especially calls for prayer, so spiritual joy, and rejoicing in prosperous seasons, for singing of psalms: weeping, and singing of psalms, were thought, by the Jews, inconsistent. Kimchi, on the title of the third psalm, observes, that their Rabbins say, that when David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, he wept; and if he wept, why is this called a psalm? and if a psalm, למה בכה, "why did he weep?"

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Is any among you afflicted? - By sickness, bereavement, disappointment, persecutions, loss of health or property. The word used here refers to suffering evil of any kind, (κακοπαθεῖ kakopathei.)

Let him pray - That is, prayer is appropriate to trial. The mind naturally resorts to it, and in every way it is proper. God only can remove the source of sorrow; he can grant unto us “a happy issue out of all our afflictions;” he can make them the means of sanctifying the soul. Compare 2 Chronicles 33:12; Psalms 34:4; Psalms 107:6, Psalms 107:13, Psalms 107:28. It matters not what is the form of the trial, it is a privilege which all have to go to God in prayer. And it is an inestimable privilege. Health fails, friends die, property is lost, disappointments come upon us, danger threatens, death approaches - and to whom shall we go but to God? He ever lives. He never fails us or disappoints us if we trust in him, and his ear is ever open to our cries. This would be a sad world indeed, if it were not for the privilege of prayer. The last resource of millions who suffer - for millions suffer every day - would be taken away, if men were denied the access to the throne of grace. As it is, there is no one so poor that he may not pray; no one so disconsolate and forsaken that he may not find in God a friend; no one so broken-hearted that he is not able to bind up his spirit. One of the designs of affliction is to lead us to the throne of grace; and it is a happy result of trials if we are led by our trials to seek God in prayer.

Is any merry? - The word merry now conveys an idea which is not properly found in the original word here. It refers now, in common usage, to light and noisy pleasure; to that which is jovial; to that which is attended with laughter, or which causes laughter, as a merry jest. In the Scriptures, however, the word properly denotes “cheerful, pleasant, agreeable,” and is applied to a state of mind free from trouble - the opposite of affliction - happy, Proverbs 15:13, Proverbs 15:15; Proverbs 17:22; Isaiah 24:7; Luke 15:23-24, Luke 15:29, Luke 15:32. The Greek word used here (εὐθυμεῖ euthumei) means, literally, “to have the mind well” (εῦ eu and θυμὸς thumos;) that is, to have it happy, or free from trouble; to be cheerful.

Let him sing psalms - That is, if anyone is happy; if he is in health, and is prospered; if he has his friends around him, and there is nothing to produce anxiety; if he has the free exercise of conscience and enjoys religion, it is proper to express that in notes of praise. Compare Ephesians 5:19-20. On the meaning of the word here rendered “sing psalms,” see the notes at Ephesians 5:19, where it is rendered “making melody.” It does not mean to sing psalms in contradistinction from singing hymns, but the reference is to any songs of praise. Praise is appropriate to such a state of mind. The heart naturally gives utterance to its emotions in songs of thanksgiving. The sentiment in this verse is well expressed in the beautiful stanza:

In every joy that crowns my days,

In every pain I bear,

My heart shall find delight in praise,

Or seek relief in prayer.

- Mrs. Williams.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 13. Is any among you afflicted? let him pray — The Jews taught that the meaning of the ordinance, Leviticus 13:45, which required the leper to cry, Unclean! unclean! was, "that thus making known his calamity, the people might be led to offer up prayers to God in his behalf," Sota, page 685, ed. Wagens. They taught also, that when any sickness or affliction entered a family, they should go to the wise men, and implore their prayers. Bava bathra, fol. 116, 1.

In Nedarim, fol. 40, 1, we have this relation: "Rabba, as often as he fell sick, forbade his domestics to mention it for the first day; if he did not then begin to get well, he told his family to go and publish it in the highways, that they who hated him might rejoice, and they that loved him might intercede with God for him."

Is any merry? let him sing psalms. — These are all general but very useful directions. It is natural for a man to sing when he is cheerful and happy. Now no subject can be more noble than that which is Divine: and as God alone is the author of all that good which makes a man happy, then his praise should be the subject of the song of him who is merry. But where persons rejoice in iniquity, and not in the truth, God and sacred things can never be the subject of their song.