James 2:22

New Living Translation

You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
So you see that Abraham's faith and what he did worked together. His faith was made perfect by what he did.

Revised Standard Version
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Thou seist how that fayth wrought with his dedes and through the dedes was the fayth made parfect:

Hebrew Names Version
You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;

New American Standard Bible
You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

New Century Version
So you see that Abraham's faith and the things he did worked together. His faith was made perfect by what he did.

Update Bible Version
You see that faith was working with his works, and by works was faith made perfect;

Webster's Bible Translation
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

English Standard Version
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;

World English Bible
You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected;

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Thou seest that faith wrought together with his works, and by works was faith made perfect.

Weymouth's New Testament
You notice that his faith was co-operating with his actions, and that by his actions his faith was perfected;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor thou seest, that feith wrouyte with hise werkis, and his feith was fillid of werkis.

English Revised Version
Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect;

Berean Standard Bible
You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did.

Contemporary English Version
Now you see how Abraham's faith and deeds worked together. He proved that his faith was real by what he did.

Amplified Bible
You see that [his] faith was working together with his works, and as a result of the works, his faith was completed [reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience].

American Standard Version
Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect;

Bible in Basic English
You see that his faith was helping his works and was made complete by them;

Complete Jewish Bible
You see that his faith worked with his actions; by the actions the faith was made complete;

Darby Translation
Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and that by works faith was perfected.

International Standard Version
You see that his faith was active with his works, and by his works faith was made complete.Hebrews 11:17;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Thou seest that his faith was helpful [fn] unto his works; and by works his faith was perfected,

Murdock Translation
Seest thou, that his faith aided his works; and that by the works his faith was rendered complete?

King James Version (1611)
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

New Life Bible
You see his faith working by what he did and his faith was made perfect by what he did.

New Revised Standard
You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Seest thou not that the faith wrought with his workes? and through the workes was the faith made perfect.

George Lamsa Translation
You can see, how his faith helped his works, and how by works his faith was made perfect.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thou seest that, his faith, had been working together with his works, and by his works did his faith become full-grown, -

Douay-Rheims Bible
Seest thou that faith did cooperate with his works and by works faith was made perfect?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Seest thou not, howe ye faith wrought with his deedes, and through ye deedes was the fayth made perfect?

Good News Translation
Can't you see? His faith and his actions worked together; his faith was made perfect through his actions.

Christian Standard Bible®
You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete,

King James Version
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

Lexham English Bible
You see that faith was working together with his works, and by the works the faith was perfected.

Literal Translation
You see that faith worked with his works; and out of the works the faith was made perfected.

Young's Literal Translation
dost thou see that the faith was working with his works, and out of the works the faith was perfected?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thou seist how yt faith wrought with his dedes, and through ye dedes was the faith made perfect:

Mace New Testament (1729)
don't you see his actions and his faith conspir'd, and that his faith had its perfect effect in his conduct?

New English Translation
You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works.

New King James Version
Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

Simplified Cowboy Version
His faith was workin' and it was by these works that his faith was perfected.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? ¹⁵ Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶ and you say, "Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well"—but then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? ¹⁷ So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. ¹⁸ Now someone may argue, "Some people have faith; others have good deeds." But I say, "How can you show me your faith if you don't have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds." ¹⁹ You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. ²⁰ How foolish! Can't you see that faith without good deeds is useless? ²¹ Don't you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. ²³ And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." He was even called the friend of God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Seest thou: or, Thou seest

faith: James 2:18, Galatians 5:6, Hebrews 11:17-19

faith made: 1 John 2:5, 1 John 4:17, 1 John 4:18

Reciprocal: Genesis 22:12 - now Deuteronomy 4:9 - keep thy soul John 8:39 - If Romans 2:10 - to every James 2:24 - General James 2:25 - justified

Cross-References

Genesis 2:8
Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made.

Genesis 2:9
The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:19
So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.

Psalms 127:1

A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem. A psalm of Solomon.

Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.

Proverbs 18:22
The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord .

Proverbs 19:14
Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth, but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.

1 Timothy 2:13
For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve.

Hebrews 13:4
Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Seest thou how faith wrought with his works,.... Not to justify him before God; for neither faith nor works are ever said in Scripture to justify any man; but his faith being of the right kind, a faith which works by love, it put him upon doing this work, and many others; for this was done in faith, Hebrews 11:17 as all good works are, which are properly such; and where there is true faith, it will influence and engage a man to do good works, as it did Abraham.

And by works was faith made perfect? not with an absolute perfection; for though Abraham's faith was very great, yet there were things lacking in it, and he had his fits and times of unbelief; and had he lived till now, his faith, in this sense, would not have been perfect; and he would have had reason to have used the apostle's petition, Luke 17:5 much less would it have been made thus perfect by works; but the sense is, that hereby his faith was declared to be sincere, unfeigned, true, and genuine; just as love is said to be perfected, 1 John 4:17.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seest thou - Margin, “Thou seest.” Either rendering is correct, and the sense is the same. The apostle means to say that this was so plain that they could not but see it.

How faith wrought with his works - συνήργει sunērgei. Cooperated with. The meaning of the word is, “to work together with anyone; to co operate,” 1 Corinthians 16:16; 2 Corinthians 6:1; then to aid, or help, Mark 16:20; to contribute to the production of any result, where two or more persons or agents are united. Compare Romans 8:28. The idea here is, that the result in the case of Abraham, that is, his salvation, or his religion, was secured, not by one of these things alone, but that both contributed to it. The result which was reached, to wit, his acceptance with God, could not have been obtained by either one of them separately, but both, in some sense, entered into it. The apostle does not say that, in regard to the merit which justifies, they came in for an equal share, for he makes no affirmation on that point; he does not deny that in the sight of God, who foresees and knows all things, he was regarded as a justified man the moment he believed, but he looks at the result as it was, at Abraham as he appeared under the trial of his faith, and says that in that result there was to be seen the co-operation of faith and good works. Both contributed to the end, as they do now in all cases where there is true religion.

(By the somewhat unhappy term “merit,” the author clearly means nothing more than “principle,” as is obvious from his acute and evangelical comment on the verse; as well as from the admirable reconciliation of Paul and James below.)

And by works was faith made perfect - Made complete, finished, or entire. It was so carried out as to show its legitimate and fair results. This does not mean that the faith in itself was defective before this, and that the defect was remedied by good works; or that there is any deficiency in what the right kind of faith can do in the matter of justification, which is to be helped out by good works; but that there was that kind of completion which a thing has when it is fully developed, or is fairly carried out.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 22. Seest thou how faith wrought — Here is a proof that faith cannot exist without being active in works of righteousness. His faith in God would have been of no avail to him, had it not been manifested by works; for by works - by his obedience to the commands of God, his faith was made perfect - it dictated obedience, he obeyed; and thus faith ετελειωθη, had its consummation. Even true faith will soon die, if its possessor do not live in the spirit of obedience.