Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, November 6th, 2024
the Week of Proper 26 / Ordinary 31
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

New Living Translation

James 4:8

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ablution;   Character;   Commandments;   God;   God Continued...;   Heart;   Hypocrisy;   Instability;   Prayer;   Purity;   Repentance;   Righteous;   Seekers;   Thompson Chain Reference - Cleansing;   Defilement-Cleansing;   Double-Mindedness;   Draw near to God;   Fellowship-Estrangement;   God;   Indecision;   Nearness to God;   Purification of Heart;   Spiritual;   Steadfastness-Instability;   The Topic Concordance - Cleanness;   Closeness;   Heart;   Sin;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Access to God;   Heart, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Andrew;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Uncleanness;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Ordinances of the Gospel;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Double-Minded;   Integrity;   James, the Letter;   Purity-Purification;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Judas;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Formalism;   Hand;   Holy Spirit;   Mind;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Purification;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Double mind;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Will;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Cleanse;   Double;   Estate;   James, Epistle of;   Near;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for December 29;   Every Day Light - Devotion for April 24;   Faith's Checkbook - Devotion for March 27;   Today's Word from Skip Moen - Devotion for July 3;   My Utmost for His Highest - Devotion for November 4;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Come near to God and he will come near to you. You are sinners, so clean sin out of your lives. You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure.
Revised Standard Version
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you men of double mind.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Drawe nye to god and he will drawe nye to you. Clense youre hondes ye synners and pourdge youre hertes ye waverynge mynded.
Hebrew Names Version
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
New American Standard Bible
Come close to God and He will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
New Century Version
Come near to God, and God will come near to you. You sinners, clean sin out of your lives. You who are trying to follow God and the world at the same time, make your thinking pure.
Update Bible Version
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Webster's Bible Translation
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners, and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double-minded.
English Standard Version
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
World English Bible
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you: cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double-minded.
Weymouth's New Testament
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you who are half-hearted towards God.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Neiye ye to God, and he schal neiye to you. Ye synneris, clense ye hondis, and ye double in soule, purge ye the hertis.
English Revised Version
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.
Berean Standard Bible
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Contemporary English Version
Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can't make up your mind.
Amplified Bible
Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; and purify your [unfaithful] hearts, you double-minded [people].
American Standard Version
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.
Bible in Basic English
Come near to God and he will come near to you. Make your hands clean, you evil-doers; put away deceit from your hearts, you false in mind.
Complete Jewish Bible
Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Clean your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded people!
Darby Translation
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse [your] hands, sinners, and purify [your] hearts, ye double-minded.
International Standard Version
Come close to God, and he will come close to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.2 Chronicles 15:2; Isaiah 1:16; James 1:8; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:3;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
and draw nigh unto Aloha, and he will be nigh you. Purify your hands, sinners, and sanctify your hearts, divided of soul.
Murdock Translation
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners: sanctify your hearts, ye divided in mind.
King James Version (1611)
Draw nigh to God, and hee will draw nigh to you: cleanse your hands ye sinners, and purifie your hearts yee double minded.
New Life Bible
Come close to God and He will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Clean up your hearts, you who want to follow the sinful ways of the world and God at the same time.
New Revised Standard
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Drawe neere to God, and he will drawe nere to you. Clense your handes, ye sinners, and purge your hearts, ye double minded.
George Lamsa Translation
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, O you sinners! And purify your hearts, O you of doubtful mind!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Draw near unto God, and he will draw near unto you. Cleanse hands, sinners! Chasten hearts, double souls!
Douay-Rheims Bible
Draw nigh to God: and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Drawe nye to God, and he wyll drawe nye to you. Clense your handes ye sinners, and purifie your heartes ye double mynded.
Good News Translation
Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites!
Christian Standard Bible®
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
King James Version
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Lexham English Bible
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded!
Literal Translation
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners! And purify your hearts, double minded ones!
Young's Literal Translation
draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you; cleanse hands, ye sinners! and purify hearts, ye two-souled!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Drawe nye to God & he wil drawe nye to you. Clense yor hondes ye synners, and pourge youre hertes ye wauerynge mynded.
Mace New Testament (1729)
address your selves to God, and you will find him present with you: cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, you that are diffident.
New English Translation
Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded.
New King James Version
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Spread your bedroll next to the Boss and he will keep the fire warm and the wolves away. Wash your hands of the filth you've been living in and quit ridin' for the Boss during the day and the devil by night.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Contextual Overview

1 What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don't they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don't have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can't get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don't have what you want because you don't ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don't get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. 4 You adulterers! Don't you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. 6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Draw nigh to God: Genesis 18:23, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 2 Chronicles 15:2, Psalms 73:28, Psalms 145:18, Isaiah 29:13, Isaiah 55:6, Isaiah 55:7, Hosea 6:1, Hosea 6:2, Zechariah 1:3, Malachi 3:7, Hebrews 7:19, Hebrews 10:22

Cleanse: Job 9:30, Job 16:17, Job 17:9, Psalms 18:20, Psalms 24:4, Psalms 26:6, Psalms 73:13, Isaiah 1:15, Isaiah 1:16, Isaiah 13:15, Matthew 15:2, Matthew 27:24, 1 Timothy 2:8, 1 Peter 3:21

purify: Psalms 51:6, Psalms 51:7, Psalms 51:10, Jeremiah 4:11, Ezekiel 18:31, Ezekiel 36:25-27, Matthew 12:33, Matthew 23:25, Matthew 23:26, Luke 11:39, Luke 11:40, Acts 15:9, 2 Corinthians 7:1, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:3

ye double: James 1:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 27:21 - Come Genesis 35:2 - clean Leviticus 15:5 - General Leviticus 15:6 - General Leviticus 15:8 - General Leviticus 15:10 - General Leviticus 15:13 - wash Numbers 8:6 - cleanse them Numbers 8:7 - wash their Numbers 29:7 - afflict Deuteronomy 4:7 - who hath 1 Samuel 14:36 - Then said the priest 2 Samuel 22:21 - cleanness 2 Chronicles 25:2 - but not 2 Chronicles 30:6 - turn again Job 11:14 - put it far Job 20:18 - and he shall Job 36:10 - commandeth Ecclesiastes 7:3 - is better Isaiah 22:12 - call Jeremiah 4:14 - wash Jeremiah 7:3 - Amend Jeremiah 25:5 - Turn Lamentations 3:57 - drewest Ezekiel 14:6 - Repent Ezekiel 18:21 - if the Daniel 4:27 - break Daniel 9:3 - with Joel 1:8 - Lament Joel 2:12 - with fasting Zechariah 7:3 - Should Matthew 5:8 - are Matthew 18:35 - from Mark 7:4 - except Luke 15:19 - make John 11:55 - to purify Acts 2:40 - Save 1 Timothy 1:5 - a pure Titus 2:12 - denying Titus 2:14 - purify James 1:21 - filthiness James 3:17 - first

Cross-References

Genesis 4:3
When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord .
Genesis 4:6
"Why are you so angry?" the Lord asked Cain. "Why do you look so dejected?
Genesis 4:9
Afterward the Lord asked Cain, "Where is your brother? Where is Abel?" "I don't know," Cain responded. "Am I my brother's guardian?"
Genesis 4:10
But the Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground!
Genesis 4:12
No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth."
Genesis 4:15
The Lord replied, "No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you." Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him.
Genesis 4:24
If someone who kills Cain is punished seven times, then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times!"
Genesis 4:26
When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.
2 Samuel 3:27
When Abner arrived back at Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gateway as if to speak with him privately. But then he stabbed Abner in the stomach and killed him in revenge for killing his brother Asahel.
2 Samuel 14:6
My two sons had a fight out in the field. And since no one was there to stop it, one of them was killed.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you,.... This must be understood consistently with the perfection of God's immensity and omnipresence: the saints draw nigh to God when they present their bodies in his sanctuary; when they tread in his courts, and attend his ordinances; where they always find it good for them to draw nigh unto him; and blessed is the man that approaches to him in faith and fear: they draw nigh to him when they come to the throne of his grace, for grace and mercy to help them; when they draw near to him in prayer with true hearts, and lift them up with their hands to God; when in the exercise of faith and hope they enter within the vail, and come up even to his seat; and lay hold on him as their covenant God and Father; and he draws nigh to them by granting them his gracious presence, by communicating his love to them, by applying the blessings of his grace, by helping them in times of need and distress, and by protecting them from their enemies; the contrary to which is expressed by standing afar off from them. Now this is not to be understood as if men could first draw nigh to God, before he draws nigh to them; for as God first loves, so he first moves; he takes the first step, and, in conversion, turns and draws men to himself; though this does not respect first conversion, but after acts in consequence of it; nor is it to be considered as a condition of the grace and favour of God, in drawing nigh to his people, but is expressive of what is their duty, and an encouragement to it:

cleanse [your] hands, ye sinners, and purify [your] hearts, ye double minded; the persons addressed are not the profane men of the world, but sinners in Zion, formal professors, hypocritical persons; who speak with a double tongue to men, and who draw nigh to God with their mouths, but not with their hearts; who halt between two opinions, and are unstable in all their ways: cleansing of their hands and hearts denotes the purity of outward conversation, and of the inward affections; and supposes impurity both of flesh and spirit, that the body and all its members, the soul and all its powers and faculties, are unclean; and yet not that men have a power to cleanse themselves, either from the filth of an external conversation, or from inward pollution of the heart; though a man attempts the one, he fails in it; and who can say he has done the other? Job 9:30. This is not to be done by ceremonial ablutions, moral services, or evangelical ordinances; this is God's work only, as appears from his promises to cleanse his people from their sins, by sprinkling clean water upon them; from the end of Christ's shedding his blood, and the efficacy of it; and from the prayers of the saints, that God would wash them thoroughly from their iniquity, and cleanse them from their sin, and create clean hearts in them: and yet such exhortations are not in vain, since they may be useful to convince men of their pollution, who are pure in their own eyes, as these hypocritical, nominal professors, might be; and to bring them to a sense of their inability to cleanse themselves, and of the necessity of being cleansed elsewhere; and to lead them to inquire after the proper means of cleansing, and so to the fountain of Christ's blood, which only cleanses from all sin.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you - Compare 2 Chronicles 15:2. This declaration contains a great and important principle in religion. If we wish the favor of God, we must come to him; nor can we hope for his mercy, unless we approach him and ask him for it. We cannot come literally any nearer to God than we always are, for he is always round about us; but we may come nearer in a spiritual sense. We may address him directly in prayer; we may approach him by meditation on his character; we may draw near to him in the ordinances of religion. We can never hope for his favor while we prefer to remain at a distance from him; none who in fact draw near to him will find him unwilling to bestow on them the blessings which they need.

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners - There may possibly be an allusion here to Isaiah 1:15-16; “Your hands are full of blood; wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil.” The heart is the seat of motives and intentions - that by which we devise anything; the hands, the instruments by which we execute our purposes. The hands here are represented as defiled by blood, or by acts of iniquity. To wash or cleanse the hands was, therefore, emblematic of putting away transgression, Matthew 27:24. Compare Deuteronomy 21:6; Psalms 26:6. The heathen and the Jews were accustomed to wash their hands before they engaged in public worship. The particular idea here is, that in order to obtain the favor of God, it is necessary to put away our sins; to approach him with a desire to be pure and holy. The mere washing of the hands, in itself, could not recommend us to his favor; but that of which the washing of the hands would be an emblem, would be acceptable in his sight. It may be inferred from what is said here that no one can hope for the favor of God who does not abandon his transgressions. The design of the apostle is, evidently, to state one of the conditions on which we can make an acceptable approach to God. It is indispensable that we come with a purpose and desire to wash ourselves from all iniquity, to put away from us all our transgressions. So David said, “I will wash my hands in innocency; so will I compass thine altar. O Lord,” Psalms 26:6.

(“To obtain the favor of God, it is necessary to put away our sins” - is somewhat unguarded phraseology. If the favor of God were not obtained but on this condition, none ever would obtain it. The passage is a strong injunction to holiness and singleness of heart: it does not say, however, that by these we obtain acceptance with God. Of his favor, holiness is the fruit, the effect, and not the cause. The sinner must not think of getting quit of his sins to prepare him for going to God by Jesus; but he must first go to Jesus to prepare for laying aside his sins. Yet in every approach to God, it is true there must be a “desire “to be free from sin; and this doubtless is the view of the commentary; indeed it is so expressed, though some words are objectionable.)

And purify your hearts - That is, do not rest satisfied with a mere external reformation; with putting away your outward transgressions. There must be a deeper work than that; a work which shall reach to the heart, and which shall purify the affections. This agrees with all the requisitions of the Bible, and is in accordance with what must be the nature of religion. If the heart is wrong, nothing can be right. If, while we seek an external reformation, we still give indulgence to the secret corruptions of the heart, it is clear that we can have no true religion.

Ye double-minded - See the notes at James 1:8. The apostle here seems to have had his eye on those who were vacillating in their purposes; whose hearts were not decidedly fixed, but who were halting between good and evil. The heart was not right in such persons. It was not settled and determined in favor of religion, but vibrated between that and the world. The proper business of such persons, therefore, was to cleanse the heart from disturbing influences, that it might settle down in unwavering attachment to that which is good.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 8. Draw nigh to God — Approach HIM, in the name of Jesus, by faith and prayer, and he will draw nigh to you-he will meet you at your coming. When a soul sets out to seek God, God sets out to meet that soul; so that while we are drawing near to him, he is drawing near to us. The delicacy and beauty of these expressions are, I think, but seldom noted.

Cleanse your hands, ye sinners — This I think to be the beginning of a new address, and to different persons; and should have formed the commencement of a new verse. Let your whole conduct be changed; cease to do evil learn to do well. Washing or cleansing the hands was a token of innocence and purity.

Purify your heartsSeparate yourselves from the world, and consecrate yourselves to God: this is the true notion of sanctification. We have often seen that to sanctify signifies to separate a thing or person from profane or common use, and consecrate it or him to God. This is the true notion of קדש kadash, in Hebrew, and αγιαζω in Greek. The person or thing thus consecrated or separated is considered to be holy, and to be God's property; and then God hallows it to himself. There are, therefore, two things implied in a man's sanctification:

1. That he separates himself from evil ways and evil companions, and devotes himself to God.

2. That God separates guilt from his conscience, and sin from his soul, and thus makes him internally and externally holy.

This double sanctification is well expressed in Sohar, Levit. fol. 33, col. 132, on the words, be ye holy, for I the Lord am holy: אותו מלמעלה ארס מקדש עצמו מלמטה מקישין, a man sanctifies himself on the earth, and then he is sanctified from heaven. As a man is a sinner, he must have his hands cleansed from wicked works; as he is double-minded, he must have his heart sanctified. Sanctification belongs to the heart, because of pollution of mind; cleansing belongs to the hands, because of sinful acts. James 1:8, for the signification of double-minded.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile