Language Studies

Greek Thoughts

TAPEINOS* - Part 2 - εχηγεομαι (Strong's #1834)
Humble, lowly, poor

Please note that all Biblical quotes are presented from the Literal Translation.

Last week we began our study of the adjective ταπεινὸς (Strong's #5011), which describes the condition or state of one who is humble or lowly. We looked at Matthew 11:25-30 which uniquely describes the believer's relationship with the Lord.

We saw that the adjective ταπεινὸς is used in Matthew 11:29 to describe the heart of the Lord. It says: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, because I am meek and humble (ταπεινὸς) in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." The Lord was speaking to those who were under the burden of the Law, those who believed that they must keep the Law in order to obtain forgiveness for their sins. He called for them to come to Him, taking His yoke upon themselves. His listeners understood the yoke referred to as being a wooden harness used to bind oxen together. They also knew that within the yoke, only one position of leadership existed, there could be only one lead ox. Because of this imagery, people understood that Jesus was calling them to submit to His leadership, calling them to follow and learn from Him. While this picture may not be as immediately clear to some of us today, it is readily grasped and has the same application now as it had in Biblical days.

The text then describes the heart of the Lord and the direction in which He would lead those yoked to Him. Jesus said, "I am meek and humble in heart," The word translated meek is πραύ̈ς (Strong's #4239) and carries the idea of "openness," or "receptivity." The word for "humble" is our word of study, ταπεινὸς. From the language used here, we see that Jesus leads those yoked to Him into receptivity to all that God has planned for their lives. Just as Jesus was led by the Father down the humble or low road in this earthly life, those following Jesus will experience the same. He will lead them down the humble road, the path of submission to the Father.

This week our study takes us to James 4:1-17. In verses 1-3 James issues an indictment against believers. The charge is spiritual adultery against God, because they are living to satisfy their desire for pleasure. In verses 4-6, he presents the infractions that believers have committed. In verses 7-17, he gives instruction on how they are to correct their sin. These verses, 7-17, are grouped into three subsections, each presenting commands for believers: verses 7-10 — how to deal with the desires of the flesh; verses 11-12 — how to deal with the attack against their brothers; and verses 13-17 — instructions on the proper approach to the world. Although James 4:1-17 is a cohesive unit of Scripture, our study focuses on the first ten verses only.

The Indictment

1)
From where do wars and fightings come from among you? Are they not from here, from out of your hedonistic desires, which are warring in your members?

James begins by asking two questions. First, that his readers discern the source of their fighting and war. With his second question, which carries the expectation of a "yes" answer, he actually answers his first question. James says that the source of the fighting among believers is rooted in the "hedonistic desires" which are warring in the members of their bodies. The Greek word translated "hedonistic desires" is ἡδονὴ (Strong's #2237), which means, "to desire pleasure." James says that these believers are pleasure-seekers and the fighting among them comes from out of this motive.

2)
You desire and you do not have; you murder and are jealous, and are not able to obtain. You fight and you make war but you do not have on account of you do not ask.F1

Verse 2 contains three of four phrases that establish James' indictment: "You desire and you do not have;" "you murder and are jealous, and are not able to obtain;" and "You fight and you make war but you do not have on account of you do not ask." James presents the fact that believers strive to fulfill their lust for pleasure, not from literal, physical fighting, but from desires and jealousies that result in murder or character assassination. He then tells them that they are striving and not submitting their requests to the Lord.

3)
You ask, and you do not receive, on account of that you are asking wrongly, in order that you might spend it in your hedonistic desires.

Verse 3 contains the fourth phrase establishing James' indictment, "You ask, and you do not receive, on account of that you are asking wrongly." Whereas, in verse 2, James said that believers didn't have because they were striving for what they wanted and not asking of God, now he tells them that even if they ask they don't have, because they are asking "wrongly," meaning from out of the wrong motive. He then exposes their wrong motive, "in order that you might spend it in your hedonistic desires."

Presentation of Infractions

4)
Adulterers and adulteresses, do you not know that the friendship of the world is the hostility of God? Whoever therefore should decide to be a friend of the world is being established as an enemy of God.

They are "adulterers and adulteresses," according to James; because, in order to satisfy their hedonistic desires, they have joined themselves to the world system that is hostile toward God. He states that, "whoever decides to be a friend of the world is being established as an enemy of God." The person that looks to the world to satisfy his hedonistic desires becomes an enemy of God, even if that person confesses to belong to the Lord.

5)
Or do you think that the Scripture says vainly, "The spirit which dwelled in us desires to envy"?

6)
But He gives greater grace; on account of which it says, "God is setting Himself against proud ones, but He gives grace to humble (ταπεινὸς) ones."

In verse 5, James strengthens his presentation of their adultery against God, in following the Textus Receptus, by stating that the human spirit constantly lusts to envy. But, in the very next verse (6), he presents the fact that, in light of the fallen nature of man and his propensity toward fleshly and worldly things, God gives the greater grace.

In this verse (6), James presents the principle of humbleness. He quotes from Proverbs 3:34 saying that in God's grace, He sets Himself against proud ones, but gives grace to humble ones. The Greek word translated "proud" is the adjective ὑπερὴφανος (Strong's #5244), which means "to show oneself or to appear above others." It is the Greek word for "arrogant." God opposes those who are self-centered and self-directed. God's grace is ministered to those who are lowly or in a condition of submission. According to the great principle of humbleness found in Proverbs 3:34, our humble condition is created by God so that we must look to Him for His grace, instead of looking to the world in order to find satisfaction for our lustful desires.

The Instructions for The Remedy for Sin

In verses 7-10, James gives instructions all believers must follow in order to keep from being drawn away from the Lord and into the world. These instructions are presented through ten commands.

7)
Be submitted therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you;

Two commands are given in verse 7. The first is "Be submitted to God." The Greek word used here for "submitted" is ὑποτὰσσω (Strong's #5923). It is in the passive voice which shows that believers are the recipients of the submission process; they are not producing it themselves. Secondly, believers are commanded to "resist the devil." This command is coupled with the promise, "and he will flee from you." The believer is called to resist the devil who is making his appeal to the flesh through the world. James tells them that the act of resisting will cause the devil to flee. James is clear in this promise; he doesn't say that the devil will sometimes flee or that he might flee, but that he will definitely flee.

8)
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded ones.

Three additional commands are given in verse 8. "Draw near to God," is coupled with the promise that "… He will draw near to you." Sinners are also commanded to cleanse their hands, meaning that they are to come to Christ to have the works of their hands cleansed. In addition, those who are double-minded (confessing to belong to Christ but making friends with the world) are commanded to purify their hearts — that is, to come to the Lord for the cleansing of their motives and desires that are rooted in envy.

9)
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and joy into dejection.

Verse 9 contains four more commands. The first three call to affliction, mourning and weeping, those who have been enjoying the pleasures of the world. The fourth states, "Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and joy into dejection." The proud and arrogant would laugh and brag about their worldly accomplishments, but James is calling on believers to take the low road instead, to experience the process that takes them down the low road. He is calling for believers to be submitted to the process that will keep the flesh in a lowly condition, instead of in a condition of self-glory.

10)
Be humbled before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Verse 10 holds this section's last and final command, "Be humbled before the Lord." It is coupled with the promise that the Lord will, at a time in the future, exalt those He humbles. The Greek word for the translation "Be humbled" is the verb form of our study word, ταπεινὸς. The verb form is ταπεινὸω (Strong's #5011). Again, this command is presented in the passive voice, which means the believer is to submit to God's humbling process, not to create it himself.

As a human being, the believer has three areas of struggle: the flesh, the world, and the devil. While receiving Christ saves a person and makes his spirit alive to the Lord, desire for the things of the world still functions within the flesh. James presents that this is the source of the problem existing in the church. Believers are desiring the pleasures of life and are contending with each other in order to obtain them. James also presents that any believer following this path, is joining forces with a worldly system that is hostile toward God, and is, in fact, positioning himself as an enemy of God. However, James assures us that God, in His marvelous provision for us, has sent His Spirit to oppose the things of the flesh so that we cannot do the things we desire to do. Paul states this in Galatians 5:16-17: "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you should never fulfill the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these things are opposing to one another, in order that whatever you should desire to do, these things you should not do." As God's Spirit opposes the desires of our flesh, we are to submit to God's humbling process, which brings our flesh into submission, and we will look to the Lord for His grace to sustain us. The entire process is a gift from God so that we will not be drawn away from Him by the deceptive desires of the flesh for the things of the world, which Satan is using against us.

Next week we will continue to study the great principle of humbleness from .

* TAPEINOS is the English font spelling of the Greek word ταπεινος.

Technical Notes:

F1: The preposition with the articular infinitive with the accusative as the subject of the infinitive διὰ͂τὸ͂μὴ͂αἰτεῖσθαῖὑμας, "on account of the not to ask you," is translated ἐπειδὴ͂δὲν͂ζητεῖτε, "on account of you do not ask."

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Meet the Author

Bill Klein has been a pastor, counselor, and educator for the past 41 years. He has had extensive training and education in biblical languages, and has authored a Biblical Greek course.

He is currently serving as Professor of Biblical Greek at Master's Graduate School of Divinity, and president of BTE Ministries - The Bible Translation and Exegesis Institute of America, a non-profit organization located in California that provides Bible study tapes and Greek study materials through their website BTEMinistries.org.