King James Version
What Does James 4:3 Mean?
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. lusts: or, pleasures”
Context
1
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? fightings: or, brawlings lusts: or, pleasures
2
Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. lusts: or, pleasures
4
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
5
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? to envy: or, enviously? to envy: or, enviously
Commentary
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible CommentaryCHAPTER 9 He 9:1-28. Inferiority of the Old to the New Covenant in the Means of Access to God: The Blood of Bulls and Goats of No Real Avail: The Blood of Christ All-sufficient to Purge Away Sin, Whence Flows Our Hope of His Appearing Again for Our Perfect Salvation.
**1. Then verily--**Greek, "Accordingly then." Resuming the subject from He 8:5. In accordance with the command given to Moses, "the first covenant had," &c.
**had--**not "has," for as a covenant it no longer existed, though its rites were observed till the destruction of Jerusalem.
**ordinances--**of divine right and institution.
**service--**worship.
**a worldly sanctuary--**Greek, "its (literally, 'the') sanctuary worldly," mundane; consisting of the elements of the visible world. Contrasted with the heavenly sanctuary. Compare He 9:11, 12, "not of this building," He 9:24. Material, outward, perishing (however precious its materials were), and also defective religiously. In He 9:2-5, "the worldly sanctuary" is discussed; in He 9:6, &c., the "ordinances of worship." The outer tabernacle the Jews believed, signified this world; the Holy of Holies, heaven. Josephus calls the outer, divided into two parts, "a secular and common place," answering to "the earth and sea"; and the inner holiest place, the third part, appropriated to God and not accessible to men.
Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, David Brown. Public Domain.
Historical Context
This verse is found in the book of James. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Theological Significance
James 4:3 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Cross-References
Verses related to James 4:3
Cross-references from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge