What Does James 4:5 Mean?

(5) **Do ye think . . .?**—The tone of the Apostle is changed to one of appeal, which, perhaps (but see below), may be rendered thus: *Suppose ye that the Scripture saith in vain, The* (Holy) *Spirit that dwelleth in us jealously regards us as His own?* Our Authorised version does not allow of this apparent reference to the Spirit of God indwelling His human temples (1Corinthians 3:16; 1Corinthians 6:19, *et seq.*) for “lusteth to envy,” or *enviously, *would imply evil and not good. It were well that the unfaithful, addressed in James 4:4, should bear the general sentiment of this verse in mind, and not fancy such warnings of holy writ were uttered *emptily, in vain.* Many commentators have been puzzled to say whence the words came which are quoted as authoritative by St. James. Surely the substance was sufficient for him, as for other inspired writers, without a slavish adherence to the form: comp. Genesis 2:7 for the inbreathing of the Spirit, with any such chapter as Deuteronomy 32 for His jealous inquisition. It must, however, be noted that a slightly varied punctuation of the verse will give quite another sense to its questioning. (See Wordsworth.) *Suppose ye that the Scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the Spirit, which took up His abode in you, lust to envy?* And defensible or not as this translation may be, at least it escapes some of the difficulties of the foregoing. (Exhaustive notes, with references to most authorities, are in Alford; or an easy summary of the matter may be read in Plumptre’s *St. James.*)