James 1:15
What does James 1:15 mean?
A plain-English look at James 1:15 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What James 1:15 means
James describes sin’s life cycle. Desire, when it conceives, gives birth to sin; and sin, when fully grown, brings forth death. Temptation is not harmless curiosity; it is a seed that, if nurtured, matures into rebellion and ends in separation and ruin. The metaphors warn us early: confront desire before it conceives; repent of sin before it matures. This is sober realism, not despair. God’s grace can interrupt the cycle, but we must not minimize its momentum. By unveiling sin’s trajectory, James urges vigilance, accountability, and reliance on God’s power to redirect our desires toward life.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Then when its time comes, desire gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is of full growth, gives birth to death.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862afterward the desire having conceived, doth give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, doth bring forth death.
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Then, when concupiscence hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin. But sin, when it is completed, begetteth death.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890then lust, having conceived, gives birth to sin; but sin fully completed brings forth death.
Context
Following the origin of temptation in personal desire (verse 14), this verse shows its fatal outcome. Together they explain why blaming God is both false and dangerous. The next verse (16) will add a pastoral warning against deception, and verses 17–18 will present the alternative: God as the giver of every good gift and the author of new birth through the word of truth. The contrast between sin’s offspring (death) and God’s gift (life) structures the argument.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
- Isaiah 59:4
None sueth in righteousness, and none pleadeth in truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity.
- Revelation 20:14
And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, eventhe lake of fire.
- Genesis 3:17
And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
- Romans 5:12
Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned:—
- Psalms 7:14
Behold, he travaileth with iniquity; Yea, he hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
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