James 1:16
What does James 1:16 mean?
A plain-English look at James 1:16 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What James 1:16 means
James pleads, “Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.” Deception about God and sin is a constant threat. Some might reinterpret trials as proof of God’s ill will or minimize the danger of desire. James counters both by calling his readers back to truth. Affectionately addressing them as beloved, he warns that wrong beliefs lead to ruined lives. The antidote is remembering who God is and how temptation works. Only then can we resist the lures of our hearts and the lies of our culture. This brief exhortation resets attention before James declares God’s unwavering generosity in the next verse.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.
KJV
King James Version · 1611Do not err, my beloved brethren.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949Do not be turned from the right way, dear brothers.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862Be not led astray, my brethren beloved;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752Do not err, therefore, my dearest brethren.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890Do not err, my beloved brethren.
Context
This sentence is a hinge. Having traced the path from desire to death (verses 14–15), James pauses to caution his readers against spiritual confusion. The warning prepares for a positive vision in verse 17 of God as the unchanging giver of good. It also connects back to verse 13’s defense of God’s holiness. The flow moves from negation (don’t be deceived) to affirmation (every good gift is from above), and then to redemption’s personal application in verse 18.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Galatians 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
- Colossians 2:8
Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ:
- James 1:19
Ye knowthis, my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
- Hebrews 13:1
Let love of the brethren continue.
- James 2:5
Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?
- 1 Corinthians 6:9
Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men,
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