Devine Scripture

James 5:1

What does James 5:1 mean?

A plain-English look at James 5:1 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What James 5:1 means

James summons wealthy oppressors to lament, because calamities are nearing. He speaks like an Old Testament prophet, announcing God’s impending judgment on those who trust in riches and abuse power. Their present ease is no shield against what is coming. This is not a blanket condemnation of possessing wealth, but a rebuke of hearts hardened by luxury and injustice. The command to “weep and howl” presses urgency: before God’s court, ill‑gotten comfort turns to misery. The verse exposes how prosperity without righteousness invites divine reckoning, urging readers to view success through the lens of accountability to the Lord, whose evaluation is certain and whose timing may surprise the unrepentant.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

Come now, ye rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

Come now, you men of wealth, give yourselves to weeping and crying because of the bitter troubles which are coming to you.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

Go, now, ye rich! weep, howling over your miseries that are coming upon <FI>you<Fi> ;

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

Go to now, ye rich men: weep and howl in your miseries, which shall come upon you.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

Go to now, ye rich, weep, howling over your miseries that [are] coming upon [you].

Context

Verse 1 opens the chapter with a sharp denunciation of oppressive wealth. It sets the tone for verses 2–6, where James details why judgment is coming: rotting riches, withheld wages, indulgent living, and violence against the righteous. This prophetic address prepares a contrast with verse 7, where James turns from rebuking the “rich” to comforting the “brethren,” calling them to patience under suffering. Understanding this switch helps readers see that James both confronts injustice and encourages endurance among believers awaiting the Lord’s intervention.

v.1This passage

v.2Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Luke 12:16

    And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:

  • James 4:9

    Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

  • James 4:13

    Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain:

  • Proverbs 11:28

    He that trusteth in his riches shall fall; But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.

  • Amos 6:6

    that drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

  • James 1:11

    For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and withereth the grass; and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his goings.

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