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4:14 you are a mist: A rebuke for those who plan their lives without consideration of God's will. Such behavior is actually arrogant (4:16), because it fails to acknowledge how short and uncertain life really is and how God alone has the absolute power to determine whether our plans come to pass or fall apart. Back to text.

4:17 Whoever knows . . . and fails: Knowledge of the truth makes one responsible for acting in accord with it (1:22; 2:1426). Failure to act on the truth is a sin of omission (CCC 1853). Back to text.

5:1-6 James rails against wealthy landowners who love their belongings more than God (1 Tim 6:9). The disastrous end of their wealth is so near and so certain that James describes it as already perishing (5:2-3). • Echoes can be heard of sayings from the OT (Job 13:28; Is 51:8), as well as the teaching of Jesus (Mt 6:19-21; Lk 12:15-21). Back to text.

5:3 for the last days: Literally, "in the last days", an expression that refers to the Christian age (Acts 2:17) as it builds up toward a time of widespread chaos and deception (2 Tim 3:1; cf. 2 Pet 3:3; Jude 18). James is alarmed that the rich are senselessly hoarding wealth for themselves in the final calm before the storm of divine judgment (CCC 675-77). Back to text.

5:4 by fraud: A warning that economic injustice does not go unnoticed or unpunished by the Lord. • This is probably an allusion to Lev 19:13, which forbids the exploitation of hired workers and demands that their wages be given by the end of the day (CCC 1867, 2434). See note on Jas 2:8. Back to text.

5:5 day of slaughter: An expression taken from Jer 12:3. • Jeremiah prayed that the corrupt of Israel would no longer prosper and grow strong but would meet the end they justly deserved. His petition was answered the day Yahweh sent Babylon to slaughter the rebels of Judah and Jerusalem in 586 B.C. Judgment likewise awaits the oppressive and over-indulgent who have fattened themselves on moneys unjustly withheld from workers. Back to text.

5:6 you have killed: Graphic but figurative language for the oppression of the poor and defenseless (Wis 2:10-20). To deprive them of their pay (5:4) is to take away their living (Sir 34:21-22) (CCC 2446). Back to text.

5:7-11 An appeal for patient endurance in the midst of suffering. Encouragement is drawn from the past experience of Job (5:11) and the Prophets (5:10), the present experience of farmers (5:7), and the future coming of Christ (5:7-9). Back to text.

5:7 the coming of the Lord: The return of Christ as Judge (5:9). Perhaps James is referring to the Second Coming of Jesus at the end of history (Acts 1:11; 1 Thess 4:16-17). It is also possible, given his stress on the nearness of judgment (Jas 5:8), along with the image of Jesus "standing at the doors" (5:9, alluding to Mt 24:33 and Mk 13:29), that James is referring to the coming judgment of Israel and Jerusalem within the first Christian generation (A.D. 70). If so, this may suggest that the "suffering" (5:10) endured by readers was caused by the unbelievers of Israel. Suffering at the hands of others is also a possibility. the early . . . the late rain: The fall and winter rains that were necessary to make the spring (grain) and summer (olives, grapes) harvests abundant in Palestine (Deut 11:14; Jer 5:24; Joel 2:23-24). Back to text.

5:10 the prophets: The suffering of the Prophets was proverbial (Mt 5:12; Acts 7:52; Heb 11:32-38). Back to text.

5:11 the steadfastness of Job: This example is part of the warning against grumbling (5:9). • James may be thinking of how Job endured even the most crushing misfortunes without cursing God or sinning with his lips (Job 2:9-10). Back to text.

5:12 James cautions readers against the abuse of oath swearing, echoing the words of Jesus recorded in Mt 5:33-37 (CCC 2153-55). Condemnation results when oaths, which are intended for sacred and public contexts, are sworn in secular and private settings. The gravity of this sin is not lessened when the binding force of an oath is thought to be reduced by invoking heaven and earth instead of God's holy name. See note on Mt 5:33. Back to text.

5:14 anointing: Oil was used as a medicinal agent in Jewish antiquity (Is 1:6; Lk 10:34). However, James envisions something more than a simple healing rite: the invocation of the Lord's name, which results in forgiveness (Jas 5:15), makes the anointing a truly sacred and sacramental action. Its institution goes back to Jesus and is hinted at in Mk 6:13. •The Council of Trent (1551) interprets this text as a reference to the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, which is administered by priests (presbyters) to the aged and seriously ill. Its purpose is to cleanse them of sin, to strengthen them through the spiritual struggles that come with illness, and, in some cases, to prepare them for death. Restoration to health can also result if God wills it (CCC 1510-20). Back to text.

5:15 save the sick man: Probably refers to eternal salvation. James uses the verb "save" consistently in this fashion throughout the letter (1:21; 2:14; 4:12; 5:20). Back to text.

5:16 confess . . . to one another: This command must be interpreted within the context of the anointing rite, where the elders (i.e., priests) presumably hear the confession of the sick person before his sins are remitted through the sacrament (5:14-15). • Such confession has its roots in the liturgical practice of Israel (Lev 5:5-6; Num 5:5-10) and is implicitly mandated by the teaching of Jesus (Jn 20:23). Back to text.

5:17 Elijah: An example of personal righteousness and powerful prayer (Sir 48:1-3; Rev 11:6). • James recalls how the prophet Elijah, who remained faithful to Yahweh when most of Israel went astray, caused a three and a half year drought (Lk 4:25) by his petitions to God (1 Kings 17:1; 18:1, 41-46). The point is that God hears and answers the prayers of a humble and upright heart (Sir 35:17) but refuses to listen to the petitions of an evil and divided heart (Jas 1:6-8; 4:3) (CCC 2582-83, 2738). Back to text.

5:20 brings back a sinner: Fraternal correction is a work of mercy that is sometimes awkward but is urgently necessary for one who has strayed from the truth (Gal 6:1). The language of "turning back" signifies repentance both in the OT (Hos 6:1; Joel 2:12) and in the NT (Lk 1:16; Acts 3:19). his soul: I.e., the soul of a person who has formerly gone astray but has come to repentance. cover a multitude of sins: Perhaps an allusion to Prov 10:12 (similar wording appears in 1 Pet 4:8). The notion of "covering" sins is a Hebrew idiom for forgiveness (Neh 4:5; Ps 32:1). Back to text.

Word Study

Elders (Jas 5:14)

Presbyteros (Gk.): an "elder", "elderly man", or "presbyter". The word is used 66 times in the NT. It has its primary background in the OT and Jewish tradition, where "elders" (Heb., zeqenim) referred to the tribal leaders of Israel appointed by Moses (Ex 24:1; Num 11:16) and to the members of a city's judicial council (Josh 20:4). By the first century, it was a collective name for Pharisaic teachers (Mt 15:2), for a group within the Jewish high court, the Sanhedrin (Mt 26:3), and for the senior officials of a Jewish synagogue. This notion of ruling and religious elders carried over into Christian tradition and was applied to its own appointed leaders (Acts 14:23; 15:2; 20:17; 21:18). An "elder" or "presbyter" thus came to refer to an ordained shepherd of the Church who preached the gospel and administered the sacraments (1 Tim 5:17; Tit 1:5; Jas 5:14). The English word "priest" is derived from this Greek term.