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Selected Verse: James 4:10 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Jas 4:10 |
King James |
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
in the sight of the Lord--as continually in the presence of Him who alone is worthy to be exalted: recognizing His presence in all your ways, the truest incentive to humility. The tree, to grow upwards, must strike its roots deep downwards; so man, to be exalted, must have his mind deep-rooted in humility. In Pe1 5:6, it is, Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, namely, in His dealings of Providence: a distinct thought from that here.
lift you up--in part in this world, fully in the world to come. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord - Compare Mat 23:12. See the notes at Jam 4:6. That is, be willing to take your appropriate place in the dust on account of your transgressions. This is to be "in the sight of the Lord," or before him. Our sins have been committed against him; and their principal aggravation, whoever may have been wronged by them, and great as is their criminality in other respects, arises from that consideration. Psa 51:4, "against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight." Luk 15:18, "I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee." As the Being against whom we have sinned is the only one who can pardon, it is proper that we should humble ourselves before him with penitent confession.
And he shall lift you up - He will exalt you from the condition of a broken-hearted penitent to that of a forgiven child; will wipe away your tears, remove the sadness of your heart, fill you with joy, and clothe you with the garments of salvation. This declaration is in accordance with all the promises in the Bible, and with all the facts which occur on the earth, that God is willing to show mercy to the humble and contrite, and to receive those who are truly penitent into his favor. Compare Luk 15:22. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord - In Jam 4:7 they were exhorted to submit to God; here they are exhorted to humble themselves in his sight. Submission to God's authority will precede humiliation of soul, and genuine repentance is performed as in the sight of God; for when a sinner is truly awakened to a sense of his guilt and danger, he seems to see, whithersoever he turns, the face of a justly incensed God turned against him.
He shall lift you up - Mourners and penitents lay on the ground, and rolled themselves in the dust. When comforted and pardoned, they arose from the earth, shook themselves from the dust, and clothed themselves in their better garments. God promises to raise these from the dust, when sufficiently humbled. |
6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.