Bible Strands
James 1:4
Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — James writes to Jewish believers scattered abroad, in a passage that links trials directly to the development of faith. He addresses them mid-testing, not after the fact.
The words — Hupomonē (ὑπομονή) compounds hypo (under) with monē (remain), giving the sense of staying in place under pressure rather than enduring as a brief act. Teleion (τέλειον) carries the idea of reaching an endpoint or goal, not merely being flawless.
The thread — Luke 21:19 pairs endurance with gaining one's soul; 1 Peter 5:10 frames suffering as a short interval before the God of grace perfects and establishes the believer; Matthew 5:48 sets the same teleios standard against the Father's character.
Why it lands — The verse asks the reader to stop trying to shortcut the process: let the testing run its full course, and the result is completeness, not a partial fix.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Cross-references
- 1 Peter 5:10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.
- Luke 21:19 By your patient endurance you will gain your souls.
- Matthew 5:48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
- 2 Timothy 3:17 so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.
- Galatians 6:9 Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
- Hebrews 13:21 equip you with every good thing to do His will. And may He accomplish in us what is pleasing in His sight through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
- James 5:7 Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
- Habakkuk 2:3 For the vision awaits an appointed time; it testifies of the end and does not lie. Though it lingers, wait for it, since it will surely come and will not delay.
- Psalms 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.
- Psalms 40:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. I waited patiently for the LORD; He inclined to me and heard my cry.