Bible Strands
James 2:15
Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — James addresses his brothers while arguing that claimed faith requires visible deeds, using a hypothetical case to illustrate empty religiosity. He introduces a concrete scenario of a fellow believer lacking basic necessities to test the validity of mere verbal concern.
The words — The Greek terms γυμνοὶ ὑπάρχοντες (gymnoi hyparchontes) literally mean "being naked" or "without clothes," framed by the conditional ἐὰν (ean) meaning "now if" to establish a hypothetical premise. These words anchor the argument in tangible deprivation rather than abstract spiritual need.
The thread — This scenario echoes John’s command to share tunics and food with those who lack them (Luke 3:11) and Jesus’ identification of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked with service to Christ himself (Matthew 25:35). The prophetic call to share bread with the hungry and clothe the naked (Isaiah 58:7) further establishes this as a recurring biblical standard for covenant faithfulness.
Why it lands — The text demands that physical provision accompany verbal blessing, making empty words morally insufficient. It requires the reader to treat practical aid as the necessary evidence of genuine faith rather than an optional add-on.
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
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
Cross-references
- Luke 3:11 John replied, “Whoever has two tunics should share with him who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”
- Matthew 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in,
- Isaiah 58:7 Isn’t it to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the poor and homeless into your home, to clothe the naked when you see him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
- Job 31:16 If I have denied the desires of the poor or allowed the widow’s eyes to fail,
- Isaiah 58:10 and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will go forth in the darkness, and your night will be like noonday.
- James 2:5 Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
- Mark 14:7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me.
- Hebrews 11:37 They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated.
- Ezekiel 18:7 He does not oppress another, but restores the pledge to the debtor. He does not commit robbery, but gives his bread to the hungry and covers the naked with clothing.
- Acts 9:29 He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him.