Bible Strands
James 2:6
But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — James addresses his "beloved brothers" during a gathering where they are showing favoritism to wealthy visitors. He confronts them at the precise moment they are elevating the rich while marginalizing those God has chosen to be rich in faith.
The words — The Greek ἠτιμάσατε (ētimasate) translates literally to "you have dishonored" or "insulted," directly condemning their treatment of the πτωχὸν (ptōchon), or "poor." The particle δὲ (de) functions as a sharp "however," pivoting from God’s prior declaration to their current failure.
The thread — This accusation aligns with Proverbs 14:31 and 17:5, which state that oppressing or gloating over the poor insults their Maker. It also parallels 1 Corinthians 11:22, which records the assembly being rebuked for humiliating those who lack material means.
Why it lands — The text explicitly states that the readers have dishonored the poor while ignoring that the rich are the ones oppressing them and dragging them into court. It requires readers to abandon social favoritism and stop treating economic status as a measure of worth or divine blessing.
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 ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
Cross-references
- Proverbs 17:5 He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.
- Proverbs 14:31 Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.
- 1 Corinthians 11:22 Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!
- Psalms 14:6 You sinners frustrate the plans of the oppressed, yet the LORD is their shelter.
- James 5:4 Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
- Psalms 10:14 But You have regarded trouble and grief; You see to repay it by Your hand. The victim entrusts himself to You; You are the helper of the fatherless.
- Psalms 12:5 “For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”
- Proverbs 22:16 Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.
- Ecclesiastes 5:8 If you see the oppression of the poor and the denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be astonished at the matter; for one official is watched by a superior, and others higher still are over them.
- Ecclesiastes 9:15 Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.