James 4:11

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of the law, but a judge of it.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — James writes to scattered Jewish believers; this verse sits between a call to humble themselves before the Lord (v. 10) and the declaration that there is only one Lawgiver and Judge (v. 12).

The words — καταλαλῶν (katalalōn), "speaking against," is a strong, deliberate verb for malicious speech, not mere disagreement; the verse escalates from this word to "judges" (κρινῶν) to "judge of the law," a three-step claim on authority the speaker does not hold.

The thread — 1 Peter 2:1 lists slander among the dispositions to be shed; Romans 2:1 turns the judge's standard back on the judge; James 5:9 warns that complaining about one another invites the Judge who "stands at the door."

Why it lands — The verse does not merely forbid harsh words; it identifies the act as an unauthorized assumption of the law's role, so the reader is asked to see that attacking a brother is a claim on a seat that belongs to God alone.

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

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

Cross-references

1 Peter 2:1 Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
James 5:9 Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
Luke 6:37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Psalms 140:11 May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.
Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you will be judged.
Romans 14:10 Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
Ephesians 4:31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.
Romans 7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.