Bible Strands
James 4:13
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — James addresses Jewish Christians who are drafting plans for future commerce and travel. He speaks at a moment when believers are confidently mapping out their next steps without acknowledging divine oversight.
The words — Ἄγε (Age) and νῦν (nun) form the imperative “Come now,” pressing the audience to confront their own speech. σήμερον (sēmeron) and αὔριον (aurion) frame their timeline as “Today or tomorrow,” highlighting their narrow temporal focus.
The thread — The warning against presuming tomorrow runs directly into Proverbs 27:1 and echoes the merchant’s self-calculations in Luke 12:17. It also parallels the collective “Come, let us…” planning seen in Genesis 11:3.
Why it lands — The text states that the listeners are detailing itineraries, durations, and profits as if they control the outcome. It asks the reader to examine whether their plans are made with or without submission to the Lawgiver and Judge.
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
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:
Cross-references
- Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
- Luke 12:17 So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’
- Genesis 11:3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” So they used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of mortar.
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!” But it proved to be futile.
- Isaiah 24:2 people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.
- Isaiah 56:11 Like ravenous dogs, they are never satisfied. They are shepherds with no discernment; they all turn to their own way, each one seeking his own gain:
- Ezekiel 7:12 The time has come; the day has arrived. Let the buyer not rejoice and the seller not mourn, for wrath is upon the whole multitude.
- James 5:1 Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
- Genesis 11:7 Come, let Us go down and confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”
- Isaiah 5:5 Now I will tell you what I am about to do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will tear down its wall, and it will be trampled.