Bible Strands
James 4:16
As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — James addresses believers who are formulating plans without acknowledging divine sovereignty. He issues this rebuke immediately after prescribing the conditional phrase, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
The words — The Greek καυχᾶσθε (kauchasthe) means “you boast,” targeting their ταῖς ἀλαζονείαις (tais alazoneiais), literally “arrogances” or “proud intentions.” This vocabulary exposes the self-exalting posture behind their unsubmitted planning.
The thread — The text condemns presumptuous boasting, echoing Proverbs 27:1, which forbids boasting about tomorrow, and 1 Corinthians 5:6, which declares such boasting not good. It also resonates with Psalms 52:7, which contrasts human self-reliance with God as refuge.
Why it lands — The text states that all boasting in proud intentions is evil, requiring immediate cessation of self-directed planning. It demands the reader replace autonomous confidence with explicit submission to God’s will before acting.
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 now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
- 1 Corinthians 5:6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough?
- Psalms 52:7 “Look at the man who did not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth and strengthened himself by destruction.”
- Proverbs 25:14 Like clouds and wind without rain is the man who boasts of gifts never given.
- Psalms 52:1 For the choirmaster. A Maskil of David. After Doeg the Edomite went to Saul and told him, “David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.” Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The loving devotion of God endures all day long.
- Isaiah 47:10 You were secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray; you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’
- 1 Corinthians 4:7 For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
- James 3:14 But if you harbor bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast in it or deny the truth.
- Revelation 18:7 As much as she has glorified herself and lived in luxury, give her the same measure of torment and grief. In her heart she says, ‘I sit as queen; I am not a widow and will never see grief.’
- Isaiah 47:7 You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’ You did not take these things to heart or consider their outcome.