Bible Strands
James 4:3
And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — James writes to Jewish believers in the diaspora, mid-argument about their internal strife and worldly cravings (vv. 1–4). He isolates prayer as the point where their problem becomes visible.
The words — κακῶς (kakōs) is the adverb that does the work: "wrongly," not "weakly" or "insufficiently." The verb shifts from active αἰτεῖτε to middle/passive αἰτεῖσθε, marking the asking as self-directed rather than God-directed.
The thread — 1 John 5:14 and 1 John 3:22 state the positive condition (asking according to His will, keeping His commandments); James 1:6 adds the faith-without-doubt requirement. James 4:3 is the diagnostic negative: the motive itself is the disqualifier.
Why it lands — The verse removes any excuse of insufficient effort or wrong formula; it puts the question squarely on what the asker intends to do with the answer.
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
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Cross-references
- 1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
- 1 John 3:22 and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.
- James 1:6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
- James 4:1 What causes conflicts and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from the passions at war within you?
- Proverbs 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
- Psalms 66:18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
- Micah 3:4 Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil they have done.
- Job 35:12 There they cry out, but He does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.
- Zechariah 7:13 And just as I had called and they would not listen, so when they called I would not listen, says the LORD of Hosts.
- Job 27:8 For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?