For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

JAMES 2:11KJV
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James 2:11 (KJV)

What does James 2:11 mean?

James 2:11 teaches that breaking one part of God’s law makes a person guilty of breaking the whole law, even if they keep other parts. The verse uses the examples of adultery and murder to show that obeying some commandments does not excuse disobeying others.

James, the brother of Jesus, is writing to early Christian believers who were struggling with favoritism and partiality. He reminds them that the same God who gave the command against adultery also gave the command against murder, so picking and choosing which laws to follow is not faithful obedience. The point is that the law is a unified whole, and failing in one area makes someone a transgressor.

The Greek behind James 2:11

  • "transgressor" (παραβάτης, parabates): This word means someone who steps over a line or breaks a rule. Here, it emphasizes that even one violation makes a person a lawbreaker, not just someone who slips up in a minor way.
  • "law" (νόμος, nomos): This refers to the whole set of God’s commands, not just a single rule. James is stressing that the law is not a collection of separate, unrelated commands but a single standard.

Why James 2:11 matters

  • James 2:11 clears up the misunderstanding that someone can be “good enough” by keeping most of God’s commands while ignoring others.
  • The verse highlights the seriousness and unity of God’s law, showing that all commandments come from the same authority.
  • This teaching connects to James’s wider message in chapter 2 about not showing favoritism and treating all people with equal dignity, since partial obedience is not true obedience.

Where else these words appear

“transgressor” Greek G3848 · used in 5 verses

  • Romans 2:25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
  • Romans 2:27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
  • Galatians 2:18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.

“Do” Greek G5407 · used in 10 verses

  • Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
  • Matthew 23:35 That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
  • Romans 13:9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

“Do” Greek G3431 · used in 11 verses

  • Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
  • Mark 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
  • John 8:4 They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.