Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door.

JAMES 5:9KJV
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James 5:9 (KJV)

What does James 5:9 mean?

James 5:9 warns believers not to hold grudges or complain against each other, because doing so could lead to judgment; it reminds them that God, the ultimate judge, is very near and ready to act. The verse uses the image of a judge standing at the door to stress the urgency and seriousness of this warning.

James, the brother of Jesus, is writing to Christian communities facing hardship and conflict. He addresses them as "brethren," urging them to treat each other with patience instead of resentment. The verse fits into a passage about waiting for God's justice and encourages believers to focus on their own conduct, knowing that God's judgment is close at hand.

The Greek behind James 5:9

  • "Grudge" (στενάζω, stenazō): This word means to sigh or groan inwardly, often understood as holding a silent complaint or resentment. James is not just talking about open arguments, but even hidden bitterness.
  • "Condemned" (κατακρίνω, katakrinō): This word means to be judged or found guilty. The warning is that harboring resentment can bring real consequences, not just in human relationships but before God.
  • "Judge" (κριτής, kritēs): This refers to someone with authority to decide a case. Here, it points to God as the one who will judge believers’ attitudes and actions.
  • "Standeth before the door" (ἕστηκεν πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν, hestēken pro tōn thyrōn): The phrase pictures the judge as already at the door, emphasizing how close and immediate God's judgment is.

Why James 5:9 matters

  • James 5:9 clarifies that even quiet, internal resentment is serious in God's eyes, not just outward disputes.
  • The verse connects the way believers treat each other directly to God's coming judgment, showing that daily relationships are spiritually important.
  • By picturing the judge at the door, James highlights the urgency for believers to live rightly with each other, since God's evaluation could happen at any moment.

Where else these words appear

“Grudge” Greek G4727 · used in 6 verses

  • Mark 7:34 And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
  • Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
  • 2 Corinthians 5:4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.

“judge” Greek G2923 · used in 15 verses

  • Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
  • Luke 18:2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man:
  • Acts 24:10 Then Paul, after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself:

“condemned” Greek G2632 · used in 19 verses

  • Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
  • Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
  • Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

“door” Greek G2374 · used in 37 verses

  • Matthew 6:6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
  • Luke 13:25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:
  • Acts 12:6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.