James 4:10

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

King James Version (1611)
Humble your selues in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you vp.

King James Version
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

English Standard Version
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

New American Standard Bible
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

New Century Version
Humble yourself in the Lord's presence, and he will honor you.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Berean Standard Bible
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Contemporary English Version
Be humble in the Lord's presence, and he will honor you.

Complete Jewish Bible
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Darby Translation
Humble yourselves before [the] Lord, and he shall exalt you.

Easy-to-Read Version
Be humble before the Lord, and he will make you great.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Cast downe your selues before the Lord, and he will lift you vp.

George Lamsa Translation
Humble yourselves before the LORD and he shall lift you up.

Good News Translation
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Lexham English Bible
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Literal Translation
Be humbled before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Amplified Bible
Humble yourselves [with an attitude of repentance and insignificance] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up, He will give you purpose].

American Standard Version
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.

Bible in Basic English
Make yourselves low in the eyes of the Lord and you will be lifted up by him.

Hebrew Names Version
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

International Standard Version
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.Job 1:22:29; Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; 18:14; 1 Peter 5:6;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
Be humbled before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Murdock Translation
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Humble your selues in the sight of the Lorde, and he shall lyft you vp.

English Revised Version
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.

World English Bible
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Humble yourselves in the sight of God, and he will lift you up.

Weymouth's New Testament
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Be ye mekid in the siyt of the Lord, and he schal enhaunse you.

Update Bible Version
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.

Webster's Bible Translation
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

New English Translation
Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

New King James Version
Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

New Living Translation
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

New Life Bible
Let yourself be brought low before the Lord. Then He will lift you up and help you.

New Revised Standard
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Be made low in presence of the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Be humbled in the sight of the Lord: and he will exalt you.

Revised Standard Version
Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Cast doune youre selves before the lorde and he shall lift you vp.

Young's Literal Translation
be made low before the Lord, and He shall exalt you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Cast downe youre selues before the LORDE, and he shal lift you vp.

Mace New Testament (1729)
humble your selves before the Lord, and he will raise you up.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Be willing to do anything and everything for the outfit without complaint or grumble and the Boss will make you a top hand.

Contextual Overview

¹Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way. You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble." So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet. Don't bad-mouth each other, friends. It's God's Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You're supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others? And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that." As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil. ³Get Serious Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it. You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way. ⁴You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that "God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble." ⁷So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Humble: James 4:6, James 4:7

he: 1 Samuel 2:9, Job 22:29, Psalms 27:6, Psalms 28:9, Psalms 30:1, Psalms 113:7, Psalms 147:6, Matthew 23:12, Luke 14:11, Luke 18:14, 1 Peter 5:6

Reciprocal: Exodus 10:3 - humble Deuteronomy 8:2 - to humble 1 Samuel 2:7 - bringeth 2 Samuel 12:22 - I fasted 2 Chronicles 7:14 - humble 2 Chronicles 12:6 - humbled 2 Chronicles 30:11 - humbled themselves 2 Chronicles 32:26 - Hezekiah 2 Chronicles 33:12 - humbled 2 Chronicles 36:12 - humbled Job 33:17 - hide Psalms 10:17 - humble Proverbs 6:3 - go Proverbs 15:33 - and Proverbs 22:4 - By Jeremiah 13:15 - be Jeremiah 13:18 - Humble Lamentations 5:15 - our dance Matthew 5:3 - the poor Matthew 18:4 - humble Luke 1:52 - put Luke 7:6 - for 2 Corinthians 7:7 - mourning Hebrews 12:9 - shall we not

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."

Genesis 4:9
God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "How should I know? Am I his babysitter?"

Genesis 4:10
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."

Genesis 9:5
"But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.

Genesis 18:20
God continued, "The cries of the victims in Sodom and Gomorrah are deafening; the sin of those cities is immense. I'm going down to see for myself, see if what they're doing is as bad as it sounds. Then I'll know."

Exodus 3:7
God said, "I've taken a good, long look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, pry them loose from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.

Numbers 35:33
"Don't pollute the land in which you live. Murder pollutes the land. The land can't be cleaned up of the blood of murder except through the blood of the murderer.

Joshua 7:19
Joshua spoke to Achan, "My son, give glory to God , the God of Israel. Make your confession to him. Tell me what you did. Don't keep back anything from me."

Job 16:18
"O Earth, don't cover up the wrong done to me! Don't muffle my cry! There must be Someone in heaven who knows the truth about me, in highest heaven, some Attorney who can clear my name— My Champion, my Friend, while I'm weeping my eyes out before God. I appeal to the One who represents mortals before God as a neighbor stands up for a neighbor. "Only a few years are left before I set out on the road of no return."

Isaiah 5:7
Do you get it? The vineyard of God -of-the-Angel-Armies is the country of Israel. All the men and women of Judah are the garden he was so proud of. He looked for a crop of justice and saw them murdering each other. He looked for a harvest of righteousness and heard only the moans of victims.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord,.... Which is done, when men, before the Lord, and from their hearts, and in the sincerity of their souls, acknowledge their meanness and unworthiness, their vileness, sinfulness, and wretchedness, and implore the grace and mercy of God in Christ, as did Abraham, Jacob, Job, Isaiah, Paul, and the publican; and when they walk humbly with God, acknowledging they can do nothing without him; owning their dependence on his grace, and ascribing all they have, and are, unto it:

and he shall lift you up; this is God's usual way to lift up the meek, and exalt those that humble themselves; he lifts them from the dunghill, to set them among princes; he gives them a place, and a name in his house, better than sons and daughters; he adorns them with his grace; he clothes them with the righteousness of his Son, he grants them nearness to himself; and at last will introduce them into his kingdom and glory.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord - Compare Matthew 23:12. See the notes at James 4:6. That is, be willing to take your appropriate place in the dust on account of your transgressions. This is to be “in the sight of the Lord,” or before him. Our sins have been committed against him; and their principal aggravation, whoever may have been wronged by them, and great as is their criminality in other respects, arises from that consideration. Psalms 51:4, “against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.” Luke 15:18, “I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.” As the Being against whom we have sinned is the only one who can pardon, it is proper that we should humble ourselves before him with penitent confession.

And he shall lift you up - He will exalt you from the condition of a broken-hearted penitent to that of a forgiven child; will wipe away your tears, remove the sadness of your heart, fill you with joy, and clothe you with the garments of salvation. This declaration is in accordance with all the promises in the Bible, and with all the facts which occur on the earth, that God is willing to show mercy to the humble and contrite, and to receive those who are truly penitent into his favor. Compare Luke 15:22.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 10. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord — In James 4:7 they were exhorted to submit to God; here they are exhorted to humble themselves in his sight. Submission to God's authority will precede humiliation of soul, and genuine repentance is performed as in the sight of God; for when a sinner is truly awakened to a sense of his guilt and danger, he seems to see, whithersoever he turns, the face of a justly incensed God turned against him.

He shall lift you up. — Mourners and penitents lay on the ground, and rolled themselves in the dust. When comforted and pardoned, they arose from the earth, shook themselves from the dust, and clothed themselves in their better garments. God promises to raise these from the dust, when sufficiently humbled.