Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, July 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Young's Literal Translation

James 1:24

for he did view himself, and hath gone away, and immediately he did forget of what kind he was;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Doer;   Hearers;   Hypocrisy;   Mirror;   Obedience;   Parables;   Stability;   Word of God;   Works;   Thompson Chain Reference - Careless Hearing;   Deafness-Hearing;   Fleeting Impressions;   Hearing;   Impressions, Fleeting;   The Topic Concordance - Deception;   Disobedience;   Resurrection;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Blessed, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Christians, Names of;   Hear, Hearing;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hearing the Word of God;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - James, the General Epistle of;   Laver;   Holman Bible Dictionary - James, the Letter;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Law;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Formalism;   Hellenism;   James ;   James Epistle of;   Law;   Mirror ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - James, Epistle of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of person he was.
King James Version (1611)
For hee beholdeth himselfe, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what maner of man he was.
King James Version
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
English Standard Version
For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
New American Standard Bible
for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
New Century Version
They see their faces and then go away and quickly forget what they looked like.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
Berean Standard Bible
and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
Contemporary English Version
and forget what they look like as soon as they leave.
Complete Jewish Bible
who looks at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.
Darby Translation
for he has considered himself and is gone away, and straightway he has forgotten what he was like.
Easy-to-Read Version
and doing nothing about what you saw. You go away and immediately forget how bad you looked.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For when he hath considered himselfe, hee goeth his way, and forgetteth immediately what maner of one he was.
George Lamsa Translation
For he sees himself and goes his way, and forgets how he looked.
Good News Translation
They take a good look at themselves and then go away and at once forget what they look like.
Lexham English Bible
for he looks at himself and goes away and immediately forgets what sort of person he was.
Literal Translation
for he studied himself, and has gone away, and immediately he forgot of what kind he was.
Amplified Bible
for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he immediately forgets what he looked like.
American Standard Version
for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
Bible in Basic English
For after looking at himself he goes away, and in a short time he has no memory of what he was like.
Hebrew Names Version
for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
International Standard Version
For he studies himself carefully and then goes off and immediately forgets what he looks like.
Etheridge Translation
for he seeth himself and passeth, and hath forgotten what (manner of person) he was.
Murdock Translation
for he seeth himself, and passeth on, and forgetteth what a man he was.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For he hath considered hym selfe, and is gone his wayes, & hath forgotten immediatly what his fashion was.
English Revised Version
for he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
World English Bible
for he sees himself, and goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For he beheld himself, and went away, and immediately forgot what manner of man he was.
Weymouth's New Testament
Although he has looked carefully at himself, he goes away, and has immediately forgotten the sort of man he is.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
for he bihelde hym silf, and wente awei, and anoon he foryat which he was.
Update Bible Version
for he looks at himself, and goes away, and right away forgets what manner of man he was.
Webster's Bible Translation
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth away, and immediately forgetteth what manner of man he was.
New English Translation
For he gazes at himself and then goes out and immediately forgets what sort of person he was.
New King James Version
for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.
New Living Translation
You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.
New Life Bible
After he sees himself and goes away, he forgets what he looks like.
New Revised Standard
for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For he observed himself, and is gone away, and, straightway, it hath escaped him, - what manner of man, he was!
Douay-Rheims Bible
For he beheld himself and went his way and presently forgot what manner of man he was.
Revised Standard Version
for he observes himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For assone as he hath loked on him silfe he goeth his waye and forgetteth immediatlie what his fassion was.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For assone as he hath loked on himselfe, he goeth his waye, and forgetteth immediatly what his fasshion was.
Mace New Testament (1729)
he takes a view, turns away, and instantly loses his appearance.
Simplified Cowboy Version
If someone just listens to something from God and doesn't act on it, it's like lookin' at your own reflection and then ridin' off and forgettin' what you look like.

Contextual Overview

19 So then, my brethren beloved, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, 20 for the wrath of a man the righteousness of God doth not work; 21 wherefore having put aside all filthiness and superabundance of evil, in meekness be receiving the engrafted word, that is able to save your souls; 22 and become ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves, 23 because, if any one is a hearer of the word and not a doer, this one hath been like to a man viewing his natural face in a mirror, 24 for he did view himself, and hath gone away, and immediately he did forget of what kind he was; 25 and he who did look into the perfect law -- that of liberty, and did continue there, this one -- not a forgetful hearer becoming, but a doer of work -- this one shall be happy in his doing. 26 If any one doth think to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, of this one vain [is] the religion; 27 religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation -- unspotted to keep himself from the world.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

what: Judges 8:18, Matthew 8:27, Luke 1:66, Luke 7:39, 1 Thessalonians 1:5, 2 Peter 3:11

Reciprocal: Psalms 119:16 - not forget Luke 6:41 - but Luke 8:5 - fell Luke 8:12 - by Acts 26:28 - Almost James 1:25 - a forgetful

Cross-References

Genesis 1:9
And God saith, `Let the waters under the heavens be collected unto one place, and let the dry land be seen:' and it is so.
Genesis 1:10
And God calleth to the dry land `Earth,' and to the collection of the waters He hath called `Seas;' and God seeth that [it is] good.
Genesis 6:20
Of the fowl after its kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every [sort] they come in unto thee, to keep alive.
Genesis 7:14
they, and every living creature after its kind, and every beast after its kind, and every creeping thing that is creeping on the earth after its kind, and every fowl after its kind, every bird -- every wing.
Genesis 8:19
every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl; every creeping thing on the earth, after their families, have gone out from the ark.
Job 39:1
Hast thou known the time of The bearing of the wild goats of the rock? The bringing forth of hinds thou dost mark!
Job 39:5
Who hath sent forth the wild ass free? Yea, the bands of the wild ass who opened?
Job 39:9
Is a Reem willing to serve thee? Doth he lodge by thy crib?
Job 39:19
Dost thou give to the horse might? Dost thou clothe his neck [with] a mane?
Job 40:15
Lo, I pray thee, Behemoth, that I made with thee: Grass as an ox he eateth.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way,.... He takes a slight glance of himself, and departs:

and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was; he forgets either his spots, blemishes, and imperfections; or his comeliness and beauty; the features of his face, be they comely or not: so a bare hearer of the word, who is not concerned to practise what he hears, while he is hearing, he observes some things amiss in himself, and some excellencies in Christ; but, when the discourse is over, he goes his way, and thinks no more of either.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For if any be ... - The ground of the comparison in these verses is obvious. The apostle refers to what all persons experience, the fact that we do not retain a distinct impression of ourselves after we have looked in a mirror. While actually looking in the mirror, we see all our features, and can trace them distinctly; when we turn away, the image and the impression both vanish. When looking in the mirror, we can see all the defects and blemishes of our person; if there is a scar, a deformity, a feature of ugliness, it is distinctly before the mind; but when we turn away, that is “out of sight and out of mind.” When unseen it gives no uneasiness, and, even if capable of correction, we take no pains to remove it. So when we hear the word of God. It is like a mirror held up before us. In the perfect precepts of the law, and the perfect requirements of the gospel, we see our own short-comings and defects, and perhaps think that we will correct them. But we turn away immediately, and forget it all. If, however, we were doers of the word,” we should endeavor to remove all those defects and blemishes in our moral character, and to bring our whole souls into conformity with what the law and the gospel require. The phrase “natural face” (Greek: face of birth), means, the face or appearance which we have in virtue of our natural birth. The word glass here means mirror. Glass was not commonly used for mirrors among the ancients, but they were made of polished plates of metal. See the Isaiah 3:24 note, and Job 37:18 note.

James 1:24

For he beholdeth himself - While he looks in the mirror he sees his true appearance.

And goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth - As soon as he goes away, he forgets it. The apostle does not refer to any intention on his part, but to what is known to occur as a matter of fact.

What manner of than he was - How he looked; and especially if there was anything in his appearance that required correction.


 
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