James 5:16-20 – He Who Turns

Sermon & Translation by Nate Wilson for Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Carbondale, IL, 2 Jan 2005, Revised for Christ the Redeemer Church, Manhattan, KS, 23 July 2023

Introduction

vs. 16-18 The Power of Prayer for Salvation

vs.19-20 The Importance of Converting Sinners

Closing:

  1. Remember, nothing happens if prayer is not implemented, so get down to the business of prayer in order to see God bring healing and salvation to others.

  2. You need a healthy Christian community where there are people confessing their sins to you and you praying for them and to whom you can confess your sins and they will pray for you.

  3. Keep in mind where your source of truth and power are so that you don’t get led astray. Stay close to Jesus in prayer and read His word!

  4. Talk to people about the ways you’ve noticed them straying from the truth. Don’t be afraid to confront them about things that clearly violate Scripture. But do it with a heart that loves them enough to desire their restoration and with a heart that believes God can save.

  5. Don’t be discouraged if they don’t straighten up immediately. Keep praying!

James 5:16-20 – Comparison Of Textual Traditions & VersionsA

ByzantineB

NAW

KJVC

Vulgate

PeshittaD

16 ἐξομο­λογεῖσθεE ἀλλήλοις τὰ παραπτώματαF, καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε· πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργ­ουμένηG.

16 Therefore, keep confes­sing your sins to one another and keep pray­ing on behalf of one another, so that y’all might be healed. The plea of a right­eous man has much strength when it is implemented.

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual [fervent] prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

16 confitemini ergo alterutrum peccata [vestra] et orate pro invicem ut salvemini multum enim valet deprecatio iusti adsidua

16 And confess ye [your] faults one to another, and pray ye one for another, that ye may be healed; for great is the efficacy of the prayer which a righteous man prayeth.

17 ᾿Ηλίας ἄνθρωπος ἦν ὁμοιοπαθὴςH ἡμῖν, καὶ προσευχῇI προσηύξατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι, καὶ οὐκ ἔβρεξεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς τρεῖς καὶ μῆνας ἕξ·

17 The man Elijah had similar feelings to ours, and he prayed a prayer for it not to rain, so it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months!

17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth [by the space of] three years and six months.

17 Helias homo erat similis nobis passibilis et oratione oravit ut non plueret super terram et non pluit annos tres et menses sex

17 Elijah also was a man of sensations like us, and he prayed X that rain might not descend upon the earth; and it descended not, for three years and six months.

18 καὶ πάλιν προσηύξατο, καὶ ὁ οὐρανὸς ὑετὸν ἔδωκε καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐβλάστησε τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς.

18 Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the earth sprouted its fruit.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

18 et rursum oravit et caelum dedit pluviam et terra dedit fructum suum

18 And again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth gave forth its fruit[s].

19 ᾿Αδελφοί J, ἐάν τις ἐν ὑμῖν πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ τις αὐτόν,

19 My brothers, if someone among you should be made to wander from the truth and someone should return him,

19 Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 

19 fratres mei si quis ex vobis erraverit a veritate et converterit quis eum

19 My brethren, if one of you err from the [way of] truth, and [any] one convert him [from his error];

20 γινωσκ­έτωK ὅτι ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ σώσει ψυχὴν ἐκ θανάτουL καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶνM.

20 he should know that the one who returns a sinner out of his wandering way will save a soul out of death and will cover a multitude of sins.

20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

20 scire [debet quoniam] qui converti [fecerit] peccatorem ab errore viae suae salvabit animam eius a morte et operit multitudinem peccatorum

20 let him know, that he who turneth the sinner from the error of his way, will resuscitate his soul from death, and will cover the multitude of [his] sins.


1“If therefore, you are lifting your gift upon the altar, and there you happen to remember that your brother has something against you, 24 let go of your gift right there in front of the altar and start climbing down; first be reconciled to your brother, and then, when you come [back], start offering your gift.” (NAW)

2The Greek word is masculine, but the grammar doesn’t seem to be gender-exclusive here.

3James is going off of Jesus’ reckoning of the time as 3 years and 6 months as per Luke 4:25. (Gill)

4“The Roman Catholics... take it of the sins of the converter, who thus saves himself by saving others. The language here will allow that, but not New Testament teaching in general...” ~A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures, 1933.
Moo (Pillar Commentary) noted some scriptures in support of the former: Ezek. 3:21, 1 Tim. 4:16, Matt. 6:14-15, 18:23-35, Jas. 2:12-13, but thought it more probable that the soul saved from death was that of the converted person.

5There are two major traditions among the Greek manuscripts, one which reads “a soul,” and one which reads “his soul.” See endnotes for discussion on that, but the case structure of the sentence described above limits these variants from meaning anything significantly different; both must refer to the third party saved and covered.

6The Greek word behind this (καταρτίζετε) is a synonym to the word “turn back” in James (ἐπιστρέψῃ).

7The phrase “turns to righteousness” is a translation of the one Hiphil participle ‎ מַצְדִּיקֵי (“he who justifies”).

AWhen a translation adds words not in the Greek text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics or greyed-out text, I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Greek word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular. I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. NAW is my translation. My original chart includes annotated copies of the NKJV, NASB, NIV, and ESV, but I erase them from the online edition so as not to infringe on their copyrights.

BThis Greek New Testament is the 1904 "Patriarchal" edition of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Robinson-Pierpont Byzantine majority text of the GNT and the Textus Receptus are very similar. The Westcott-Hort, Nestle-Aland, and UBS editions are a slightly-different family of GNTs developed in the modern era as a break from the traditional Greek Bible by compiling just a few of the oldest-known manuscripts, but even so, the practical differences in the text between these two editing philosophies are minimal.

C1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain.

DJames Murdock, A Literal Translation from the Syriac Peshito Version, 1851, Robert Carter & Brothers, New York. Scanned and transcribed by Gary Cernava and published electronically by Janet Magierra at http://www.lightofword.org

E11 Greek manuscripts, including the three oldest-known, insert oun (“therefore”), and this extra word is in all the ancient versions (Vulgate, Syriac, and Coptic), so it is in the modern critical editions of the GNT. It doesn’t change the meaning of the text, since it is already a concluding statement.

FFourteen Greek manuscripts (including the three oldest-known) vary from the majority of Greek manuscripts by reading “the sins” (taV amartiaV) instead of “the trespasses.” The Vulgate supports the minority, and the Peshitta seems to support the majority. Thankfully, they effectively mean the same thing. Also, half a dozen manuscripts add “your (plural),” so the definite article should probably be translated pronomially.

GThis participle has a wide range of possible interpretation. Its root meaning is “energizing/working/effecting,” but the middle/passive spelling can be ignored (which is what all the standard English versions do), or it could be interpreted reflexively “working itself out/making itself effective,” or passively “being made effective.” The Greek grammar leaves it up to the interpreter to figure that out from context. Additionally, since this is a participle, the Greek grammar allows for it to be interpreted as an adjective modifying “prayer/request” (as the KJV and NASB read: “the effective/effectual prayer”), or as an adverbial temporal clause (as the ESV reads “as it is working,” following the RSV and Alford and Moule: “in its working” – which was essentially Vincent’s and A.T. Robertson’s position “when it works.” Mayor translated it passively “when it is exercised”), or as a conjunction to the main verb (as the NIV reads: “it is powerful and effective”). Thayer’s lexicon says it isn’t an adjective but is instead a causal participle “due to the fact that it exhibits its activity,” but Danker and Arndt & Gingrich, in their respective lexicons, translated it adjectivally as “effectively” (and Pershbacher as “earnest”). Wallace did not comment on it in his grammar. Milligan commented on it in his Proleg. p. 156, ExpT xxvi. p. 381 ff. Several commentators criticized the adjectival interpretation because it effectively creates a meaningless tautology (i.e. “an effective prayer is very effective”).

HThe only other scriptural occurrence of this verb is Acts 14:15 “...We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God...” (NKJV)

I This is the third Greek word for prayer employed by James in this chapter: v.15 εὐχὴ = vow-prayer, v.16 δέησις = plea/petition, v.17 προσευχῇ = prayer.
Some scholars, including Alford, have called James’ accuracy into question, since the O.T. does not record any such prayer by Elijah for the rain to stop, but it is implied in 1 Kings 17:1 “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.” John Gill commented, “[I]t is a common saying with the Jews, ‘There is no standing ever mentioned, but prayer is intended.’” Moo added that Jewish tradition associates Elijah praying with the onset of the drought in Sirach 48:2-3 and 2 Esdras 7:109.

J The word “my” is not in the majority of Greek manuscripts (and therefore not in the Greek Orthodox or Textus Receptus editions of the GNT), but it is in 20 manuscripts (including all four of the oldest-known ones dated older than the 9th century), therefore it is in the Latin and Syriac versions and in the modern critical editions of the GNT. This variant is not significantly different in meaning because nobody calls a group of people “brothers” if they are somebody else’s brothers and not their own as well.

KOn the basis of one ancient manuscript which was different from all other Greek manuscripts, Westcott & Hort spelled this word instead as an indicative γινωσκετε, but the Alands have wisely returned later critical GNT editions to the majority spelling which is imperative.

L The majority of Greek manuscripts read “a soul from death” (which is what the Greek Orthodox and Textus Receptus editions of the GNT read – and therefore the Geneva and KJV English versions) but 10 manuscripts dispute that:

M cf. 1 Peter 4:7-10 “...the end of all things has drawn near, therefore y'all be reasonable and alert for the purpose of prayers, holding before all things extensive love toward yourselves (because love will cover over a lot of sins... serving up grace... just as each has received it, like good administrators of the diverse grace of God.” (NAW) Although the underlined phrase is exactly the same as James 5:10, the context seems to be different and clearly the subject is different, so it is unclear whether these two passages are actually closely related.

2