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Jam_4:13. The apostrophe commencing with this verse, and continued until chap. Jam_5:6, has a character plainly distinguished from other portions of the Epistle—(1) by ἄγε νῦν repeated; (2) those addressed are neither directly designated as ἀδελφοί , as is elsewhere the case with James (with the single exception of chap. Jam_4:1 ff.), nor are yet characterized as members of the Christian church; (3) only their forgetfulness of God is described, and their judgment is announced without any call being added to desist from their practice and be converted; so that this apostrophe contains not the slightest exhortation to repentance, as is the case with those addressed in Jam_4:8 as ἁμαρτωλοί and δίψυχοι . All this is a sufficient proof that James has in view, as Oecumenius, Bede, Semler, Pott, Hottinger, and others have correctly remarked (differently Gebser, Schneckenburger, de Wette, Wiesinger; Theile considers that Jewish Christians and Jews are here addressed), not so much the members of the church, as rather the rich ( οἱ πλούσιοι , Jam_5:1), of whom it is already said in chap. Jam_2:6-7, that they oppress the Christians and blaspheme the name of Christ, and who are already, in chap. Jam_1:10, opposed to “the brother of low degree.” The severe language against them in an Epistle directed to Christians is sufficiently explained from the fact that, with many among them, as follows from Jam_4:1 ff., the same forgetfulness of God had gained ground. Also the first section (Jam_4:13-17) is of such a nature that the fault therein expressed affected many of the readers not less than the arrogant Jews.[207] In this section, those addressed are at first characterized only according to their presumptuous security in their striving after earthly gain.
ἌΓΕ ΝῦΝ ] ἌΓΕ , occurring in the N. T. only here and in chap. Jam_5:1, is a summons, which also, with classical writers, is joined with the plural (Winer, p. 458 [E. T. 649]).
νῦν ] serves not only for strengthening (de Wette, Wiesinger), but likewise for connection with what goes before. As in what follows there is no summons to do anything, some expositors suppose that ἄγε νῦν is designed only to excite attention; Grotius: jam ego ad vos; so also Pott, Theile: age, audite vos. Others supply a thought; thus Schulthess: Πῶς ΠΟΙΕῖΤΕ , or ΜῊ ΚΑΛῶς ΠΟΙΕῖΤΕ , and the like. De Wette thinks that the summons to lay aside the fault is indirectly contained in the reproof. Wiesinger suggests Jam_4:16 as the material for the designed imperative clause. It is more correct to assume that James has already here in view the imperative clause in chap. Jam_5:1,
ΚΛΑΎΣΑΤΕ … ἘΠῚ ΤΑῖς ΤΑΛΑΙΠΩΡΊΑΙς ὙΜῶΝ Κ . Τ . Λ .,—placed after ἌΓΕ ΝῦΝ again resumed; thus Gebser, Hottinger, Schneckenburger; similarly Lange, according to whom ἌΓΕ ΝῦΝ “refers to the announcement of the judgment, which comes out quite clear in chap. Jam_5:1, but is here darkly and menacingly alluded to.”
ΟἹ ΛΈΓΟΝΤΕς ] ye who say. λέγειν is to be retained in its usual signification; comp. chap. Jam_2:14. Theile, without reason, explains it: qui non solum cogitare soletis sed etiam dicere audetis.
ΣΉΜΕΡΟΝ ΚΑῚ ΑὔΡΙΟΝ ] announces the precise duration of the intended journey—not when it should commence, but how long it should endure. With this explanation there is no difficulty in καί ; otherwise Ἤ (as the Rec. reads) must stand. In καί there lies a greater confidence (Theile), as according to it a definite plan is fixed upon also for the morrow. According to Wiesinger, different instances are here taken together, as in 2Co_13:1 (so already Bengel: unus dicit hodie, idem aliusve eras, ut commodum est); according to this, ΚΑΊ would have to be explained: “and relatively” (sec Meyer on that passage); but the indefiniteness contained therein does not suit the certainty with which these people speak. Lange’s meaning is unjustified: “that ΑὔΡΙΟΝ is used for the undefined future subsequent to to-day.”
ΠΟΡΕΥΣΌΜΕΘΑ ] The indicative we shall journey expresses the certain confidence more strongly than the conjunctive let us journey; see critical remarks.
εἰς τήνδε τὴν πόλιν ] Luther: into this and that city. This explanation is also in Winer, p. 146 [E. T. 201], who adduces for it τήνδε τὴν ἡμέραν in Plutarch, Symp. i. 6. 1; but Al. Buttmann (p. 90 [E. T. 103]), on the other hand, correctly asserts that the pronoun in that passage, as everywhere among Greek authors, has its full demonstrative meaning, and that therefore it must be understood in James in the same sense; thus Schirlitz (p. 222) observes that the pronoun is here used δεικτικῶς ; see also Lünemann’s remark in Winer, ed. 7, p. 153; still it is not to be explained, with Schneckenburger: in hanc urbem, quae in conspectu quasi sita est; but, with Theile: certa fingitur, quae vero verie eligi potest. Those introduced as speaking mean each time a definite city; but as this differs with different persons, James could only indicate it in an indefinite manner, and he does so by the pronoun by which each time a definite city is pointed to; thus into the city which the traveller had chosen as his aim. By πορεύεσθαι εἰς τ . πολ . is indicated not merely the going into the city, but also the journey to the city in which they would remain.
ΚΑῚ ΠΟΙΉΣΟΜΕΝ Κ . Τ . Λ .] we will spend there a year; ποιεῖν with a designation of time, as in Act_15:33; Act_20:3, and other places; in the O. T. Pro_13:23; see also Nicarch. epigr. 35 (Jacobs’ ed.): ἐν ταύτῃ πεποίηκα πολὺν χρόνον . Luther incorrectly translates it: “and will continue there a year;”[208] for ἐνιαυτὸν ἕνα is not the accusative of duration, but the proper objective accusative. The reading ἕνα fittingly expresses the confidence with which those introduced as speaking measure out their time beforehand, but not “their restless and unsteady conduct” (Lange).
καὶ ἐμπορευσόμεθα καὶ κερδήσομεν ] Bengel: καί frequens; polysyndeton exprimit libidinem animi securi.
ἐμπορεύεσθαι ] = to traffic; the final aim is designated by κερδήσομεν . That aim is worldly gain, which, in carnal security, is recognised as certain to be realized, so that it cannot fail. Kern correctly remarks: “Traffic is introduced only by way of example, as characterizing man’s doings with reference to the earthly life as contrasted with the life in God.”[209]
[207] Lange agrees with this in essentials, affirming that this section was principally addressed to the Jews; whereby he certainly proceeds from the erroneous supposition that the Epistle was directed to the Jews generally by the hands of the Jewish Christians.
[208] Stier correctly: “will spend there a year.” The opinion of Lange, that “ ποιεῖν along with a definition of time may likewise have indicated that the time in question is busily employed,” is contradicted by 2Co_11:25.
[209] Lange indeed assents to this; but he thinks that the apostle, with a prophet’s glance, evidently describes beforehand the fundamental trait of the diabolically excited worldliness of his people, as it afterwards became more and more developed.