James 1:10 (ASV)

Passage

and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

Nearby Context

James 1:8 a doubleminded man, unstable in all his ways.

James 1:9 But let the brother of low degree glory in his high estate:

James 1:10 and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.

James 1:11 For the sun ariseth with the scorching wind, and withereth the grass: and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his goings.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which [the Lord] promised to them that love him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "rich", "flower", "grass", "shall", "pass", and "away". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "rich" and "flower", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "But let the brother of low degree..." into verse 11's "For the sun ariseth with the scorching...", so "rich" and "flower" belong inside that flow. In James context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "rich" and "flower" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.