James 1:9 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

James 1:7 For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord;

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "brother", "degree", "glory", "high", and "estate". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "brother" and "degree", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "a doubleminded man unstable in all his..." into verse 10's "and the rich in that he is...", so "brother" and "degree" 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 "brother" and "degree" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.