James 4:5 (ASV)

Passage

Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?

Nearby Context

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend [it] in your pleasures.

James 4:4 Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.

James 4:5 Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?

James 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore [the scripture] saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.

James 4:7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "think", "scripture", "speaketh", "vain", "doth", "dwell", and "long". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "think", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Ye adulteresses know ye not that the..." into verse 6's "But he giveth more grace Wherefore the...", so "Spirit" and "think" 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 "Spirit" and "think" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.