James 2:16 (DBY)

Passage

and one from amongst you say to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled; but give not to them the needful things for the body, what [is] the profit?

Nearby Context

James 2:14 What [is] the profit, my brethren, if any one say he have faith, but have not works? can faith save him?

James 2:15 Now if a brother or a sister is naked and destitute of daily food,

James 2:16 and one from amongst you say to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled; but give not to them the needful things for the body, what [is] the profit?

James 2:17 So also faith, if it have not works, is dead by itself.

James 2:18 But some one will say, *Thou* hast faith and *I* have works. Shew me thy faith without works, and *I* from my works will shew thee my faith.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "amongst", "peace", "warmed", "filled", "give", "needful", "things", and "body". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "amongst" and "peace", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Now if a brother or a sister..." into verse 17's "So also faith if it have not...", so "amongst" and "peace" 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 "amongst" and "peace" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.