James 2:20 (DBY)

Passage

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Nearby Context

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.

James 2:19 *Thou* believest that God is one. Thou doest well. The demons even believe, and tremble.

James 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

James 2:22 Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and that by works faith was perfected.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "wilt", "thou", "vain", "without", "works", and "dead". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "wilt", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Thou believest that God is one Thou..." into verse 21's "Was not Abraham our father justified by...", so "faith" and "wilt" 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 "faith" and "wilt" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.