James 2:4 (DBY)

Passage

have ye not made a difference among yourselves, and become judges having evil thoughts?

Nearby Context

James 2:2 for if there come unto your synagogue a man with a gold ring in splendid apparel, and a poor man also come in in vile apparel,

James 2:3 and ye look upon him who wears the splendid apparel, and say, Do thou sit here well, and say to the poor, Do thou stand there, or sit here under my footstool:

James 2:4 have ye not made a difference among yourselves, and become judges having evil thoughts?

James 2:5 Hear, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen the poor as to the world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to them that love him?

James 2:6 But *ye* have despised the poor [man]. Do not the rich oppress you, and [do not] *they* drag you before [the] tribunals?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "difference", "yourselves", "become", "judges", "having", "evil", and "thoughts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "difference" and "yourselves", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "and ye look upon him who wears..." into verse 5's "Hear my beloved brethren Has not God...", so "difference" and "yourselves" 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 "difference" and "yourselves" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.