James 4:5 (DBY)

Passage

Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?

Nearby Context

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

James 4:4 Adulteresses, know ye not that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore is minded to be [the] friend of the world is constituted enemy of God.

James 4:5 Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously?

James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Wherefore he says, God sets himself against [the] proud, but gives grace to [the] lowly.

James 4:7 Subject yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "think", "scripture", "speaks", "vain", "does", "taken", and "abode". 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 "Adulteresses know ye not that friendship with..." into verse 6's "But he gives more grace Wherefore he...", 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.