James 2:16 (DRB)

Passage

And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit?

Nearby Context

James 2:14 What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him?

James 2:15 And if a brother or sister be naked and want daily food:

James 2:16 And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit?

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

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

Study Lenses

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

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