James 2:4 (DRB)

Passage

Do you not judge within yourselves, and are become judges of unjust thoughts?

Nearby Context

James 2:2 For if there shall come into your assembly a man having a golden ring, in fine apparel; and there shall come in also a poor man in mean attire:

James 2:3 And you have respect to him that is clothed with the fine apparel and shall say to him: Sit thou here well: but say to the poor man: Stand thou there, or: Sit under my footstool:

James 2:4 Do you not judge within yourselves, and are become judges of unjust thoughts?

James 2:5 Hearken, my dearest brethren: Hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love him?

James 2:6 But you have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you by might? And do not they draw you before the judgment seats?

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "And you have respect to him that..." into verse 5's "Hearken my dearest brethren Hath not God...", so "judge" and "within" 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 "judge" and "within" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.