James 1:13 (GNV)

Passage

Let no man say when hee is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God can not bee tempted with euill, neither tempteth he any man.

Nearby Context

James 1:11 For as when the sunne riseth with heate, then the grasse withereth, and his flower falleth away, and the goodly shape of it perisheth: euen so shall the rich man wither away in all his waies.

James 1:12 Blessed is ye man, that endureth tentation: for when he is tried, hee shall receiue the crowne of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that loue him.

James 1:13 Let no man say when hee is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God can not bee tempted with euill, neither tempteth he any man.

James 1:14 But euery man is tempted, when hee is drawen away by his owne concupiscence, and is entised.

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceiued, it bringeth foorth sinne, and sinne when it is finished, bringeth foorth death.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tempted", "euill", "neither", and "tempteth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tempted" and "euill", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Blessed is ye man that endureth tentation..." into verse 14's "But euery man is tempted when hee...", so "tempted" and "euill" 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 "tempted" and "euill" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.