James 1:9 (GNV)

Passage

Let the brother of lowe degree reioyce in that he is exalted:

Nearby Context

James 1:7 Neither let that man thinke that hee shall receiue any thing of the Lord.

James 1:8 A double minded man is vnstable in all his waies.

James 1:9 Let the brother of lowe degree reioyce in that he is exalted:

James 1:10 Againe hee that is rich, in that hee is made lowe: for as the flower of the grasse, shall he vanish away.

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "brother", "lowe", "degree", "reioyce", and "exalted". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "brother" and "lowe", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "A double minded man is vnstable in..." into verse 10's "Againe hee that is rich in that...", so "brother" and "lowe" 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 "brother" and "lowe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.