James 2:10 (GNV)

Passage

For whosoeuer shall keepe the whole Lawe, and yet faileth in one poynt, hee is guiltie of all.

Nearby Context

James 2:8 But if yee fulfill the royall Lawe according to the Scripture, which saith, Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe, yee doe well.

James 2:9 But if yee regarde the persons, yee commit sinne, and are rebuked of the Lawe, as transgressours.

James 2:10 For whosoeuer shall keepe the whole Lawe, and yet faileth in one poynt, hee is guiltie of all.

James 2:11 For he that saide, Thou shalt not commit adulterie, saide also, Thou shalt not kill. Nowe though thou doest none adulterie, yet if thou killest, thou art a transgressour of the Lawe.

James 2:12 So speake ye, and so doe, as they that shall be iudged by the Lawe of libertie.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoeuer", "shall", "keepe", "whole", "lawe", "faileth", "poynt", and "guiltie". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whosoeuer" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "But if yee regarde the persons yee..." into verse 11's "For he that saide Thou shalt not...", so "whosoeuer" and "shall" 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 "whosoeuer" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.