James 2:19 (GNV)

Passage

Thou beleeuest that there is one God: thou doest well: the deuils also beleeue it, and tremble.

Nearby Context

James 2:17 Euen so the faith, if it haue no woorkes, is dead in it selfe.

James 2:18 But some man might say, Thou hast the faith, and I haue woorkes: shewe me thy faith out of thy woorkes, and I will shewe thee my faith by my woorkes.

James 2:19 Thou beleeuest that there is one God: thou doest well: the deuils also beleeue it, and tremble.

James 2:20 But wilt thou vnderstand, O thou vaine man, that the faith which is without workes, is dead?

James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father iustified through workes, when he offred Isaac his sonne vpon the altar?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "beleeuest", "doest", "well", "deuils", and "tremble". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "beleeuest", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "But some man might say Thou hast..." into verse 20's "But wilt thou vnderstand O thou vaine...", so "thou" and "beleeuest" 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 "thou" and "beleeuest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.