James 2:3 (GNV)

Passage

And ye haue a respect to him that weareth the gaie clothing; and say vnto him, Sit thou here in a goodly place, and say vnto the poore, Stand thou there, or sit here vnder my footestoole,

Nearby Context

James 2:1 My brethren, haue not the faith of our glorious Lord Iesus Christ in respect of persons.

James 2:2 For if there come into your company a man with a golde ring, and in goodly apparell, and there come in also a poore man in vile raiment,

James 2:3 And ye haue a respect to him that weareth the gaie clothing; and say vnto him, Sit thou here in a goodly place, and say vnto the poore, Stand thou there, or sit here vnder my footestoole,

James 2:4 Are yee not partiall in your selues, and are become iudges of euill thoughts?

James 2:5 Hearken my beloued brethren, hath not God chosen the poore of this worlde, that they should be rich in faith, and heires of the kingdome which he promised to them that loue him?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "haue", "respect", "weareth", "gaie", "clothing", "vnto", "thou", and "here". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "haue" and "respect", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "For if there come into your company..." into verse 4's "Are yee not partiall in your selues...", so "haue" and "respect" 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 "haue" and "respect" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.