James 2:6 (GNV)

Passage

But ye haue despised the poore. Doe not the riche oppresse you by tyrannie, and doe not they drawe you before the iudgement seates?

Nearby Context

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?

James 2:6 But ye haue despised the poore. Doe not the riche oppresse you by tyrannie, and doe not they drawe you before the iudgement seates?

James 2:7 Doe nor they blaspheme the worthie Name after which yee be named?

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "haue", "despised", "poore", "riche", "oppresse", "tyrannie", "drawe", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "haue" and "despised", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Hearken my beloued brethren hath not God..." into verse 7's "Doe nor they blaspheme the worthie Name...", so "haue" and "despised" 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 "despised" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.