James 2:3 (KJV)

Passage

And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

Nearby Context

James 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

James 2:2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;

James 2:3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:

James 2:4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?

James 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "respect", "weareth", "clothing", "thou", "here", "good", "place", and "poor". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "respect" and "weareth", 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 unto your assembly..." into verse 4's "Are ye not then partial in yourselves...", so "respect" and "weareth" 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 "respect" and "weareth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.