James 4:11 (KJV)

Passage

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

Nearby Context

James 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

James 4:11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

James 4:13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "speak", "evil", "another", "brethren", "speaketh", "brother", and "judgeth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "speak" and "evil", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Humble yourselves in the sight of the..." into verse 12's "There is one lawgiver who is able...", so "speak" and "evil" 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 "speak" and "evil" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.