James 2:11 (WEB)

Passage

For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,”Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18 also said, “Do not commit murder.”Exodus 10:13; Deuteronomy 5:17 Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Nearby Context

James 2:9 But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

James 2:11 For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,”Exodus 20:14; Deuteronomy 5:18 also said, “Do not commit murder.”Exodus 10:13; Deuteronomy 5:17 Now if you do not commit adultery, but murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

James 2:12 So speak, and so do, as men who are to be judged by a law of freedom.

James 2:13 For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "commit", "adultery", "exodus", "deuteronomy", and "murder". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "commit", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "For whoever keeps the whole law and..." into verse 12's "So speak and so do as men...", so "said" and "commit" 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 "said" and "commit" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.