James 1:16 (YLT)

Passage

Be not led astray, my brethren beloved;

Nearby Context

James 1:14 and each one is tempted, by his own desires being led away and enticed,

James 1:15 afterward the desire having conceived, doth give birth to sin, and the sin having been perfected, doth bring forth death.

James 1:16 Be not led astray, my brethren beloved;

James 1:17 every good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning;

James 1:18 having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "astray", "brethren", and "beloved". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "astray" and "brethren", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "afterward the desire having conceived doth give..." into verse 17's "every good giving and every perfect gift...", so "astray" and "brethren" 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 "astray" and "brethren" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.