James 4:1 (YLT)

Passage

Whence <FI>are<Fi> wars and fightings among you? not thence--out of your passions, that are as soldiers in your members?

Nearby Context

James 4:1 Whence <FI>are<Fi> wars and fightings among you? not thence--out of your passions, that are as soldiers in your members?

James 4:2 ye desire, and ye have not; ye murder, and are zealous, and are not able to attain; ye fight and war, and ye have not, because of your not asking;

James 4:3 ye ask, and ye receive not, because evilly ye ask, that in your pleasures ye may spend <FI>it<Fi> .

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whence", "wars", "fightings", "thence--out", "passions", "soldiers", and "members". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whence" and "wars", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "ye desire and ye have not ye...", so "whence" and "wars" should be read forward into that movement. In James context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whence" and "wars" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.