James 4:14 (YLT)

Passage

who do not know the thing of the morrow; for what is your life? for it is a vapour that is appearing for a little, and then is vanishing;

Nearby Context

James 4:12 one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy; thou--who art thou that dost judge the other?

James 4:13 Go, now, ye who are saying, `To-day and to-morrow we will go on to such a city, and will pass there one year, and traffic, and make gain;'

James 4:14 who do not know the thing of the morrow; for what is your life? for it is a vapour that is appearing for a little, and then is vanishing;

James 4:15 instead of your saying, `If the Lord may will, we shall live, and do this or that;'

James 4:16 and now ye glory in your pride; all such glorying is evil;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "morrow", "life", "vapour", "appearing", "little", and "vanishing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "morrow" and "life", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Go now ye who are saying To-day..." into verse 15's "instead of your saying If the Lord...", so "morrow" and "life" 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 "morrow" and "life" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.