James 4:7 (YLT)

Passage

be subject, then, to God; stand up against the devil, and he will flee from you;

Nearby Context

James 4:5 Do ye think that emptily the Writing saith, `To envy earnestly desireth the spirit that did dwell in us,'

James 4:6 and greater grace he doth give, wherefore he saith, `God against proud ones doth set Himself up, and to lowly ones He doth give grace?'

James 4:7 be subject, then, to God; stand up against the devil, and he will flee from you;

James 4:8 draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you; cleanse hands, ye sinners! and purify hearts, ye two-souled!

James 4:9 be exceeding afflicted, and mourn, and weep, let your laughter to mourning be turned, and the joy to heaviness;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "subject", "stand", "against", "devil", and "flee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "subject" and "stand", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "and greater grace he doth give wherefore..." into verse 8's "draw nigh to God and He will...", so "subject" and "stand" 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 "subject" and "stand" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.