Prayer, Healing, and Restoring the Erring
James 5:13-20
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Jas.5.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Κακοπαθει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- τις: PRON,nom,sg,?
- εν: PREP
- υμιν: PRON,dat,pl,2
- προσευχεσθω·ευθυμει: VERB,pres,mid,imp,3,sg+VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- τις: PRON,nom,sg,?
- ψαλλετω: VERB,pres,act,imp,3,sg
Parallels
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (verbal): The paired imperatives 'Rejoice always' and 'pray without ceasing' closely mirror James' commands to pray in suffering and to sing/praise when joyful.
- Romans 12:12 (thematic): Connects rejoicing, endurance in tribulation, and steadfast prayer—echoing James' linkage of prayer in hardship and praise in times of cheer.
- Ephesians 5:19 (verbal): Urges believers to address one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, corresponding to James' instruction that the cheerful should sing praises.
- Psalm 34:1 (thematic): An OT expression of continual praise ('I will bless the LORD at all times'), providing a background for James' call to praise in times of gladness.
Alternative generated candidates
- Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.
- Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.
Jas.5.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ασθενει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- τις: PRON,nom,sg,?
- εν: PREP
- υμιν: PRON,dat,pl,2
- προσκαλεσασθω: VERB,aor,mid,imp,3,sg
- τους: ART,acc,pl,m
- πρεσβυτερους: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- εκκλησιας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- προσευξασθωσαν: VERB,aor,mid,imp,3,pl
- επ᾽αυτον: PREP+PRON,acc,sg,3,m
- αλειψαντες: VERB,aor,act,ptc,nom,pl,m
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- ελαιω: NOUN,dat,sg,n
- εν: PREP
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- ονοματι: NOUN,dat,sg,n
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- κυριου·: NOUN,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- Mark 6:13 (verbal): The disciples anointed many who were sick with oil and healed them—direct verbal and ritual parallel to anointing the sick with oil in James.
- Mark 16:18 (verbal): Promises that believers ‘will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover,’ connecting the practice of prayer/laying on hands with healing as in James.
- Jas.5:15 (structural): Immediate literary continuation: the prayer of faith offered by the elders will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up—explicitly linked to the anointing and prayer in v.14.
- 2 Kings 4:34-35 (thematic): Elisha’s prayer and prophetic action that revives the dead child provides an Old Testament precedent for a ministerial/prayerful intervention in sickness.
- Luke 10:9 (thematic): Jesus sends disciples to heal the sick as a sign of the kingdom—paralleling the church’s delegated ministry of prayer and healing embodied in James.
Alternative generated candidates
- Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
- Is any among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Jas.5.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- ευχη: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- πιστεως: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- σωσει: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,sg
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- καμνοντα: VERB,pres,act,ptcp,acc,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- εγερει: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,sg
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- κυριος·καν: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- αμαρτιας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- πεποιηκως: VERB,perf,act,ptcp,nom,sg,m
- αφεθησεται: VERB,fut,pass,ind,3,sg
- αυτω: PRON,dat,sg,m
Parallels
- Jas.5.14 (structural): Immediate context: elders are to pray and anoint the sick — 5:15 follows as the result, identifying the 'prayer of faith' as effecting healing.
- Mark 5:34 (verbal): Jesus: 'Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole' — explicit language linking faith to healing parallels James' 'prayer of faith will save the sick.'
- Mark 2:5-12 (thematic): Jesus forgives the paralytic's sins and then heals him; connects the twin themes of forgiveness and physical restoration found in James 5:15.
- Matt.9:2-8 (thematic): Parallel account to Mark 2: the forgiveness and healing of a paralytic — exemplifies the connection between sin-forgiveness and bodily healing in the Gospels and in James.
- 1 John 1:9 (thematic): Promise that confession brings forgiveness of sins — thematically related to James' clause that if sins have been committed they will be forgiven when the sick is restored.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the prayer of faith will save the sick one, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
- And the prayer of faith will restore the sick person; the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
Jas.5.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- εξομολογεισθε: VERB,pres,mid/pass,imp,2,pl
- ουν: CONJ
- αλληλοις: PRON,dat,pl,m
- τας: ART,acc,pl,f
- αμαρτιας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
- και: CONJ
- ευχεσθε: VERB,pres,mid/pass,imp,2,pl
- υπερ: PREP
- αλληλων: PRON,gen,pl
- οπως: CONJ
- ιαθητε: VERB,aor,pass,subj,2,pl
- πολυ: ADV
- ισχυει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- δεησις: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- δικαιου: ADJ,gen,sg,m
- ενεργουμενη: VERB,pres,mid/pass,part,nom,sg,f
Parallels
- 1 John 1:9 (verbal): Both verses link confession with forgiveness/cleansing — 'if we confess our sins' (1 John) parallels 'confess your sins to one another' (James) as means to restoration.
- Proverbs 28:13 (verbal): Contrast between concealing sin and confessing it; Proverbs teaches that confessing and forsaking sin brings mercy, echoing James' call to confess for healing and restoration.
- Matthew 18:15-17 (structural): Gives the New Testament procedure for addressing a brother's sin (private appeal, witnesses, church) — a parallel emphasis on mutual accountability and dealing with sin within the community.
- Galatians 6:1-2 (thematic): Commands Christians to restore and bear one another's burdens, which parallels James' call to mutual confession and prayer as means of help and healing.
- 1 Kings 18:41-45 (allusion): Elijah's effective, fervent prayer for rain is the Old Testament example James explicitly alludes to (in 5:17–18) illustrating the powerful effect of the righteous person's prayer mentioned in 5:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- Confess therefore your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
- Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its working.
Jas.5.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Ηλιας: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ανθρωπος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- ην: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- ομοιοπαθης: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- ημιν: PRON,dat,pl,1
- και: CONJ
- προσευχη: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- προσηυξατο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- μη: PART
- βρεξαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- και: CONJ
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εβρεξεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- επι: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- γης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- ενιαυτους: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- τρεις: NUM,acc,pl,f
- και: CONJ
- μηνας: NOUN,acc,pl,m
- εξ·: NUM,acc,sg,m
Parallels
- 1 Kings 17:1 (verbal): Elijah announces a drought ('there shall be neither dew nor rain'); James alludes to the same episode in which Elijah prayed for no rain.
- 1 Kings 18:41-45 (quotation): Elijah prays for rain and sends his servant to look for a cloud; the passage parallels James' point about the efficacy of Elijah's prayer in ending the drought.
- 1 Kings 18:1 (structural): This verse (and its LXX textual tradition) frames the end of the drought ('in the third year'/'three years and six months') and God's word to Elijah to present himself to Ahab, echoing James' timing and outcome.
- Luke 4:25-26 (allusion): Jesus refers to the drought in Elijah's time and God's sending of Elijah to a non‑Israelite widow—illustrating the Gospel's use of the Elijah tradition that James likewise invokes.
Alternative generated candidates
- Elijah was a man like us; he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
- Elijah was a man with passions like ours; he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
Jas.5.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- και: CONJ
- παλιν: ADV
- προσηυξατο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ουρανος: NOUN,nom,pl,m
- υετον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- εδωκεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- γη: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- εβλαστησεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- καρπον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- αυτης: PRO,gen,sg,f
Parallels
- Jas.5.17 (verbal): Immediate context: James explicitly names Elijah as one who prayed (for no rain), and v.18 continues that account—Elijah's prayer produced the reversal (rain).
- 1 Kings 18:41-45 (allusion): Narrative source behind James' example: Elijah prays on Mount Carmel, then repeatedly looks and a heavy rain comes, matching James' summary of prayer and heaven giving rain and the earth yielding its fruit.
- Joel 2:23-24 (thematic): Prophetic language linking divine sending of rain (or former/latter rains) with the land yielding produce—echoes James' pairing of heaven's rain and the earth's fruitfulness.
- Deuteronomy 11:14 (thematic): God's promise that he will send rain in its season so the land yields its produce; thematically parallels the causal link between heaven's rain and the earth bearing fruit in James 5:18.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its produce.
- Then he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crop.
Jas.5.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Αδελφοι: NOUN,voc,pl,m
- μου: PRON,gen,sg,1
- εαν: CONJ
- τις: PRON,nom,sg,?
- εν: PREP
- υμιν: PRON,dat,pl,2
- πλανηθη: VERB,aor,pass,sub,3,sg
- απο: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- αληθειας: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- επιστρεψη: VERB,aor,act,subj,3,sg
- τις: PRON,nom,sg,?
- αυτον: PRON,acc,sg,m
Parallels
- Galatians 6:1 (thematic): Both exhort the community to restore a believer who has fallen into sin—emphasizing gentle restoration rather than judgment.
- Matthew 18:15 (structural): Provides a procedure for confronting and restoring a sinning brother, parallel to James' concern for turning back one who has wandered from the truth.
- Luke 17:3-4 (verbal): Commands believers to rebuke a sinning brother and forgive if he repents, echoing James' focus on bringing back someone who has gone astray.
- 2 Timothy 2:24-26 (thematic): Urges patience and gentle correction so opponents may come to their senses and be recovered, paralleling James' call to restore those who stray.
- Jude 1:22-23 (thematic): Calls for mercy and saving those who doubt or are being snatched from danger, reflecting the communal responsibility to rescue those who have wandered.
Alternative generated candidates
- My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,
- My brothers, if anyone among you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,
Jas.5.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- γινωσκετω: VERB,pres,act,imp,3,sg
- οτι: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- επιστρεψας: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,m,sg
- αμαρτωλον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- εκ: PREP
- πλανης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- οδου: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- σωσει: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,sg
- ψυχην: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
- εκ: PREP
- θανατου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- καλυψει: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,sg
- πληθος: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- αμαρτιων: NOUN,gen,pl,f
Parallels
- Luke 15:7 (thematic): Jesus says there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents—emphasizes the saving/return of a single sinner like James’ ‘bringing back a sinner’ who is rescued from death.
- Galatians 6:1 (structural): Paul exhorts spiritually minded believers to restore a person overtaken in sin—parallel in pastoral concern and the communal responsibility to bring sinners back from error.
- 1 Peter 4:8 (verbal): Peter’s statement that ‘love covers a multitude of sins’ echoes James’ language about covering a multitude of sins when a sinner is turned back, linking restoration with forgiveness/covering of sins.
- Matthew 18:15 (thematic): Jesus’ procedure for confronting and winning a brother who sins focuses on restoration of the sinner to the community—parallel to James’ emphasis on returning the wanderer to save his soul.
- Ezekiel 18:21–23 (thematic): Ezekiel teaches that if the wicked turns from sin he shall live rather than die; this Old Testament theology of turning and life undergirds James’ claim that returning a sinner saves his soul from death.
Alternative generated candidates
- know that whoever turns a sinner from his error will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
- know this: the one who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praises.
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.
Then he prayed again, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back,
know this: whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.