‘You know this, my beloved brothers. And let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger,'
And his beloved brothers are aware of this, or are told to be aware of it (the verb could be imperative) and therefore they should be silent in awe before Him, listening and taking heed to His word. For ‘God is in Heaven and you are on the earth, therefore let your words be few' (Ecclesiastes 5:2). This is no time for self-opinionation and humanly expressed anger, but a time for hearing and teaching and putting into practise the righteousness of God. Compare Proverbs 13:3, ‘he who guards his mouth preserves his life. He who opens wide his lips comes to ruin' (see also Proverbs 10:19; Proverbs 29:20).
God is at work and so they should be swift to hear. God is at work and so they should think before they speak. God is at work and so they should put aside human anger. Who are they so to express God? Here all this is seen in the light of God at work, but the false and angry use of words will be expanded on in James 3:1-12, when his readers will be strongly warned against such misuse. For by their words they will be justified, and by their words they will be condemned (Matthew 12:37).