James 1:1 - Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Bible Comments

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

The last subject discussed in James 3:13; James 4:7.

James - an apostle of the circumcision, with Peter and John; James in Jerusalem, Palestine, and Syria; Peter in Babylon and the East; John in Ephesus and Asia Minor. Peter addresses the dispersed Jews of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia; James, the Israelites of the twelve tribes scattered abroad.

Servant of God - not that he was not an apostle; for Paul, an apostle, also calls himself so; but as addressing the Israelites generally, including indirectly the unbelieving, he in humility omits "apostle:" so Paul in writing to the Hebrews; similarly Jude, an apostle in his general letter.

Jesus Christ - not mentioned again, except in James 2:1: not at all in his speeches (Acts 15:14-15, and Acts 21:20-21), lest his introducing the name oftener should seem to arise from vanity, he being "the Lord's brother" (Bengel). His teaching being practical, rather than doctrinal, required less express mention of Christ.

Scattered abroad, х tais (G3588) en (G1722) tee (G3588) diaspora (G1290)] - 'which are in the dispersion.' The dispersion of the Israelites, and their connection with Jerusalem as a center of religion, was a divinely-ordered means of propagating Christianity. The pilgrim troops of the law became caravans of the Gospel (Wordsworth).

Greeting - in no other Christian letter but in James and the Jerusalem Synod's letter to the Gentile churches: an undesigned coincidence and mark of genuineness. х Chairein (G5463), "greeting," is akin to charan (G5479), "joy," to which they are exhorted amidst distresses from poverty and consequent oppression: cf. Romans 15:26.]

James 1:1

1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.