James 5:1

Read in context

James 5:1–3 · Berean Standard Bible

1 Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.

2 Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.

3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.

Greek words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Study James 5:1

Read the commentary on James 5

Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

James 4:13

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”

James 1:11

For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its flower falls and its beauty is lost. So too, the rich man will fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

James 2:6

But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?

Deuteronomy 8:12

Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses in which to dwell,

Deuteronomy 8:13

and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all that you have is multiplied,

Deuteronomy 8:14

then your heart will become proud, and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Deuteronomy 32:15

But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked— becoming fat, bloated, and gorged. He abandoned the God who made him and scorned the Rock of his salvation.

Nehemiah 9:25

They captured fortified cities and fertile land and took houses full of all goods, wells already dug, vineyards, olive groves, and fruit trees in abundance. So they ate and were filled; they grew fat and delighted in Your great goodness.

Nehemiah 9:26

But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.

Job 20:15

He swallows wealth but vomits it out; God will force it from his stomach.

Job 20:16

He will suck the poison of cobras; the fangs of a viper will kill him.

Job 20:17

He will not enjoy the streams, the rivers flowing with honey and cream.

Job 20:18

He must return the fruit of his labor without consuming it; he cannot enjoy the profits of his trading.

Job 20:19

For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor; he has seized houses he did not build.

Job 20:20

Because his appetite is never satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure.

Job 20:21

Nothing is left for him to consume; thus his prosperity will not endure.

Job 20:22

In the midst of his plenty, he will be distressed; the full force of misery will come upon him.

Job 20:23

When he has filled his stomach, God will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats.

Job 20:24

Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.

Job 20:25

It is drawn out of his back, the gleaming point from his liver. Terrors come over him.

Job 20:26

Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. A fire unfanned will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.

Job 20:27

The heavens will expose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him.

Job 20:28

The possessions of his house will be removed, flowing away on the day of God’s wrath.

Job 20:29

This is the wicked man’s portion from God, the inheritance God has appointed him.”

Psalms 17:14

from such men, O LORD, by Your hand— from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children.

Psalms 49:6

They trust in their wealth and boast in their great riches.

Psalms 49:7

No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.

Psalms 49:8

For the redemption of his soul is costly, and never can payment suffice,

Psalms 49:9

that he should live on forever and not see decay.

Psalms 49:10

For it is clear that wise men die, and the foolish and the senseless both perish and leave their wealth to others.

Psalms 49:11

Their graves are their eternal homes— their dwellings for endless generations— even though their lands were their namesakes.

Psalms 49:12

But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 49:13

This is the fate of the self-confident and their followers who endorse their sayings. Selah

Psalms 49:14

Like sheep they are destined for Sheol. Death will be their shepherd. The upright will rule them in the morning, and their form will decay in Sheol, far from their lofty abode.

Psalms 49:15

But God will redeem my life from Sheol, for He will surely take me to Himself. Selah

Psalms 49:16

Do not be amazed when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.

Psalms 49:17

For when he dies, he will carry nothing away; his abundance will not follow him down.

Psalms 49:18

Though in his lifetime he blesses his soul— and men praise you when you prosper—

Psalms 49:19

he will join the generation of his fathers, who will never see the light of day.

Psalms 49:20

A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

Psalms 73:3

For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

Psalms 73:4

They have no struggle in their death; their bodies are well-fed.

Psalms 73:5

They are free of the burdens others carry; they are not afflicted like other men.

Psalms 73:6

Therefore pride is their necklace; a garment of violence covers them.

Psalms 73:7

From their prosperity proceeds iniquity; the imaginations of their hearts run wild.

Psalms 73:8

They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.

Psalms 73:9

They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth.

Psalms 73:18

Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.

Psalms 73:19

How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors!

Psalms 73:20

Like one waking from a dream, so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.

Proverbs 11:4

Riches are worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness brings deliverance from death.

Proverbs 11:28

He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like foliage.

Ecclesiastes 5:13

There is a grievous evil I have seen under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,

Ecclesiastes 5:14

or wealth lost in a failed venture, so when that man has a son there is nothing to pass on.

Jeremiah 9:23

This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.

Micah 6:12

For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; their tongues are deceitful in their mouths.

Zephaniah 1:18

Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the Day of the LORD’s wrath. The whole earth will be consumed by the fire of His jealousy.” For indeed, He will make a sudden end of all who dwell on the earth.

Matthew 19:23

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 19:24

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

Luke 6:24

But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.

Luke 12:16

Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance.

Luke 12:17

So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere to store my crops?’

Luke 12:18

Then he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and will build bigger ones, and there I will store up all my grain and my goods.

Luke 12:19

Then I will say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy. Eat, drink, and be merry!”’

Luke 12:20

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’

Luke 12:21

This is how it will be for anyone who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich toward God.”

Luke 16:19

Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor.

Luke 16:20

And a beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate, covered with sores

Luke 16:21

and longing to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

Luke 16:22

One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried.

Luke 16:23

In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham from afar, with Lazarus by his side.

Luke 16:24

So he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. For I am in agony in this fire.’

Luke 16:25

But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.

1 Timothy 6:9

Those who want to be rich, however, fall into temptation and become ensnared by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction.

1 Timothy 6:10

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. By craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

Revelation 6:15

Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.

Revelation 6:16

And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.

Revelation 6:17

For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

James 4:9

Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter to mourning, and your joy to gloom.

Isaiah 13:6

Wail, for the Day of the LORD is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Isaiah 22:12

On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts called for weeping and wailing, for shaven heads and the wearing of sackcloth.

Isaiah 22:13

But look, there is joy and gladness, butchering of cattle and slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat and drinking of wine: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”

Jeremiah 4:8

So put on sackcloth, mourn and wail, for the fierce anger of the LORD has not turned away from us.”

Ezekiel 19:2

and say: ‘What was your mother? A lioness among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs.

Joel 1:5

Wake up, you drunkards, and weep; wail, all you drinkers of wine, because of the sweet wine, for it has been cut off from your mouth.

Joel 1:11

Be dismayed, O farmers, wail, O vinedressers, over the wheat and barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.

Joel 1:13

Put on sackcloth and lament, O priests; wail, O ministers of the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, O ministers of my God, because the grain and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.

Amos 6:6

You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

Amos 6:7

Therefore, you will now go into exile as the first of the captives, and your feasting and lounging will come to an end.

Zechariah 11:2

Wail, O cypress, for the cedar has fallen; the majestic trees are ruined! Wail, O oaks of Bashan, for the dense forest has been cut down!

Zechariah 11:3

Listen to the wailing of the shepherds, for their glory is in ruins. Listen to the roaring of the young lions, for the thickets of the Jordan are destroyed.

Luke 6:25

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

Luke 23:28

But Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

Luke 23:29

Look, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!’