James 5 4

James 5:4 kjv

Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

James 5:4 nkjv

Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.

James 5:4 niv

Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty.

James 5:4 esv

Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.

James 5:4 nlt

For listen! Hear the cries of the field workers whom you have cheated of their pay. The cries of those who harvest your fields have reached the ears of the LORD of Heaven's Armies.

James 5 verses

James 5 4 Meaning

James 5:4 powerfully indicts wealthy oppressors who unjustly withhold the wages of their laborers. It portrays the denied wages and the cries of the defrauded workers as ascending to God, the sovereign Lord of Hosts, who hears and is prepared to act in judgment against such profound injustice. This verse emphasizes divine advocacy for the vulnerable and the certainty of retribution for economic exploitation.

James 5 4 Context

James 5:4 is situated within a stern warning against the wealthy and powerful in the community, found in the opening verses of James chapter 5. James directly addresses those who have accumulated riches through unjust means, foretelling their coming judgment. Verses 1-3 describe the perishable nature of their ill-gotten gains (perished riches, moth-eaten garments, rusted gold), symbolizing the spiritual decay and worthlessness of wealth acquired unjustly. Verse 4 then provides a concrete example of this injustice: the defrauding of laborers.

Historically, in the Greco-Roman world and within the Jewish context of the time, agricultural labor was often performed by day-laborers who depended entirely on their daily wages for survival. Withholding these wages, or paying less than due, was an act of profound cruelty, jeopardizing not only the worker but their entire family. Mosaic Law explicitly forbade such oppression (Lev 19:13; Deut 24:14-15), making this sin particularly grievous in the eyes of God. James's denunciation functions as a polemic against the pervasive social injustice and disregard for God's established covenant law, reminding the wealthy that God, the true owner and Judge, would indeed hear and act on behalf of His vulnerable people.

James 5 4 Word analysis

• Behold (ἰδού, idou): An interjection used to draw immediate attention to what follows, emphasizing the severity and certainty of the truth being stated. It implies "Look! See clearly!"
• the wages (ὁ μισθός, ho misthos): Refers to the hire, pay, or earnings. In this context, it is the rightful compensation owed to the laborers, essential for their livelihood.
• of the laborers (τῶν ἐργατῶν, tōn ergatōn): Refers to manual workers, particularly those who perform physical labor for hire, like farmhands. This term often implies hard work and reliance on payment.
• who mowed (τῶν ἀμησάντων, tōn amēsantōn): A participle meaning "who reaped" or "who harvested" with sickles. It refers to those who performed the hard physical work of gathering the harvest, implying a completed and deserving effort.
• your fields (τοὺς ἀγρούς ὑμῶν, tous agrous hymōn): Directly links the produce of the earth and the labor to the ownership of the oppressors, highlighting their culpability.
• which you kept back by fraud (ὁ ἀπεστερημένος ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν, ho apesterēmenos hyph' hymōn):
  • kept back by fraud (ἀποστερέω, apostereō): This verb means to "defraud," "rob," or "deprive by withholding." It signifies an active, unjust deprivation of something legally or morally owed. It's not just failing to pay, but actively holding back what rightfully belongs to another, often implying deceit or oppression.
• cry out (κράζει, krazei): Present tense, active voice. Implies a continuous, piercing shout or scream. It depicts the withheld wages themselves having a voice, a poignant personification, crying out to God against the injustice. This is an urgent, distressed cry for divine intervention.
• and the cries (αἱ βοαί, hai boai):
  • cries (βοή, boē): Another word for a loud cry or shout, often of anguish or lamentation. While krazo might suggest a specific sound, boē refers to the general outcry or clamor. Here, it shifts from the inanimate wages to the direct outcry of the suffering individuals.
• of the harvesters (τῶν θεριζόντων, tōn therizontōn): Another term for reapers or harvesters, reinforcing the identity of the defrauded workers. It highlights their role in producing the wealth that is unjustly withheld.
• have reached the ears (εἰσεληλύθασιν εἰς τὰ ὦτα, eiselēlythasin eis ta ōta):
  • have reached (εἰσεληλύθασιν, eiselēlythasin): Perfect tense, indicating a completed action with ongoing results. The cries have entered and remain heard by God, ensuring a certain response. It's not just a fleeting sound but something that has profoundly penetrated God's attention.
  • ears (ὦτα, ōta): Anthropomorphic language to convey God's full and attentive reception of the complaint.
• of the Lord of Sabaoth (Κυρίου Σαβαώθ, Kyriou Sabaōth):
  • Lord (Κυρίου, Kyriou): Refers to God as master, sovereign, or owner.
  • of Sabaoth (Σαβαώθ, Sabaōth): A transliteration of the Hebrew Tsebaoth, meaning "Hosts" or "Armies." This title emphasizes God's power, omnipotence, and command over celestial armies, implying His readiness to execute judgment and warfare against evil. It portrays God as a divine warrior, the absolute sovereign, whose justice cannot be evaded. This title intensifies the gravity of the divine hearing and foreshadows imminent, powerful action.

James 5 4 Bonus section

The active "crying out" of the wages themselves in James 5:4 is a vivid metaphor with deep Old Testament roots. Similar personification is found in Gen 4:10, where Abel's blood cries out from the ground, or in Hab 2:11, where "the stone will cry out from the wall." This emphasizes that the injustice is so profound that creation itself testifies against the oppressor, demanding divine intervention. It highlights the principle that sins against people, especially the poor and vulnerable, are direct offenses against God Himself and leave a persistent mark, registering in the divine record. The emphasis is not just on God hearing, but on the inescapable nature of the cry; the wrong itself possesses an inherent voice that reaches the throne of the universe.

James 5 4 Commentary

James 5:4 is a powerful statement about God's intimate awareness of and immediate response to social injustice, particularly the exploitation of the vulnerable. It reveals a God who not only hears the explicit cries of the oppressed but whose moral order is so offended that even the inanimate wages themselves are personified as crying out for justice. This twofold crying – of the defrauded wages and of the suffering laborers – ensures that the divine ears of the "Lord of Sabaoth" are assailed by the cries of injustice. The title "Lord of Sabaoth" is crucial; it does not merely suggest a listening God, but a God who is also the mighty Commander of Heavenly Armies, poised to intervene decisively on behalf of His people. The act of defrauding wages, so foundational to biblical justice, becomes an offense of cosmic proportion, invoking the direct and inescapable wrath of a powerful and just God. This verse serves as a chilling reminder that material gain procured through the suffering of others comes at the highest spiritual cost, ensuring an eventual reckoning from the sovereign Judge.