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James 1:16

New Testament Epistle (General) ASV (1901)

What does James 1:16 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.
James 1:16 — American Standard Version

Context — James 1

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man:
14but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.
15Then the lust, when it hath conceived, beareth sin: and the sin, when it is fullgrown, bringeth forth death.
16Be not deceived, my beloved brethren.
17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning.
18Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19Ye know [this], my beloved brethren. But let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
← James 1:15James 1:17 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Do not err, my beloved brethren.] For to make God the author of sin, or to charge him with being concerned in temptation to sin, is a very great error, a fundamental one, which strikes at the nature and being of God, and at the perfection of his holiness: it is a denying of him, and is one of those damnable errors and heresies, which bring upon men swift destruction; and therefore to be guarded against, rejected, and abhorred by all that profess any regard unto him, his name and glory.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Do not err in attributing to God temptation to evil; nay (as he proceeds to show), "every good," all that is good on earth, comes from God.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Do not err, my beloved brethren - This is said as if there were great danger of error in the point under consideration. The point on which he would guard them, seems to have been in respect to the opinion that God was the author of sin, and that the evils in the world are to be traced to him. There was great danger that they would embrace that opinion, for experience has shown that it is a danger into which men are always prone to fall. Some of the sources of this danger have been already alluded to. Notes, James 1:13. To meet the danger he says that, so far is it from being true that God is the source of evil, he is in fact the author of all that is good: every good gift, and every perfect…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Do not err - It is a grievous error to ascribe the evil and not the good which we receive to God. James 1:17”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Do: Mat 22:29; Mar 12:24, Mar 12:27; Gal 6:7; Col 2:4, Col 2:8; Ti2 2:18 my: Jam 1:19, Jam 2:5; Phi 2:12, Phi 4:1; Heb 13:1 James 1:17”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification