James 1:5
New International Version
If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

New Living Translation
If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.

English Standard Version
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Berean Standard Bible
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Berean Literal Bible
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from God, the One giving generously to all and not finding fault, and it will be given to him.

King James Bible
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

New King James Version
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

New American Standard Bible
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

NASB 1995
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

NASB 1977
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Legacy Standard Bible
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Amplified Bible
If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame, and it will be given to him.

Christian Standard Bible
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

American Standard Version
But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But if anyone of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from God who gives to everyone simply, and does not reproach, and it will be given to him.

Contemporary English Version
If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won't correct you for asking.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But if any of you want wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men abundantly, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

English Revised Version
But if any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
If any of you needs wisdom to know what you should do, you should ask God, and he will give it to you. God is generous to everyone and doesn't find fault with them.

Good News Translation
But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all.

International Standard Version
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to everyone generously without a rebuke, and it will be given to him.

Literal Standard Version
And if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask from God, who is giving to all generously, and not reproaching, and it will be given to him;

Majority Standard Bible
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

New American Bible
But if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and he will be given it.

NET Bible
But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without reprimand, and it will be given to him.

New Revised Standard Version
If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.

New Heart English Bible
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without finding fault; and it will be given to him.

Webster's Bible Translation
If any of you lacketh wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him.

Weymouth New Testament
And if any one of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask God for it, who gives with open hand to all men, and without upbraiding; and it will be given him.

World English Bible
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Young's Literal Translation
and if any of you do lack wisdom, let him ask from God, who is giving to all liberally, and not reproaching, and it shall be given to him;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Rejoicing in Trials
4Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.…

Cross References
1 Kings 3:9
Therefore give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil. For who is able to govern this great people of Yours?"

Psalm 51:6
Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Proverbs 3:6
in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 8:17
I love those who love me, and those who seek me early shall find me.

Daniel 2:21
He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.


Treasury of Scripture

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that gives to all men liberally, and upbraides not; and it shall be given him.

any.

Exodus 31:3,6
And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, …

Exodus 36:1-4
Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded…

1 Kings 3:7-9,11,12
And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in…

let.

James 1:17
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 3:17
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

James 5:16
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

and upbraideth.

Matthew 11:20
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

Mark 16:14
Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

Luke 15:20-22
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him…

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Deficient Fault Finding Freely Generously Gives Hand Lacketh Lacks Open Reproach Reproaches Reproaching Request Unkind Upbraiding Wisdom
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Deficient Fault Finding Freely Generously Gives Hand Lacketh Lacks Open Reproach Reproaches Reproaching Request Unkind Upbraiding Wisdom
James 1
1. James greets the twelve tribes among the nations;
2. exhorts to rejoice in trials and temptations;
5. to ask patience of God;
13. and in our trials not to impute our weakness, or sins, to him,
19. but rather to hearken to the word, to meditate on it, and to do thereafter.
26. Otherwise men may seem, but never be, truly religious.














(5) If any of you lack wisdom.--The Apostle passes on to the thought of heavenly wisdom; not the knowledge of the deep things of God, but that which is able to make us wise unto our latter end (Proverbs 19:20). Few may be able, save in self-conceit, to say with Isaiah (Isaiah 50:4), "The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned;" and, on the other hand, the wisest and most gifted of men may truly be wanting in the wisdom descending from above.

Let him ask of God.--But whoever, learned or unlearned, feels in his heart the need of the knowledge of God, since to know Him "is eternal life" (John 17:3), "let him ask" for it in all purity of intention, simply, i.e., for His honour and service, "and it shall be given him."

That giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not.--"Liberally" had better, perhaps, be changed to simply--i.e., God gives fully and directly, and reproacheth (or, "upbraideth") not the utterance of such a prayer, in no way detracting from the graciousness of His gifts. How wide the difference from any generosity of man I "Yea," wrote Dante, in exile at Verona,

". . . thou shalt learn how salt his food, who fares

Upon another's bread.--how steep his path,

Who treadeth up and down another's stairs." . . .

Verses 5-11. - Digression suggested by the thought of perfection. There can be no true perfection without wisdom, which is the gift of God, and must be sought from him. It is possible that the thought and connection of the passage is due to a reminiscence of Wisd. 9:6, "For though a man be never so perfect (τέλειος) among the children of men, yet if thy wisdom be not with him, he shall be nothing regarded." But whether this be so or not, the teaching is manifestly founded on our Lord's words with regard to prayer, Matthew 7:7, "Ask, and it shall be given you;" and Mark 11:23, "Have faith in God. Verily I say unto you, Whoever shall say... and shall not doubt (διακριθῇ) in his heart," etc. Τοῦ διδόντος Θεοῦ. The order of the words shows that God's character is that of a Giver: "the giving God." His "nature and property" is to give as well as to forgive. Man often spoils his gifts,

(1) by the grudging way in which they are given, and

(2) by the reproaches which accompany them.

God, on the contrary, gives to all . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
If
Εἰ (Ei)
Conjunction
Strong's 1487: If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.

any
τις (tis)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

of you
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

lacks
λείπεται (leipetai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3007: A primary verb; to leave, i.e. to fail or be absent.

wisdom,
σοφίας (sophias)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 4678: Wisdom, insight, skill (human or divine), intelligence. From sophos; wisdom.

he should ask
αἰτείτω (aiteitō)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 154: To ask, request, petition, demand. Of uncertain derivation; to ask.

God,
Θεοῦ (Theou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

who
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

gives
διδόντος (didontos)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 1325: To offer, give; I put, place. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to give.

generously
ἁπλῶς (haplōs)
Adverb
Strong's 574: Simply, sincerely, graciously, bountifully. Adverb from haplous; bountifully.

to all
πᾶσιν (pasin)
Adjective - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

without
μὴ (mē)
Adverb
Strong's 3361: Not, lest. A primary particle of qualified negation; not, lest; also (whereas ou expects an affirmative one) whether.

finding fault,
ὀνειδίζοντος (oneidizontos)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3679: To reproach, revile, upbraid. From oneidos; to defame, i.e. Rail at, chide, taunt.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

it will be given
δοθήσεται (dothēsetai)
Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1325: To offer, give; I put, place. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to give.

to him.
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.


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NT Letters: James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom (Ja Jas. Jam)
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