James 5:3
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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.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
is cankered--"rusted through" [ALFORD]. rust . . . witness against you--in the day of judgment; namely, that your riches were of no profit to any, lying unemployed and so contracting rust. shall eat your flesh--The rust which once ate your riches, shall then gnaw your conscience, accompanied with punishment which shall prey upon your bodies for ever. as . . . fire--not with the slow process of rusting, but with the swiftness of consuming fire. for the last days--Ye have heaped together, not treasures as ye suppose (compare Luk 12:19), but wrath against the last days, namely, the coming judgment of the Lord. ALFORD translates more literally, "In these last days (before the coming judgment) ye laid up (worldly) treasure" to no profit, instead of repenting and seeking salvation (see on Jam 5:5).
Open source ↗In this chapter the apostle denounces the judgments of God upon those rich men who oppress the poor, showing them how great their sin and folly are in the sight of God, and how grievous the punishments would be which should fall upon themselves (Jam 5:1-6). Hereupon, all the faithful are exhorted to patience under their trials and sufferings (Jam 5:7-11). The sin of swearing is cautioned against (Jam 5:12). We are directed how to act, both under affliction and in prosperity (Jam 5:13). Prayer for the sick, and anointing with oil, are prescribed (Jam 5:14, Jam 5:15). Christians are directed to acknowledge their faults one to another, and to pray one for another, and the efficacy of prayer is proved (Jam 5:16-18). And, lastly, it is recommended to us to do what we can for bringing back those that stray from the ways of truth.
Open source ↗5:3 Material wealth, represented by gold and silver, is worthless in the face of God’s judgment. In fact, it will testify against them because it was unjustly gotten (5:4) and wickedly used (5:5-6).
Open source ↗Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.
And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it.
Most importantly, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
Then Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather around so that I can tell you what will happen to you in the days to come:
This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me.
And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny your God.”
and the talk of such men will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,