Passage

James 2.26

Book: James · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"24. Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. 25. And in like manner was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?"

"26. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead." (James 2:24-26, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"24. You see then that by works, a man is justified, and not only by faith. 25. In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way?"

"26. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead." (James 2:24-26, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?"

"26. For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. ^{spirit: or, breath}" (James 2:24-26, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"24. Ye see, then, that out of works is man declared righteous, and not out of faith only; 25. and in like manner also Rahab the harlot, was she not out of works declared righteous, having received the messengers, and by another way having sent forth?"

"26. for as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also the faith apart from the works is dead." (James 2:24-26, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: James the Just (the brother of Jesus, head of Jerusalem church)
Audience: Jewish Christians in the dispersion
Location: Jerusalem (composition)
Time period: composed c. AD 45-49 (likely the earliest NT book)

Theological reading

Key words

G3498 - nekros, nekros (Strong's G3498). Also appears in: Matthew 23, Matthew 28.1-10, Mark 6.
G4102 - pistis, pistis (Strong's G4102). Also appears in: Matthew 8.5-12, Matthew 15, Matthew 23.
G4151 - pneuma, pneuma (Strong's G4151). Also appears in: Matthew 1.18, Matthew 1.20, Matthew 3.16.
G4983 - soma, soma (Strong's G4983). Also appears in: Matthew 6.25-26, Matthew 10.28, Matthew 27.59-60.

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.