Discovery BoxJames 1:9-11 
Context1:9 Now the believer 1 of humble means 2 should take pride 3 in his high position. 4 1:10 But the rich person’s pride should be in his humiliation, because he will pass away like a wildflower in the meadow. 5 1:11 For the sun rises with its heat and dries up the meadow; the petal of the flower falls off and its beauty is lost forever. 6 So also the rich person in the midst of his pursuits will wither away.
1 tn Grk “brother.” Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. TEV, NLT “Christians”; CEV “God’s people”). The term broadly connotes familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).
2 tn Grk “the lowly brother,” but “lowly/humble” is clarified in context by the contrast with “wealthy” in v. 10.
3 tn Grk “let him boast.”
4 tn Grk “his height,” “his exaltation.”
5 tn Grk “a flower of grass.”
6 tn Or “perishes,” “is destroyed.”
