Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
James 5:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse makes fraudulently withheld wages and laborers' cries reach the Lord of hosts.
Read It With
- James 5:1–6
Read James 5:4 with 5:1–6. This verse makes fraudulently withheld wages and laborers' cries reach the Lord of hosts. The complete unit establishes this movement: Exploitative rich people are told to weep because hoarded wealth testifies against them: withheld workers' wages cry to the Lord of hosts, luxury has fattened hearts for judgment, and the righteous have been condemned and killed without effective resistance.
Why This Verse Appears Here
James names the material practices behind economic pride so patience will not be preached as approval of exploitation. Within that movement, this verse makes fraudulently withheld wages and laborers' cries reach the Lord of hosts.
Read James 5:1–6 together
Why these verses belong together: Ruined stores, hoarding, wage theft, laborers' cries, luxury, and deadly legal power define the prophetic indictment.
Verse 1. 1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
Verse 2. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
Verse 3. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
Verse 4. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
Verse 5. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
Verse 6. 6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
Follow the Context
- Rich oppressors are summoned to weep over coming misery.
- Riches, clothing, gold, and silver are portrayed as already spoiled or corroded.
- The corrosion becomes testimony and consuming judgment against hoarding in the last days.
- Wages withheld from harvest workers cry out.
- The workers' cries reach the Lord of hosts.
- Luxury and pleasure are exposed as self-fattening for slaughter.
- The rich have condemned and killed the righteous person, who lacks effective resistance.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“hire ... kept back by fraud, crieth”
In plain language: Unpaid wages are a moral cry heard by the powerful God.
makes fraudulently withheld wages and laborers' cries reach the Lord of hosts. God hears workers whom economic power attempts to silence.
Why it matters: The wording carries interpretive or ethical risk that requires the full unit and its stated limits.
How certain? strongWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
The verse does not teach workers to wait silently, avoid organizing, decline legal remedies, or accept spiritual compensation.
What Remains True
God hears workers whom economic power attempts to silence.
How It Can Shape Life
- Audit pay, repay shortages promptly, protect complainants, and meet labor-law duties.
Teach It Back
Explain James 5:4's contribution to James 5:1–6: makes fraudulently withheld wages and laborers' cries reach the Lord of hosts. Include what the surrounding verses add, the stated uncertainty, and what this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read James 5:1–6 — Hoarding, Withheld Wages, Luxury, and Condemnation Face JudgmentSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: James 5:1–6, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording, clause relationships, and base text for original-language discussion.
Exact location: Faithlife SBLGNT repository, data/sblgnt/text/Jas.txt, 5:1–6
Open the James Greek text file ↗Translation and textual notes
NET Bible — James with translators' and textual notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005–2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, textual alternatives, and interpretive notes.
Exact location: NET Bible official six-page James PDF, 5:1–6 translation and attached translator, study, and textual notes
Open the official NET James PDF ↗