James 2:6
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
But you have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
American King James Version (AKJV)
But you have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?
American Standard Version (ASV)
But ye have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats?
Basic English Translation (BBE)
But you have put the poor man to shame. Are not the men of wealth rulers over you? do they not take you by force before their judges?
Webster's Revision
But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment-seats?
World English Bible
But you have dishonored the poor man. Don't the rich oppress you, and personally drag you before the courts?
English Revised Version (ERV)
But ye have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you, and themselves drag you before the judgment-seats?
Clarke's James 2:6 Bible Commentary
Do not rich men oppress you - The administration of justice was at this time in a miserable state of corruption among the Jews; but a Christian was one who was to expect no justice any where but from his God. The words καταδυναστευουσιν, exceedingly oppress, and ἑλκουσιν εις κριτηρια, drag you to courts of justice, show how grievously oppressed and maltreated the Christians were by their countrymen the Jews, who made law a pretext to afflict their bodies, and spoil them of their property.
Barnes's James 2:6 Bible Commentary
But ye have despised the poor - Koppe reads this as an interrogation: "Do ye despise the poor?" Perhaps it might be understood somewhat ironically: "You despise the poor, do you, and are disposed to honor the rich! Look then, and see how the rich treat you, and see whether you have so much occasion to regard them with any peculiar respect." The object of the apostle is to fix the attention on the impropriety of that partiality which many were disposed to show to the rich, by reminding them that the rich had never evinced towards them any such treatment as to lay the foundation of a claim to the honor which they were disposed to render them.
Do not rich men oppress you? - Referring probably to something in their conduct which existed particularly then. The meaning is not that they oppressed the poor as such, but that they oppressed those whom James addressed. It is probable that then, as since, a considerable portion of those who were Christians were in fact poor, and that this would have all the force of a personal appeal; but still the particular thought is, that it was a characteristic of the rich and the great, whom they were disposed peculiarly to honor, to oppress and crush the poor. The Greek here is very expressive: "Do they not imperiously lord it over you?" The statement here will apply with too much force to the rich in every age.
And draw you before the judgment-seats - That is, they are your persecutors rather than your friends. It was undoubtedly the case that many of the rich were engaged in persecuting Christians, and that on various pretences they dragged them before the judicial tribunals.
Wesley's James 2:6 Bible Commentary
2:6 Do not the rich often oppress you - By open violence; often drag you - Under colour of law.