The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (267 page)

4:5 He yearns jealously:
This saying is not found verbatim in any extant text of the OT. It is probably a paraphrase of several biblical verses and ideas. • According to the RSV translation of the passage, God has given us a spirit to inhabit our bodies (Gen 6:3), and he jealously forbids allegiance to any other gods besides him (Ex 20:5). Another, perhaps preferable, translation is the following: "The spirit he has made to dwell in us yearns enviously." Read in this way, the passage stresses that envy corrupts the spirit of man and makes it a friend of the world rather than a friend of God, who gave it (4:4; Gen 8:21). 
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4:6 God opposes the proud:
A citation from Prov 3:34. The point is that pride, because it blinds us to our deepest needs, keeps us from the grace that is necessary to meet those needs (1 Pet 5:5). • God punishes thieves, perjurers, gluttons, and other sinners because they despise his commandments. However, he resists the proud in a special way, because they rely on their own strength as if they could save themselves without help from above. On the other hand, God gives grace to the humble because they recognize their need and ask God for help in overcoming their sins (St. Bede,
On the Seven Catholic Epistles
at Jas 4:6). 
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4:7 Resist the devil:
Resistance is possible only because the power of God within us is greater than the power of the Evil One present in the world (1 Jn 4:4). For similar exhortations, see Eph 6:11-17 and 1 Pet 5:8-9. 
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4:8 Draw near to God:
A call to return to the covenant and reestablish friendship with God (Zech 1:3; Mal 3:7).
Cleanse your hands:
The priests of Israel used to wash their hands before ministering in the sanctuary (Ex 30:17-21). James speaks, not of cultic purity, but of moral purity, exhorting readers to wash themselves of evil deeds and intentions. Purification is demanded of everyone who approaches the all-holy God (Ps 24:4-5; Is 1:15-16). 
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4:9 mourn and weep:
A call to shed tears of repentance (Mt 5:4). Catholic tradition refers to this as "compunction" of heart. 
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4:10 Humble yourselves . . . exalt you:
Echoes the saying of Jesus in Mt 23:12, which is likewise paraphrased in 1 Pet 5:6. 
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4:11 Do not speak evil:
Believers are forbidden to malign each other with either true (detraction) or false information (calumny). This behavior is injurious because it uses words to put others down and lift oneself up. James warns that one who speaks evil vaults himself above the law and therefore into the place of God, who alone is the "lawgiver and judge" of our neighbor (4:12) (CCC 2477). • This is probably an allusion to the prohibition against slander in Lev 19:16.
See note on Jas 2:8
. 
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The Teaching of James and Jesus

Several times in the Letter of James we hear the voice of Jesus. The Lord's words are never quoted verbatim, but many instructions read like paraphrases of the teachings of Jesus, especially those preserved in the Gospel of Matthew. The majority echo sayings from the Sermon on the Mount in Mt 5-7. Below are some of the more obvious parallels.

Jas 1:4
     "And . . . that you may be
perfect
and complete, lacking in nothing."

Mt 5:48
     "You, therefore, must be
perfect,
as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Jas 1:5
     "[L]et him
ask
God, who
gives
to all men generously. . . ."

Mt 7:7
 
"Ask,
and it will be
given
you. . . ."

Jas 1:22
     "But be
doers
of the word, and not
hearers
only. . . ."

Mt 7:24
     "Every one . . . who
hears
these words of mine and
does
them. . . ."

Jas 2:5
     "Has not God chosen those who are
poor
 . . . to be . . . heirs of the
kingdom . . . ."

Mt 5:3
     "Blessed are the
poor
in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom
of heaven."

Jas 2:13
     "For judgment is without
mercy
to one who has
shown
no
mercy. . . .
"

Mt 5:7
     "Blessed are
the merciful,
for they shall obtain
mercy."

Jas 3:18
     "And the harvest of righteousness is sown . . . by
those who make peace."

Mt 5:9
     "Blessed are
the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God."

Jas 5:2-3
     "[G]arments are moth-eaten . . . gold and silver have
rusted
 . . . laid up
treasure . . . ."

Mt 6:19
     "Do not lay up for yourselves
treasures
 . . . where
moth
and
rust
consume. . . ."

Jas 5:10
     "As an example of suffering and patience, brethren, take
the prophets. . . .
"

Mt 5:12
     "[F]or so men persecuted
the prophets
who were before you."

Jas 5:12
     "[D]o
not swear
 . . . but let your
yes be yes
and your
no be no . . ."

Mt 5:34, 37
     "Do
not swear
at all . . . Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'. . . ."

4:14 you are a mist:
A rebuke for those who plan their lives without consideration of God's will. Such behavior is actually arrogant (4:16), because it fails to acknowledge how short and uncertain life really is and how God alone has the absolute power to determine whether our plans come to pass or fall apart. 
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4:17 Whoever knows . . . and fails:
Knowledge of the truth makes one responsible for acting in accord with it (1:22; 2:1426). Failure to act on the truth is a sin of omission (CCC 1853). 
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5:1-6
James rails against wealthy landowners who love their belongings more than God (1 Tim 6:9). The disastrous end of their wealth is so near and so certain that James describes it as already perishing (5:2-3). • Echoes can be heard of sayings from the OT (Job 13:28; Is 51:8), as well as the teaching of Jesus (Mt 6:19-21; Lk 12:15-21). 
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5:3 for the last days:
Literally, "in the last days", an expression that refers to the Christian age (Acts 2:17) as it builds up toward a time of widespread chaos and deception (2 Tim 3:1; cf. 2 Pet 3:3; Jude 18). James is alarmed that the rich are senselessly hoarding wealth for themselves in the final calm before the storm of divine judgment (CCC 675-77). 
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5:4 by fraud:
A warning that economic injustice does not go unnoticed or unpunished by the Lord. • This is probably an allusion to Lev 19:13, which forbids the exploitation of hired workers and demands that their wages be given by the end of the day (CCC 1867, 2434).
See note on Jas 2:8
. 
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5:5 day of slaughter:
An expression taken from Jer 12:3. • Jeremiah prayed that the corrupt of Israel would no longer prosper and grow strong but would meet the end they justly deserved. His petition was answered the day Yahweh sent Babylon to slaughter the rebels of Judah and Jerusalem in 586
B.C.
Judgment likewise awaits the oppressive and over-indulgent who have fattened themselves on moneys unjustly withheld from workers. 
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