James 3:15

BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

“Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”

What this verse means

Read James 3:15 in the flow of James3 for its full sense, then follow the cross-references below to the passages that echo it. Open James3 to see the surrounding context.

Compare translations
BSBPD

“Such wisdom does not come from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.”

Berean Standard Bible · Public Domain (CC0)
KJVPD

“This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.”

King James Version · Public Domain
ASVPD

“This wisdom is not a wisdom that cometh down from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.”

American Standard Version · Public Domain
YLTPD

“this wisdom is not descending from above, but earthly, physical, demon-like,”

Young's Literal Translation · Public Domain
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Cross references

Other passages that echo James 3:15 — 24 related verses from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  1. Genesis 3:1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
  2. 2 Samuel 13:3Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man,
  3. 2 Samuel 15:31Now someone told David: “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” So David pleaded, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness!”
  4. 2 Samuel 16:23Now in those days the advice of Ahithophel was like the consultation of the word of God. Such was the regard that both David and Absalom had for Ahithophel’s advice.
  5. Jeremiah 4:22“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”
  6. Luke 16:8The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light.
  7. John 3:17For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
  8. John 8:44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
  9. Acts 13:10and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
  10. Romans 1:22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,
  11. 1 Corinthians 1:19For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
  12. 1 Corinthians 1:27But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
  13. 1 Corinthians 2:6Among the mature, however, we speak a message of wisdom—but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
  14. 1 Corinthians 2:14The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
  15. 1 Corinthians 3:3for you are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and dissension among you, are you not worldly? Are you not walking in the way of man?
  16. 1 Corinthians 3:19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.”
  17. 2 Corinthians 1:12And this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
  18. 2 Corinthians 11:3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
  19. 2 Corinthians 11:13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
  20. Philippians 3:19Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.
  21. 2 Thessalonians 2:9The coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the working of Satan, with every kind of power, sign, and false wonder,
  22. 1 Timothy 4:1Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,
  23. James 1:5Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
  24. James 1:17Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.

Cross-reference data: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain) via OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

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