SEV Biblia, Chapter 3:13
¶ ¿Quin es sabio y avisado entre vosotros? Muestre por la buena conversacin sus obras en mansedumbre de sabiduría.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - James 3:13
Verse 13. Who is a wise man] One truly religious; who, although he can neither bridle nor tame other men's tongues, can restrain his own. And endued with knowledge] kai episthmwn? And qualified to teach others.
Let him show] Let him by a holy life and chaste conversation show, through meekness and gentleness, joined to his Divine information, that he is a Christian indeed; his works and his spirit proving that God is in him of a truth; and that, from the fullness of a holy heart, his feet walk, his hands work; and his tongue speaks. We may learn from this that genuine wisdom is ever accompanied with meekness and gentleness. Those proud, overbearing, and disdainful men, who pass for great scholars and eminent critics, may have learning, but they have not wisdom. Their learning implies their correct knowledge of the structure of language, and of composition in general; but wisdom they have none, nor any self-government. They are like the blind man who carried a lantern in daylight to keep others from jostling him in the street. That learning is not only little worth, but despicable, that does not teach a man to govern his own spirit, and to be humble in his conduct towards others.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 13. Who is a wise man .] Meaning, not in things natural and civil, or merely moral, but in things spiritual: and he is a wise man, who is both wise to do good, and wise unto salvation; who has learned to know his own ignorance, folly, and stupidity; for the first lesson in the school of spiritual wisdom is for a man to know that he is a fool: and he is a wise man who considers his latter end, thinks of a future state, and what will become of him in another world; and who builds his faith and hope of eternal salvation on the sure and only foundation, the rock Christ Jesus; and who takes up a profession of religion upon principles of grace, and with views to the glory of God, and, upon mature deliberation, reckoning the cost, and what he must expect to meet with; and which he holds fast, without wavering, and yet does not depend upon it; and who walks circumspectly, and with wisdom, towards them that are without; and who observes both providences and promises, for the encouragement of his faith; and keeps looking to the mark for the prize, preferring heavenly things to earthly ones. And endued with knowledge amongst you ? as he is, who is endued with the knowledge of himself; of the impurity of his nature, and the plague of his heart; and of his impotency and inability to do any thing that is spiritually good of himself; and of the imperfection and insufficiency of his righteousness to justify him before God; and of his lost state and condition by nature, how deserving of the wrath of God, and obnoxious to the curses of the law; and how miserable he must be without the grace of God and righteousness of Christ: and who is also endued with the knowledge of Christ, so as to see a fulness, suitableness, and ability in him as a Saviour; so as to love him, approve of him, as such, and trust in him; which knowledge is always practical and soul humbling; and the least degree of it saving; and though it is imperfect, it is growing, and will at last come to perfection: now such a man is a Gnostic, in the best sense; for this question is put with a view to the Gnostics of those times, who valued themselves upon their knowledge, and despised practical religion and godliness: hence it follows, let him show out of a good conversation his works, with meekness of wisdom ; such an one ought to perform good works, and he will perform them; and it is right in him to show them forth, that they may be a means of others glorifying God upon the sight of them; and that they may be evidences of the truth of faith in themselves to others; and that they may be for the imitation of others; and that they may put to silence, and stop the mouths of false accusers, and adorn the Gospel, and recommend religion: and these should be shown forth out of a good conversation; not in a single act or two, but in a series and course of living; which may be said to be good, when it is ordered aright, according to the word of God, and is honest among the Gentiles, and upright and holy; and is as becomes the Gospel of Christ, and is worthy of the calling of God to grace and glory; and when it is influenced by the grace of God: and the works shown out of it, and in it, are done in faith, from love in the strength of Christ, and are directed to the glory of God: and all this should be with meekness of wisdom; in a wise and humble manner, without trusting to, and depending upon, such works for justification and salvation; and without glorying in them, and boasting of them; acknowledging the deficiency and imperfection of them, and his own weakness in the performance of them; and ascribing them to the power and grace of God, by the assistance of which they are performed.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 13-18 - These verses show the difference between men's pretending to be wise and their being really so. He who thinks well, or he who talks well, is not wise in the sense of the Scripture, if he does not live and ac well. True wisdom may be know by the meekness of the spirit and temper Those who live in malice, envy, and contention, live in confusion; an are liable to be provoked and hurried to any evil work. Such wisdo comes not down from above, but springs up from earthly principles, act on earthly motives, and is intent on serving earthly purposes. Thos who are lifted up with such wisdom, described by the apostle James, i near to the Christian love, described by the apostle Paul; and both ar so described that every man may fully prove the reality of his attainments in them. It has no disguise or deceit. It cannot fall in with those managements the world counts wise, which are crafty an guileful; but it is sincere, and open, and steady, and uniform, an consistent with itself. May the purity, peace, gentleness teachableness, and mercy shown in all our actions, and the fruits of righteousness abounding in our lives, prove that God has bestowed upo us this excellent gift __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
τις 5101 σοφος 4680 και 2532 επιστημων 1990 εν 1722 υμιν 5213 δειξατω 1166 5657 εκ 1537 της 3588 καλης 2570 αναστροφης 391 τα 3588 εργα 2041 αυτου 846 εν 1722 πραυτητι 4240 σοφιας 4678
Vincent's NT Word Studies
13. Wise and endued with knowledge (sofov kai episphmwn). A rendering needlessly verbose, yet substantially correct. Probably no very nice distinction was intended by the writer. It is somewhat difficult to fix the precise sense of sofov, since there is no uniformity in its usage in the New Testament. In classical Greek it primarily means skilled in a handicraft or art. Thence it runs into the sense of clever, in matters of common life, worldly wise. Then, in the hands of the philosophers, it acquires the sense of learned in the sciences, and, ironically, abstruse, subtle, obscure, like the English cunning, which originally meant knowing or skillful, and is often used in that sense in the English Bible (see Genesis xxv. 27; 1 Sam. xvi. 16).
In the New Testament sofov is used - 1. In the original classical sense, skilled in handicraft (1 Cor. iii. 10). 2. Accomplished in letters, learned (Rom. i. 14, 22; 1 Cor. i. 19, 26; iii. 18). So of the Jewish theologians and doctors (Matt. xi. 25), and of Christian teachers (Matt. xxiii. 34). 3. In a practical sense, of the practice of the law of piety and honesty; so Eph. v. 15, where it is joined with walking circumspectly, and 1 Cor. vi. 5, where it is represented as the quality adapted to adjust differences in the church. 4. In the higher, philosophical sense, of devising the best counsels and employing the best means to carry them out. So of God, Rom. xvi. 27; 1 Tim. i. 17; Jude 25; 1 Corinthians i. 25. In this passage the word appears to be used in the sense of iii. practical wisdom in pious living.
'Episthmwn occurs only here in the New Testament. In classical Greek it is often used like sofov, in the sense of skilled, versed; and by the philosophers in the higher sense of scientifically versed, in which sense it is opposed by Plato to doxasthv, a mere conjecturer. In this passage sofov would seem to be the broader, more general, and perhaps more dignified term of the two, as denoting the habit or quality, while ejpisthmwn indicates the special development and intelligent application of the quality to particular things. The Rev., wise and understanding, gives the distinction, on the whole, as nearly as is necessary.
Conversation (anastrofhv). See on 1 Pet. i. 15.
Meekness of wisdom. On meekness, see on Matt. v. 5. The meekness which is the proper attribute of wisdom.
"Knowledge is proud that she has learned so much, Wisdom is humble that she knows no more."
