What scripture is James 4:5 referring to?

Question

James 4:5 (ESV)
Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"?

I don't know of an Old Testament passage similar to James's quote. What is he referring to?

Answer 1

This is, unfortunately, a passage where there are many options and no real consensus over a definitive translation. Perhaps the most popular assertion is that James is merely alluding to "Scripture" as a whole. There is, of course, no requirement to expect James to quote a specific verse having said that "the Scripture says" (See Motyer's commentary on James p148).

There are other scholars who see this "quotation" as evidence that some early Christian writers believed that not every inspired word from God had to be incorporated into the canon (See The Old Testament in Early Christianity, E. Ellis, p4-5). Personally, I find this explanation weak as New Testament writers are usually fairly conservative in what they quote - none ever quote the Apocrypha. There are a couple of quotes from other Jewish texts that were considered to have some "religious weight" (the most well-known being Jude's quote of 1 Enoch 1:9), but they are very rare (see Models for Scripture, J. Goldingay, p145.)

To conclude, I support Motyer's claim that James is referring to Scripture as a whole (or rather, numerous passages from the Old Testament concerning the jealousy of God), and that putting quotemarks after "the Scripture says" is somewhat unwise. Though other options are not to be entirely discounted.

Answer 2

I have always understood James as referring to the "jealousy" of God as brought forward in many OT passages. For example;

Exodus 34:14 (RSV) 14 (for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),

Deuteronomy 4:24 (RSV) 24 For the LORD your God is a devouring fire, a jealous God.

Deuteronomy 6:15 (RSV) 15 for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; lest the anger of the LORD your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.

Joshua 24:19 (RSV) 19 But Joshua said to the people, "You cannot serve the LORD; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.

Ezekiel 39:25 (RSV) 25 "Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for my holy name.

Joel 2:18 (RSV) 18 Then the LORD became jealous for his land, and had pity on his people.

Nahum 1:2 (RSV) 2 The LORD is a jealous God and avenging, the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.

Zephaniah 1:18 (RSV) 18 Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them on the day of the wrath of the LORD. In the fire of his jealous wrath, all the earth shall be consumed; for a full, yea, sudden end he will make of all the inhabitants of the earth.

Zechariah 1:14 (RSV) 14 So the angel who talked with me said to me, `Cry out, Thus says the LORD of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion.

When coupled with the verses about God putting His Spirit in His chosen/elect.

Isaiah 42:1 (RSV) 1 Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations.

Isaiah 44:3 (RSV) 3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring.

Isaiah 59:21 (RSV) 21 "And as for me, this is my covenant with them, says the LORD: my spirit which is upon you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your children, or out of the mouth of your children's children, says the LORD, from this time forth and for evermore."

Ezekiel 36:27 (RSV) 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.

Ezekiel 37:14 (RSV) 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it, says the LORD."

Ezekiel 39:29 (RSV) 29 and I will not hide my face any more from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, says the Lord GOD."

Joel 2:28 (RSV) 28 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.

Joel 2:29 (RSV) 29 Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days, I will pour out my spirit.

Haggai 2:5 (RSV) 5 according to the promise that I made you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit abides among you; fear not.

Zechariah 4:6 (RSV) 6 Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerub'babel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.

Acts 2:17 (RSV) 17 `And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

Acts 2:18 (RSV) 18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.

Answer 3

There is indeed no Old Testament passage that contains those words, but there are a number of theories regarding what James was referring to. From Precept Austin:

Ideas include (1) James quoted from some unknown apocryphal work (2) The quote is an unrecorded statement of James' half brother Jesus. (3) James quotes from some NT passage. (4) James was paraphrasing an OT passage. (5) James was not quoting a specific single passage, but is summarizing truths found in several OT passages. (6) Finally, some commentators (and Bible translations) do not treat the first half of verse 5 as a "formula" introducing a quotation but as a sentence which stands by itself. Several of the translations emphasize this latter view by dividing verse 5 into two separate sentences...

• Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying? (ASV)

• Think ye that the scripture speaks in vain? Does the Spirit which has taken his abode in us desire enviously? (Darby)

• Do you think what the scriptures have to say about this is a mere formality? Or do you imagine that this spirit of passionate jealousy is the Spirit he has caused to live in us? (Phillips)

• Or think ye that, in vain, the scripture speaketh? Is it, for envying, that the spirit which hath taken an abode within us doth crave? (Rotherdam)