James 2:2

For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man
in vile raiment;
Key Observations:
General Theme: A Warning against Favoritism

Setting: The assembly of Christians is called (2:2), a term everywhere else in the NT used
for a Jewish congregation. This very terminology implies (in my mind, strongly) an early period (when
Christianity was still very much regarded as a Jewish sect), confirming a date before 49 CE.
Grammatical Codes and Notation: AAS (Occurred on a single moment of time; ideal for creating a
setting as it calls no attention to itself and merely points out events incidental to the story; Historical or
constative Aorist (action happened at a single point of time); active voice; action is being performed;
Subjunctive (Deliberative Type); Mood of probability;is used to make an assertion about which is
some doubt, uncertainty or indefiniteness.
Two Contrasting Words noted: Man in gold ring vs Poor man in Dirty Clothes
Audience: "Twelve tribes," obviously, identifies the readers as Jewish, and "of the

dispersion" (diaspora) further identifies them as those Jews living outside of

Palestine. Audience are mostly Jewish Christians
Key Words to remember:
Assembly, gold ring, fine clothes, poor man in dirty clothes,
Interpretation:
For if there come unto your assembly
For a form of conjunction; usually a particle used in argument, explanation or intensification; in this verse, for is
used to explain the partiality or respect of persons mentioned in James 2:1 with the use of an illustration
if a conditional particle; means in case that expresses a possible situation that may arise

come unto to enter into a city or house; to arise; towards

Your Assembly a bringing together, assembly of men, In the ancient Greek, the word assembly is
literally synagogue, the name of the meeting place for Jews. The fact that James calls a Christian meeting
place a synagogue shows that he wrote before Gentiles were widely received into the church. At the time
James wrote, most all Christians came from a Jewish heritage. This is the only place in the New Testament
where an assembly of Christians is clearly called a synagogue.
Wrote before Gentiles were widely received into the church; possibly, gentiles were very poor and some Jews
at this tim
Synagogue; The only Christian use of the term in the New Testament, occurs in James's Epistle, the apostle who
maintained to the latest possible moment the bonds between the Jewish synagogue and the Christian Church.

The "synagogue" implies a mere assembly or congregation not necessarily united by any common tie. "Church," a
people bound together by mutual ties and laws, though often it may happen that the members are not assembled
[Trench and Vitringa]. Partly from James' Hebrew tendencies, partly from the Jewish Christian churches retaining
most of the Jewish forms, this term "synagogue" is used here instead of the Christian term "Church" (ecclesia,
derived from a root, "called out," implying the union of its members in spiritual bonds, independent of space, and
called out into separation from the world); an undesigned coincidence and mark of truth. The people in the Jewish
synagogue sat according to their rank, those of the same trade together. The introduction of this custom into
Jewish Christian places of worship is here reprobated by James.

V2b: A man with a good ring and goodly apparel

Man possible men and women; possible Random man entered during their worship; could be unbeliever or
beliver of the Lord Jesus Christ
With a Gold ring - the custom was one of the fashions of the Empire, and had spread from Rome to Judea. So
Juvenal, in a portrait which unites the two forms of ostentatious luxury
The ring was regarded as an indispensable article of a Hebrew's attire, since it contained his signet; and the name
of the ring, tabbath, was derived from a root signifying to impress a seal. It was a proverbial expression for a most
valued object. And gold? Wow, one of the most expensive metals in the world
goodly apparel Fine Clothing; elegance in style; shimmering attention grabbing clothes

V2c and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment

also conjunction used in connection
poor man- reduced to beggary; lacking in anything, destitute of wealth, learning and intellectual culture; might also
refer to those who might accidentally drop in to witness the services of Christians
Vile Rainment- vile raiment; mean and despicable, filthy and ragged clothe
Application:
Have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? To favor the rich man over
the poor man in the way James described shows a deep carnality among Christians.