James 3:15

Bible in Basic English (1941)

This wisdom is not from heaven, but is of the earth and the flesh and the Evil One.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Οὐκ ἔστιν αὕτη ἡ σοφία ἄνωθεν κατερχομένη, ἀλλʼ ἐπίγειος, ψυχική, δαιμονιώδης.

Transliteration

Not estin this the sophia from anōthen katerchomenē, but epigeios, psychikē, daimoniōdēs.

Grammar Details

• *estin*: present indicative, active, 3rd singular - is
• *sophia*: nominative, feminine, singular - wisdom
• *anōthen*: adverb - from above/from the beginning
• *katerchomenē*: present participle, middle, nominative, feminine, singular - coming down
• *epigeios*: nominative, feminine, singular - earthly/worldly
• *psychikē*: nominative, feminine, singular - natural/unspiritual
• *daimoniōdēs*: nominative, feminine, singular - demonic

Word Meanings

• *sophia*: wisdom/skill/knowledge
• *anōthen*: from above/from heaven/from God
• *katerchomenē*: coming down/descending
• *epigeios*: earthly/worldly/terrestrial
• *psychikē*: natural/unspiritual/belonging to the soul
• *daimoniōdēs*: demonic/devilish/inspired by demons

Referenced Verses

• Jas 1:17 : 17 Every good and true thing is given to us from heaven, coming from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or any shade made by turning.
• Jude 1:19 : 19 These are the men who make divisions, natural men, not having the Spirit.
• Jas 3:17 : 17 But the wisdom which is from heaven is first holy, then gentle, readily giving way in argument, full of peace and mercy and good works, not doubting, not seeming other than it is.
• 1 Tim 4:1 : 1 But the Spirit says clearly that in later times some will be turned away from the faith, giving their minds to spirits of deceit, and the teachings of evil spirits,
• Jas 1:5 : 5 But if any man among you is without wisdom, let him make his request to God, who gives freely to all without an unkind word, and it will be given to him.
• 1 Cor 3:19 : 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolish before God. As it is said in the holy Writings, He who takes the wise in their secret designs:
• 2 Cor 1:12 : 12 For our glory is in this, in the knowledge which we have that our way of life in the world, and most of all in relation to you, has been holy and true in the eyes of God; not in the wisdom of the flesh, but in the grace of God.
• 1 Cor 2:14 : 14 For the natural man is not able to take in the things of the Spirit of God: for they seem foolish to him, and he is not able to have knowledge of them, because such knowledge comes only through the Spirit.
• Phil 3:19 : 19 Whose end is destruction, whose god is the stomach, and whose glory is in their shame, whose minds are fixed on the things of the earth.
• 2 Thess 2:9 : 9 Even the one whose coming is marked by the working of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
• 1 Cor 3:3 : 3 Because you are still in the flesh: for when there is envy and division among you, are you not still walking after the way of the flesh, even as natural men?
• 2 Cor 11:3 : 3 But I have a fear, that in some way, as Eve was tricked by the deceit of the snake, your minds may be turned away from their simple and holy love for Christ.
• 2 Cor 11:13-15 : 13 For such men are false Apostles, workers of deceit, making themselves seem like Apostles of Christ. 14 And it is no wonder; for even Satan himself is able to take the form of an angel of light. 15 So it is no great thing if his servants make themselves seem to be servants of righteousness; whose end will be the reward of their works.
• Gen 3:1-5 : 1 Now the snake was wiser than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God truly said that you may not take of the fruit of any tree in the garden? 2 And the woman said, We may take of the fruit of the trees in the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, If you take of it or put your hands on it, death will come to you. 4 And the snake said, Death will not certainly come to you: 5 For God sees that on the day when you take of its fruit, your eyes will be open, and you will be as gods, having knowledge of good and evil.
• 2 Sam 13:3 : 3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother: and Jonadab was a very wise man.
• 2 Sam 15:31 : 31 And word came to David, saying, Ahithophel is among those who are joined to Absalom. And David said, O Lord, let the wisdom of Ahithophel be made foolish.
• 2 Sam 16:23 : 23 In those days the opinions of Ahithophel were valued as highly as if through him a man might get direction from God; so were they valued by David as much as by Absalom.
• Jer 4:22 : 22 For my people are foolish, they have no knowledge of me; they are evil-minded children, without sense, all of them: they are wise in evil-doing, but have no knowledge of doing good.
• Luke 16:8 : 8 And his lord was pleased with the false servant, because he had been wise; for the sons of this world are wiser in relation to their generation than the sons of light.
• John 3:17 : 17 God did not send his Son into the world to be judge of the world; he sent him so that the world might have salvation through him.
• John 8:44 : 44 You are the children of your father the Evil One and it is your pleasure to do his desires. From the first he was a taker of life; and he did not go in the true way because there is no true thing in him. When he says what is false, it is natural to him, for he is false and the father of what is false.
• Acts 13:10 : 10 O you, who are full of false tricks and evil ways, a son of the Evil One, hating all righteousness, will you for ever be turning people from the right ways of the Lord?
• Rom 1:22 : 22 Seeming to be wise, they were in fact foolish,
• 1 Cor 1:19-20 : 19 As it says in the holy Writings, I will put an end to the wisdom of the wise, and will put on one side the designs of those who have knowledge. 20 Where is the wise? where is he who has knowledge of the law? where is the man of this world who has a love of discussion? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
• 1 Cor 1:27 : 27 But God made selection of the foolish things of this world so that he might put the wise to shame; and the feeble things that he might put to shame the strong;
• 1 Cor 2:6-7 : 6 But still we have wisdom for those who are complete in knowledge, though not the wisdom of this world, and not of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing: 7 But we give the news of the secret wisdom of God, which he had kept in store before the world came into existence, for our glory;
• 1 John 3:8-9 : 8 The sinner is a child of the Evil One; for the Evil One has been a sinner from the first. And the Son of God was seen on earth so that he might put an end to the works of the Evil One. 9 Anyone who is a child of God does no sin, because he still has God's seed in him; he is not able to be a sinner, because God is his Father. 10 In this way it is clear who are the children of God and who are the children of the Evil One; anyone who does not do righteousness or who has no love for his brother, is not a child of God.
• Rev 2:24 : 24 But to you I say, to the rest in Thyatira, even to those who have not this teaching, and have no knowledge of the secrets of Satan, as they say; I put on you no other weight.
• Rev 9:11 : 11 They have over them as king the angel of the great deep: his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek language Apollyon.
• Rev 12:9 : 9 And the great dragon was forced down, the old snake, who is named the Evil One and Satan, by whom all the earth is turned from the right way; he was forced down to the earth, and his angels were forced down with him.