James 5:16

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful and effective.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰ παραπτώματα, καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων, ὅπως ἰαθῆτε. Πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη.

Transliteration

Exomologeisthe allēlois ta paraptōmata, and euchesthe hyper allēlōn, so that iathēte. Poly ischuei deēsis dikaiou energoumenē.

Grammar Details

• *Exomologeisthe*: present middle imperative, 2nd plural - confess
• *allēlois*: dative, masculine, plural - to one another
• *ta paraptōmata*: accusative, neuter, plural - the trespasses
• *euchesthe*: present middle imperative, 2nd plural - pray
• *hyper*: preposition + genitive - for/on behalf of
• *allēlōn*: genitive, masculine, plural - one another
• *iathēte*: aorist passive subjunctive, 2nd plural - you may be healed
• *Poly*: adverb - much/greatly
• *ischuei*: present active, 3rd singular - is effective/powerful
• *deēsis*: nominative, feminine, singular - prayer/supplication
• *dikaiou*: genitive, masculine, singular - of righteous person
• *energoumenē*: present middle participle, nominative, feminine, singular - working/operating

Word Meanings

• *Exomologeisthe*: confess/acknowledge openly
• *paraptōmata*: trespasses/sins/offenses
• *euchesthe*: pray (formal prayer)
• *iathēte*: you may be healed/cured/made whole (can refer to physical or spiritual healing)
• *ischuei*: is effective/powerful/avails much
• *deēsis*: prayer/supplication/petition
• *dikaiou*: of righteous/just person
• *energoumenē*: working/operating/being effective (middle voice suggesting fervent activity)

Other Translations

• King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

• KJV1611 – Modern English

  Confess your faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

• King James Version 1611 (Original)

  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

• American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

  Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The {G1754} supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.

• King James Version with Strong's Numbers

  Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

• Tyndale Bible (1526/1534)

  knowledge youre fautes one to another: and praye one for another that ye maye be healed. The prayer of a ryghteous ma avayleth moche yf it be fervet.

• Coverdale Bible (1535)

  Knowlege youre fautes one to another: and praye one for another, that ye maye be healed. The prayer of a righteous man auayleth moche, yf it be feruet.

• Geneva Bible (1560)

  Acknowledge your faultes one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed: for the prayer of a righteous man auaileth much, if it be feruent.

• Bishops' Bible (1568)

  Knowledge your faultes one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed: For ye feruent prayer of a ryghteous man auayleth much.

• Authorized King James Version (1611)

  Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

• Webster's Bible (1833)

  Confess your offenses to one another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effective, earnest prayer of a righteous man is powerfully effective.

• Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

  Be confessing to one another the trespasses, and be praying for one another, that ye may be healed; very strong is a working supplication of a righteous man;

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.

• American Standard Version (1901)

  Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  So then, make a statement of your sins to one another, and say prayers for one another so that you may be made well. The prayer of a good man is full of power in its working.

• World English Bible (2000)

  Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.

• NET Bible® (New English Translation)

  So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.

Referenced Verses

• John 9:31 : 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to them.
• Prov 15:29 : 29 The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
• 1 John 3:22 : 22 And whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him.
• Ps 34:15 : 15 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
• Matt 21:22 : 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.'
• Acts 19:18 : 18 Many who had believed came confessing and disclosing their practices.
• Luke 11:11-13 : 11 Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a piece of bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
• 1 Pet 2:24 : 24 He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness. By His wounds, you have been healed.
• Ps 10:17-18 : 17 Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will strengthen their hearts and listen with Your ear. 18 To vindicate the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man, who is of the earth, will no longer terrorize.
• Jer 29:12-13 : 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.
• Gen 20:17 : 17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants, so they could bear children again.
• Num 11:2 : 2 Then the people cried out to Moses, and Moses prayed to the LORD, and the fire subsided.
• Ps 145:18-19 : 18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.
• Prov 15:8 : 8 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
• Job 42:8 : 8 So now, take seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly, because you have not spoken the truth about Me as My servant Job has.
• Heb 12:13 : 13 Make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
• 1 Thess 5:17 : 17 Pray without ceasing.
• Rom 5:19 : 19 For just as through the disobedience of one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man the many will be made righteous.
• Luke 18:1-8 : 1 Jesus told them a parable to show that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said, 'There was a judge in a certain town who neither feared God nor respected people.' 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him and saying, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' 4 For a while, he refused. But later, he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God or respect people, I will give her justice.' 5 'Because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't wear me out with her continual coming.' 6 And the Lord said, 'Listen to what the unjust judge says.' 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he delay in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will give them justice quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?
• 2 Kgs 20:2-5 : 2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD, 3 saying, "Please, LORD, remember how I have walked before You in truth, wholeheartedly, and have done what is good in Your eyes." And Hezekiah wept bitterly. 4 Before Isaiah had gone out of the middle courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him: 5 "Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of My people: This is what the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day, you will go up to the house of the LORD.
• Prov 28:9 : 9 If anyone turns away his ear from listening to the law, even his prayer is detestable.
• Matt 3:6 : 6 and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins.
• Gen 18:23-32 : 23 Then Abraham approached Him and said, 'Will You sweep away the righteous with the wicked?' 24 'Suppose there are fifty righteous people within the city. Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are there?' 25 'Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?' 26 The LORD replied, 'If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the entire place for their sake.' 27 Then Abraham answered, 'I have ventured to speak to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes. 28 'Suppose the fifty righteous people lack five. Will You destroy the entire city for lack of five?' He replied, 'If I find forty-five there, I will not destroy it.' 29 Once again Abraham spoke to Him, 'What if forty are found there?' He answered, 'For the sake of forty, I will not do it.' 30 Then Abraham said, 'May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if thirty are found there?' He replied, 'I will not do it if I find thirty there.' 31 Abraham said, 'Now that I have ventured to speak to the Lord, suppose twenty are found there.' He answered, 'For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.' 32 Finally, he said, 'May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if ten are found there?' He answered, 'For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.'
• Exod 9:28-29 : 28 Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer. 29 Moses replied, 'When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will stop, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth belongs to the Lord.'
• Exod 9:33 : 33 Then Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the Lord. The thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.
• Exod 17:11 : 11 As long as Moses held up his hands, Israel prevailed; but when he lowered his hands, Amalek prevailed.
• Exod 32:10-14 : 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." 11 But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God and said, "LORD, why does your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?" 12 Why should the Egyptians say, 'He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent concerning this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you swore by yourself: 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and they shall inherit it forever.' 14 So the LORD relented concerning the disaster He had said He would bring on His people.
• Gen 19:29 : 29 So it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham and brought Lot out from the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
• Gen 20:7 : 7 Now return the man's wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you can be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.'
• Gen 32:28 : 28 The man asked him, 'What is your name?' 'Jacob,' he answered.
• Gen 41:9-9 : 9 Then the chief cupbearer spoke to Pharaoh, saying, 'Today, I remember my offenses.' 10 'Pharaoh was angry with his servants, and he put me and the chief baker in custody in the house of the captain of the guard.'
• 1 Kgs 17:18-24 : 18 She said to Elijah, "What have I to do with you, man of God? Have you come to bring my sin to remembrance and to kill my son?" 19 Elijah said to her, "Give me your son." He took the boy from her arms, brought him up to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his bed. 20 Then he cried out to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy upon the widow I am staying with by causing her son to die?" 21 Elijah stretched himself out over the child three times and cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, please let the boy’s life return to him." 22 The LORD heard Elijah’s prayer, and the boy’s life returned to him, and he lived. 23 Elijah took the boy, brought him down from the upper room into the house, and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, 'Look, your son is alive.' 24 Then the woman said to Elijah, 'Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is truth.'
• 2 Kgs 4:33-35 : 33 He went in, shut the door behind them both, and prayed to the LORD. 34 Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched out over him, the boy’s flesh grew warm. 35 Elisha got up and walked back and forth in the house. Then he went up and stretched out over the boy again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
• 2 Kgs 19:15-20 : 15 Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said: 'Lord God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.' 16 Incline Your ear, Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to taunt the living God. 17 Truly, Lord, the kings of Assyria have devastated the nations and their lands. 18 They have cast their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but merely the work of human hands—wood and stone. 19 But now, Lord our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God. 20 Then Isaiah son of Amoz sent a message to Hezekiah, saying, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I have heard your prayer concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria.'
• Num 21:7-9 : 7 The people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned, for we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD to take the serpents away from us.' So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The LORD said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole. Anyone who is bitten and looks at it will live.' 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole, and if a serpent bit someone, they looked at the bronze serpent and lived.
• Deut 9:18-20 : 18 Then I fell down before the LORD as I had done before, for forty days and forty nights. I ate no bread and drank no water because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and provoking him to anger. 19 I was afraid of the fierce anger and wrath the LORD had directed against you, enough to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me that time also. 20 The LORD was very angry with Aaron, and he was ready to destroy him. But I prayed for Aaron at that time as well.
• Josh 10:12 : 12 On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua spoke to the LORD in the presence of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
• Matt 7:7-9 : 7 Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?
• Dan 9:20-22 : 20 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God concerning the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision earlier, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He gave me understanding and said, 'Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.
• Jer 33:3 : 3 Call to me, and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.
• 2 Chr 30:20 : 20 And the LORD heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
• 2 Chr 32:20-22 : 20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven. 21 And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and leaders and officials in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he withdrew in disgrace to his own land. When he went into the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with the sword. 22 So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib king of Assyria and from the hand of all others. He took care of them on every side.
• Luke 7:3-4 : 3 When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and heal his servant. 4 When they came to Jesus, they earnestly pleaded with Him, saying, 'He is worthy for You to do this for him.'
• Acts 4:24-31 : 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together to God and said, 'Sovereign Lord, you are the one who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them.' 25 'You spoke through the mouth of your servant David, saying: Why did the nations rage, and the peoples plot in vain?' 26 'The kings of the earth took their stand, and the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.' 27 'Indeed, in this city, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.' 28 'They did what your hand and will had predestined to take place.' 29 'And now, Lord, consider their threats and grant that your servants may speak your word with all boldness.' 30 Stretch out your hand to heal, and let signs and wonders take place through the name of your holy servant Jesus. 31 After they prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.
• Acts 10:38 : 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.
• Acts 12:5-9 : 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church fervently prayed to God for him. 6 The night before Herod was to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while guards stood watch in front of the door of the prison. 7 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side to wake him, the angel said, 'Get up quickly.' Immediately, the chains fell off Peter's hands. 8 The angel said to him, 'Get dressed and put on your sandals.' Peter did so. Then the angel said, 'Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.' 9 Peter followed him out, but he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 After they passed the first and second guard posts, they came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. They went out and walked one street, and immediately the angel left him. 11 When Peter came to himself, he said, 'Now I truly know that the Lord sent His angel and rescued me from Herod's grasp and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.'
• Col 1:9 : 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,
• Rom 3:10 : 10 As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one."
• 1 Thess 5:23 : 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 1 Thess 5:25 : 25 Brothers, pray also for us.
• Heb 11:7 : 7 By faith Noah, being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverent fear prepared an ark for the salvation of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
• Heb 13:18 : 18 Pray for us, for we are confident that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way.
• Heb 11:4 : 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God testifying about his gifts; and through faith, even though he is dead, he still speaks.
• Luke 9:6 : 6 So they went out, traveling through the villages, preaching the good news and healing people everywhere.
• 2 Chr 14:11-12 : 11 The Lord struck down the Cushites before Asa and Judah, and the Cushites fled. 12 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar. The Cushites fell until there was no one left alive, for they were crushed before the Lord and His army. They carried off a very large amount of plunder.
• 1 Kgs 13:6 : 6 Then the king answered and said to the man of God, 'Entreat now the favor of the LORD your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored to me.' So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it was before.
• Dan 2:18-23 : 18 He asked them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 19 Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision during the night. And Daniel blessed the God of heaven. 20 Daniel answered and said, "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might belong to Him. 21 He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes kings. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. 22 He reveals deep and hidden things; He knows what is in the darkness, and light dwells with Him. 23 To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for You have given me wisdom and might, and now You have made known to me what we asked of You, for You have made known to us the king’s matter.
• Jer 15:1 : 1 Then the LORD said to me: 'Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not go out to these people. Send them away from My presence and let them go.'
• Hos 12:3-4 : 3 The LORD has a charge against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways and repay him for his deeds. 4 In the womb, he grasped his brother’s heel; and in his strength, he struggled with God.
• Matt 18:15-17 : 15 If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. 16 But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
• Num 14:13-20 : 13 But Moses said to the LORD, "The Egyptians will hear about it! By your power you brought these people up from among them. 14 They will tell the inhabitants of this land about it. They have already heard that you, LORD, are among these people, that you, LORD, have been seen face to face, that your cloud stays over them, and that you go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. 15 If you put all these people to death as one man, the nations who have heard about your fame will say, 16 'The LORD was not able to bring these people into the land he promised them on oath, so he slaughtered them in the wilderness.' 17 Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 'The LORD is slow to anger, abundant in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and rebellion; yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers' iniquity upon the children to the third and fourth generation.' 19 Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven them from Egypt until now. 20 The LORD replied, 'I have forgiven them, as you asked.'
• 1 Sam 12:18 : 18 So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
• 2 Sam 19:19 : 19 and crossed at the ford to bring the king's household over and to do whatever pleased him. When Shimei son of Gera crossed the Jordan, he fell down before the king.