What Does James 5:16 Mean in the King James?
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.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The verse makes healing a shared uncovering: what is named between people is met by prayer already at work.
THE MEANING
Healing moves through honest speech between people and prayer carried for one another. What is named can be met with healing, and the prayer of an aligned person has great force as it works.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The belief that naming a failure only deepens condemnation is unsettled here: this verse places open acknowledgment alongside prayer and healing.
THE ROOT
ἰαθῆτε
iathēte
GROWS FROM
ἰα-
ia-
to heal, cure
The Greek form means “that you may be healed” and presents healing as something received within this mutual practice. Its word family also names healing itself and the healer, keeping the outcome concrete as restoration.
ALSO GROWS
iasis: healing, cure
ἴασις
The same family names healing itself, making explicit what the clause says is received.
iatros: physician, healer
ἰατρός
The healer and the healing share a word family, keeping the verse’s outcome concrete as restoration.
ἁμαρτίας
hamartias
GROWS FROM
ἁμαρτ-
hamart-
missing, missing the mark
The Greek word behind “faults” names missings. Speaking them between people brings what could remain hidden and undefined into the open where prayer and healing meet it.
ALSO GROWS
hamartanō: to miss, fail, do wrong
ἁμαρτάνω
The verb shows the same language of missing in an action, rather than a fixed identity.
hamartēma: a wrong, offense, failure
ἁμάρτημα
This related noun carries the language of missing into a particular failure that can be named.
ἐνεργουμένη
energoumenē
GROWS FROM
ἐργ-
erg-
work, do
The Greek gathers “effectual fervent” into one participle meaning “at work.” It adds the image of prayer in operation, whose working the verse describes as having great strength.
ALSO GROWS
ergon: work, deed
ἔργον
This word shares the work-root and gives the phrase its concrete sense of activity.
energeia: activity, working
ἐνέργεια
This related word makes clear the idea of something actively operating.
THE PATTERN
What is brought out of concealment can move toward restoration.
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.THE THREAD
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.James uses exomologeomai for “confess,” while John uses homologeō; they belong to a related word family of confessing and acknowledging. John pairs confession with release and cleansing, while James ties mutual confession to healing.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us