James 4:5
I love the King James Bible and I read it more often than any other translation. But there are some very strange renderings in it that are a problem. The epistle of James, chapter 4 verse 5 is one example. But most of the other translations are not much better here.
KJV - The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy
On the surface, the KJV sounds like it is saying that the Holy Spirit really really wants to envy. But that is certainly not true about the Holy Spirit.
NASB - “He jealously desires the Spirit whom He has made to dwell in us”?
NASB1995 - “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?
That also is a problem. If the word Spirit were not capitalized, it would be a little less of a problem. But as it is, how does God jealously desire himself?
ESV - "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"?
CEV - “God truly cares about the Spirit he has put in us”?
NRSV - ‘God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’?
NIV - he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us*?
*Or that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely;
or that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously
CSB - The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?
No, surely not.
NET - "The spirit that God caused to live within us has an envious yearning"?
NLT - God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.
The following are closer, but are under-translating in my opinion:
GW - “The Spirit that lives in us wants us to be his own.”
ERV - “The Spirit God made to live in us wants us only for himself.”
ISV - the Spirit that God caused to live in us jealously yearns for us?
My translation (DRP) reads, "The Spirit whom God made to dwell in us craves possession of us, tending toward jealousy"
https://bibletranslation.ws/james-ch-4-verse-5/
https://bibletranslation.ws/james.html
