James 1:10 · Bible study
James 1:10 Commentary: The Rich Man's Lowly Glory
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
James commands the wealthy believer to boast in his lowly state, not in passing riches. What does this mean for Christian identity?
Research Summary
- Meaning: The rich believer should boast in his lowly status, not in wealth, because all earthly glory is as temporary as a flower.
- Key words: tapeinōsis (humiliation, low estate); anthos chortou (flower of grass); pareleusetai (will pass away, future indicative of certainty).
- Main debate: Is the “humiliation” an external condition (poverty, persecution) or an internal posture of humility? Both views find support in the commentaries.
- Theological theme: Christian identity is rooted in our standing in Christ, not in social or economic status; true joy comes from the gospel, not from circumstances.
- Best use: A sermon on money and the heart; a small-group session on contentment and identity; personal devotion to loosen the grip of possessions.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But the one who is rich should exult in his low position, because he will pass away like a flower of the field.
WEB World English Bible 2000
and the rich, in that he is made humble, because like the flower in the grass, he will pass away.
KJV King James Version 1769
But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
and the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
and the rich in his becoming low, because as a flower of grass he shall pass away;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
and the rich in his humiliation, because as [the] grass's flower he will pass away.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And the rich, in his being low: because as the flower of the grass shall he pass away.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mas el que es rico, en su bajeza; porque él se pasará como la flor de la hierba.
e o que é rico quando é abatido, porque ele passará como a flor da erva.
Que le riche, au contraire, se glorifie de son humiliation; car il passera comme la fleur de l’ herbe.
und der da reich ist, rühme sich seiner Niedrigkeit, denn wie eine Blume des Grases wird er vergehen.
En de rijke in zijn vernedering; want hij zal als een bloem van het gras voorbijgaan.
e il ricco, della sua umiliazione, perché passerà come fior d’erba.
A bogaty w poniżeniu swojem; bo jako kwiat trawy przeminie.
а богатый — унижением своим, потому что он прейдет, как цвет на траве.
富足的 降卑，也該如此；因為 他必要過去，如同 草 上的花一樣。
But the man of wealth, that he is made low; because like the flower of the grass he will come to his end.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · James 1:10
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators broadly agree that James addresses a rich brother, a believer, and calls him to exult in his lowly position. The Greek noun ταπείνωσις (tapeinōsis) carries the sense of humiliation or low estate, not active humiliation but a condition. Vincent notes that the English versions preserve the kinship with "low" in verse 9. The reason given: the rich man will pass away like a flower of the grass (drawing on Isaiah 40 and Psalm 103).
On the meaning of "glory in his humiliation," views differ. Barnes sees it as rejoicing when poverty or persecution strips away wealth, proving the reality of faith. Calvin and the Cambridge Bible read it as a voluntary embrace of lowliness, a mindset that counts the world's estimation as nothing. Clarke connects it to being brought low at the foot of the cross, finding salvation as a poor sinner. Matthew Henry implies a lowly disposition. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown even suggest possible irony: the rich man's glorying in what is really his debasement (his riches). Yet all agree: the rich find their true boast not in passing wealth but in the abiding identity they share with every believer.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Adversity interpretation: The rich man rejoices when property is taken, allowing faith to be tested and refined (Barnes, Matthew Henry).
- Voluntary humility interpretation: The rich embrace a lowly mindset, recognizing that in God's kingdom worldly status counts for nothing (Calvin, Cambridge Bible).
- Ironic interpretation: James speaks sarcastically: the rich man glories in what is actually his shame (his wealth), while the poor brother truly boasts in Christ (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Alford).
What is clear: Both the poor and the rich in the church are called to find their joy not in their external circumstances but in their new identity in Christ, and wealth is as fleeting as a flower of the grass.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Is the rich man a believer? | Most commentators agree the phrase 'brother' in v. 9 implies the rich person is also a fellow believer, addressed as part of the Christian community. | A minority reading (e.g., Alford, cited by Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) argues the rich person is an unbeliever, making the command ironic: 'let him glory in his shame.' However, the context of vv. 9, 11 parallels the poor brother, and most commentators see a consistent address to both. |
| Nature of the humiliation | All agree that the rich person is to find grounds for joy in his lowly condition, whether that is external or internal. | Barnes and some older commentators see it as rejoicing when wealth is taken away by persecution or adversity. Calvin and the Cambridge Bible view it as a voluntary embrace of lowliness before God. Clarke connects it to the cross. The debate hinges on whether tapeinōsis is something that happens to a person or a posture they adopt. |
| Is the command ironic? | The verse calls for a reversal of normal human expectations, the rich boasting in being low. | Some, like Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, suggest possible irony: the rich man 'glories' in what is actually his debasement (his wealth). Others read it straightforwardly as a comparative command similar to 'let the lowly brother glory in his exaltation.' The debated point is whether James intends a sharp irony or a simple parallel. |
| Source of the flower/grass metaphor | The imagery echoes Old Testament passages such as Isaiah 40:6, 8, Psalm 103:15, and Job 14:2. | Calvin does not view James 1:10 as a direct quotation of Isaiah, but rather an allusion to common biblical imagery. Others (e.g., Lange, Cambridge) see a deliberate reference to Isaiah 40 in light of the new covenant. The debate is over how directly James depends on the prophetic text. |
Historical & Cultural Context
James writes to Jewish Christians scattered across the Roman world (James 1:1), many of whom faced economic pressure. The early church gathered both the poor and the wealthy, but wealth often carried social status and temptation to pride. In Jewish tradition, riches could be seen as God's blessing (Deut 28), yet the prophets repeatedly warned that trust in wealth leads to ruin. James stands in that prophetic line.
The image of a flower withering in the sun would be vivid for readers in the arid Near East. The scorching wind (the kausōn, a hot east wind) could fell grass in hours. This is not merely a poetic metaphor, it reflects real experience. James likely alludes to Isaiah 40:6-8, where Israel is told that all flesh is grass, but God's word stands forever. For a people who had known exile and seen the glory of Jerusalem fade, the image carried weight: all human glory, even the wealth of the temple, passes away. Now, in the light of Christ, that lesson has new force. The rich brother, tempted to exult in his resources, is called instead to exult in the very thing the world despises, his lowly status as one who stands before God with empty hands.
Culturally, the honor-shame system meant that the rich were expected to boast in their high position. James reverses that: the poor brother boasts in his exaltation (found in Christ), and the rich brother boasts in his humiliation (his true position apart from wealth). This is not a command to court poverty but to find identity in the cross, where all human hierarchies are leveled.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for James 1:10. The Greek text is stable across the major manuscript traditions. The phrase ἐν τῇ ταπεινώσει ("in the humiliation") and the future verb παρελεύσεται ("will pass away") are uniformly attested.
Reception History
Early Christian writers rarely cited this specific verse, but the broader theme of the transience of wealth and the call to humility appears in the apostolic fathers (e.g., Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 38:2). During the Reformation, commentators like Calvin and the Geneva Bible emphasized the verse as a critique of worldly pride and a call to find identity in Christ alone. In evangelical teaching, James 1:10 has often been used to address the proper Christian attitude toward money, particularly in sermons on stewardship and contentment. Methodists and Wesleyans, following Wesley's note that the rich man is humbled by a deep sense of his true condition, have read it as part of the gospel's leveling work, no status matters except being in Christ. The verse continues to be paired with James 2:1, 13 in discussions of partiality and the peril of riches.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Status redefined. James assumes the rich man is a “brother”, his primary identity is not wealth but membership in God’s family. The command to glory in humiliation flips every worldly value.
- Boasting in lowliness. The rich are not told to deny their wealth but to find joy in their lowly position before God. This is not shame but freedom: the tapeinōsis is the posture of one who knows he brings nothing to the cross.
- The flower fades. Wealth is not permanent. The future tense pareleusetai (will pass away) is a certainty. Clinging to what dies is foolish; rejoicing in what remains, the inheritance that never fades, is wisdom.
Five-point outline
- The broader context: Trials expose faith (1:2, 4) and double-mindedness (1:6, 8). The rich-poor pair (1:9, 11) tests whether we trust God or stuff.
- The rich man’s identity: He is a brother, not an outsider. Wealth does not exclude from the family; it does, however, bring unique temptations.
- What “humiliation” means here: Not a loss of property but a posture. Like the poor person is exalted in Christ, the rich person is humbled, not degraded, but brought to a true assessment of himself.
- The metaphor’s punch: The flower is beautiful for a moment, then gone. The rich person’s life and all his pursuits share that fate (v. 11).
- The call to exult: Both the poor and the rich have cause for joy, not in their circumstances but in what God has done. Joy is not a feeling but a glad reckoning of the truth.
Illustration hooks
- A person who wins a large sum of money and within months finds it gone, the thrill fades, but what remains is character shaped by how they handled it.
- An elderly saint who once had influence and wealth, now living simply in a care home, who says, “I don’t miss any of it. I have Christ.”
- The gardener who points out a patch of grass that looked green and full this morning but by afternoon is withered in the sun, our lives are that quick.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Is it wrong to be wealthy? Should I feel guilty about having more than others?”
- “What does it practically look like to ‘glory in my low position’ when I have many resources?”
- “How do I hold financial abundance without my heart being attached to it?”
Leading a Discussion
James 1:9, 11 presents a radical reordering of values. The poor and the rich each have grounds for joy, but for opposite reasons. This passage invites us to examine where we place our identity and what we truly trust for security. The questions below are designed for small groups to move from observing the text to applying it in daily life.
Discussion questions
- Read James 1:9, 11 in your translation. What command do both the poor and the rich receive? How is it surprising?
- The rich person is called to glory in his “humiliation” (tapeinōsis). From the Greek, this word implies a lowly state. In your own words, what might that look like for a believer who is financially well-off?
- James compares the rich person to a flower of the grass that withers. What does this image tell us about wealth and about life itself? How does it connect to the broader theme of trials in chapter 1?
- The surrounding context (vv. 2, 4, 12) speaks of joy in trials and endurance. How might wealth itself be a trial? In what ways can prosperity test faith as much as poverty can?
- Verse 11 adds that the rich man “will also fade away in his pursuits.” What does this phrase suggest about the ultimate value of our daily work and goals?
- How do you respond personally to the idea of “glorying” in lowliness? Is there an area of status, resources, or reputation you find hard to release?
- As a group, share one practical step you could take this week to hold your earthly resources with open hands, ready to see them fade yet still thank God.
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 14:2 | He grows up like a flower, and is cut down. He also flees like a shadow, and doesn’t continue. |
| Psalms 37:2 | For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither like the green herb. |
| Psalms 37:35 | I have seen the wicked in great power, spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. |
| Psalms 37:36 | But he passed away, and behold, he was not. Yes, I sought him, but he could not be found. |
| Psalms 90:5 | You sweep them away as they sleep. In the morning they sprout like new grass. |
| Psalms 90:6 | In the morning it sprouts and springs up. By evening, it is withered and dry. |
| Psalms 102:11 | My days are like a long shadow. I have withered like grass. |
| Psalms 103:15 | As for man, his days are like grass. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke stresses that the rich should find their deepest joy in being brought low, even to the foot of the cross, receiving redemption as a poor and needy sinner. This matters because all outward status and glory is as temporary as a wildflower, destined to wither and vanish.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that a rich Christian can rejoice in losing wealth because the trial tests whether his faith is genuine and able to sustain him through hardship. It also gives a valuable reminder that all earthly glory fades quickly. He observes that many believers bear the drop from affluence to poverty more gracefully than they would a sudden rise.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that James calls the rich to glory in their lowliness, meaning the humble state of the Christian life that renounces worldly status. This is not about persecution or loss of property, but about recognizing that all human pride is fleeting, like grass that withers.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The rich man's true reason to rejoice is not in his wealth but in accepting a lowly position, using his riches to serve others. This mirrors Paul's boasting in his weaknesses. The commentary rejects the idea that this refers to being brought low by adversity or that the rich man is not a fellow believer.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes emphasize that the rich person's true condition is revealed when they are brought low. Their wealth offers no security, for like the flower of grass, they too will vanish away in humiliation.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill sees three ways a rich Christian is "made low" and should rejoice: being raised from humble origins by God's providence, being stripped of wealth through persecution for Christ, or the coming equality of death. The heart of his point is that such lowness humbles the rich to see themselves as mere brothers on equal footing with the poorest saint.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB argues that a rich person can still be a brother in Christ; what passes away is mere worldly wealth, not the enduring identity of a believer. The rich man's "humiliation" is his recognition that his earthly riches are actually his debasement, just as the lowly brother glories in his exaltation.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads the low brother and the rich man as symbolic types, not mere economic classes. The low brother is the Jew who feels his theocratic humiliation and glories in his heavenly exaltation. The rich man is the Jew proud of his national privileges, who must learn to glory in his humiliation as Israel's old glory fades.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent points out that the Greek phrase rendered "made low" literally means "in his humiliation." He observes that both the King James Version and the Revised Version preserve the kinship between the words for "low" and "humiliation." He also notes that the word "flower" appears only here, in verse 11, and in 1 Peter 1:24.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley interprets the rich person being made low not as outward loss but as an inward humbling through a deep awareness of his real state before God. He compares human beauty and wealth to a flower—lovely but short-lived. The rich will pass away into eternity, a stark reminder of life's transience.