What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The "wars and fightings" James asks about aren't just external conflicts, but the internal warfare of our desires, which he calls "pleasures" in their corrupt sense. These aren't mere fleeting feelings, but active forces, like soldiers, "campaigning" within us, aiming to control our bodies and leading us to clash with each other.
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
English Standard Version (ESV)
James is shifting gears dramatically from the peace and wisdom described in chapter 3. He's looking at the messy reality of conflict and division, questioning where these quarrels and fights actually come from. The verses immediately following will reveal that the source isn't external enemies, but destructive desires and selfish ambitions raging within individuals.
Ever wondered why disagreements escalate so quickly, turning into full-blown fights? James cuts straight to the heart of the matter, pointing not to external circumstances, but to an internal war.
James opens this chapter with a powerful, almost startling question: "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?" He immediately answers it: "Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?"
Think of your inner self as a battlefield. The "passions" (or "lusts," as some translations render it) are like opposing armies constantly clashing. These aren't just minor desires; they are strong cravings and urges that fight against your reason, your conscience, and even against God's will.
When these inner battles rage, they don't stay contained. They spill out, leading to the "quarrels" and "fights" we see in our relationships, our communities, and even on a larger scale. The source of conflict isn't usually the situation itself, but the unmanaged desires and ambitions warring within us.
James doesn't just identify the problem; he reveals the devastating consequences of letting these inner wars run unchecked. It’s a path that leads to destruction, not fulfillment.
The quarreling and fighting James describes aren't just minor annoyances. The original Greek suggests intense disputes and active combat. This isn't just about disagreements; it's about the destructive outcomes that arise when selfish desires take over.
These "lusts" or "pleasures" (as the original word can also imply) are often focused on self-gratification, ambition, or acquiring what others have. When these desires aren't brought under control, they inevitably lead to:
Ask a follow-up
James is clear: the origin of these outward conflicts is the internal, often hidden, war of uncontrolled passions.
Understand the original words
polemos · Greek Noun
Sharp disagreements, disputes, or conflicts, often involving heated verbal contention or persistent discord between individuals or groups.
hēdonē · Greek Noun
Strong cravings, impulsive desires, or fleshly lusts that dominate a person's nature and drive them toward sinful actions.
James is writing to dispersed Jewish Christians who are caught in the turbulent atmosphere of their time, marked by internal factions and political unrest. He directly confronts the internal sources of conflict—their own desires and passions—arguing that these inner battles are the root of outward quarrels, even amidst wider societal strife.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Crucifixion
The foundation of Christianity, with Jesus' teachings on love, peace, and forgiveness, contrasting sharply with the world's conflicts.
c. AD 30-60
Early Christian Community Growth
The gospel spreads, and the early church grapples with internal tensions and external persecution, as the Apostle James begins to write.
c. AD 40-60
Jewish Insurrections and Factions
Turbulence within Judea and the wider Jewish diaspora, fueled by zealotry and internal conflicts, creates an atmosphere of strife.
c. AD 44-49— this verse
James' Letter to the Twelve Tribes
The Apostle James writes his letter, addressing the practical challenges faced by scattered Jewish Christians, including their quarrels and lack of wisdom.
c. AD 60-70
Growing Tensions in Judea
Political and social unrest intensifies in Judea, with various Jewish factions clashing violently, setting the stage for rebellion.
AD 66-73
The First Jewish-Roman War
A full-scale rebellion erupts between Jewish rebels and the Roman Empire, leading to widespread destruction and the fall of Jerusalem.
This passage directly parallels James' idea, explaining that the desires of the flesh are in conflict with the Spirit, which is the internal source of the 'wars and fightings' James mentions.
Romans 7:23-24Paul describes a similar internal conflict, a 'law in my members warring against the law of my mind,' which echoes James' concept of passions fighting within individuals.
1 Peter 2:11Peter uses the imagery of 'fleshly lusts which war against the soul,' directly connecting harmful desires to an internal struggle, much like James does with quarrels.
Philippians 2:3This verse offers a powerful contrast by advocating humility and considering others better than ourselves, directly countering the self-serving 'lusts' that James identifies as the root of conflict.
ellicottJames 4:1: "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"
(1) From whence come wars . . .? —More correctly thus. Whence are wars, and whence fightings among you ? The perfect peace above, capable, moreover, in some ways, of commencement here below, dwelt upon at the close of James 3, has by inevitable reaction led the Apostle to speak suddenly, almost fiercely, of the existing state of things. He traces the conflict raging arou…
barnesJames 4:1: "From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?"
From whence come wars and fightings among you? - Margin, "brawlings." The reference is to strifes and contentions of all kinds; and the question, then, as it is now, was an important one, what was their source or origin? The answer is given in the succeeding part of the verse. Some have supposed that the apostle refers here to the contests and seditions existing among th…
The "wars and fightings" James asks about aren't just external conflicts, but the internal warfare of our desires, which he calls "pleasures" in their corrupt sense. These aren't mere fleeting feelings, but active forces, like soldiers, "campaigning" within us, aiming to control our bodies and leading us to clash with each other.
James is shifting gears dramatically from the peace and wisdom described in chapter 3. He's looking at the messy reality of conflict and division, questioning where these quarrels and fights actually come from. The verses immediately following will reveal that the source isn't external enemies, but destructive desires and selfish ambitions raging within individuals.
James is shifting gears dramatically from the peace and wisdom described in chapter 3. He's looking at the messy reality of conflict and division, questioning where these quarrels and fights actually come from. The verses immediately following will reveal that the source isn't external enemies, but destructive desires and selfish ambitions raging within individuals.
"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?" — The "wars and fightings" James asks about aren't just external conflicts, but the internal warfare of our desires, which he calls "pleasures" in their corrupt sense. These aren't mere fleeting feelin…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026