James pinpoints the internal origin of conflict: it's not external circumstances, but the "pleasures" or desires battling within us that spill out into quarrels and fights. He uses the striking imagery of these desires "waging war" inside our very bodies, showing how our inner turmoil directly fuels outward strife.
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.
English Standard Version (ESV)
James has just described the peace that comes from heavenly wisdom, but then abruptly shifts his tone to address the conflict and quarreling within his audience. He questions the origin of these disputes, asserting that they don't stem from external issues but rather from internal desires that are at war within individuals. This sets the stage for James to expose the root causes of strife, leading into his explanation that their requests are not granted because they are motivated by selfish desires.
Why do arguments erupt so easily, even among people who should know better? James cuts right to the chase, pointing not to external triggers, but to a war zone within us.
James asks a powerful question: "What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you?" He doesn't hesitate to name the source: "your passions are at war within you." This isn't just about petty disagreements. The original language hints at desires for pleasures that have gone rogue, like soldiers enlisted in a cause against your own well-being. These aren't just fleeting feelings; they are active forces within our 'members' – our bodies and beings – that wage war against our peace and against each other. Think of it like an army camped inside, constantly battling for control, pushing us towards selfish desires that inevitably clash with others.
This internal conflict is the fertile ground for all outward strife. When our own desires are in turmoil, it's only a matter of time before that turmoil spills out into our relationships.
The word James uses for 'passions' can also mean 'pleasures.' How does our pursuit of personal pleasure lead to conflict?
It might surprise you that James uses a word related to 'pleasure' to describe the root of conflict. What seems innocent enough on the surface – the desire for enjoyment, comfort, or gratification – becomes dangerous when it turns into a selfish 'lust.' These aren't just idle wishes; they are intense desires that demand satisfaction, often at the expense of others.
When these desires dominate, they can drive us to seek personal gain, whether it's for wealth, status, or even just getting our own way. This drive for self-satisfaction, when unchecked, creates the friction that leads to quarrels and fights. It's the underlying principle behind greed, envy, and ambition that have historically fueled wars between nations and disputes between individuals.
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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.
epithymeō · Greek Verb
To crave or desire intensely, often with a sense of entitlement or jealousy, leading to sinful dissatisfaction or illicit longing for what belongs to another.
James addresses the internal strife within the Christian communities, drawing a direct line from personal desires and 'lusts' to the external conflicts that plagued his people and society.
c. 1st century AD
Jewish Sectarian Strife
Various Jewish groups, including the Zealots, engaged in intense internal conflicts and political maneuvering, often fueled by religious and nationalistic fervor.
c. AD 40s-60s
Roman-Jewish Tensions Rise
Growing unrest and rebellion against Roman rule in Judea, marked by sporadic violence and significant social upheaval across the region.
c. AD 60s— this verse
James Writes His Epistle
The Apostle James writes to Jewish Christians scattered abroad, addressing issues of faith, practice, and the pervasive internal conflicts within their communities.
AD 66-73
The First Jewish-Roman War
A large-scale rebellion against Roman authority erupts, leading to widespread devastation, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
Paul describes a similar internal conflict, saying he sees 'another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind,' which echoes James' idea of inner desires clashing and causing outward strife.
Galatians 5:17This passage directly states that 'the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh,' showing the deep-seated nature of this internal war that James highlights.
1 Peter 2:11Peter warns believers about 'fleshly lusts, which war against the soul,' reinforcing James' point that these internal desires, when unchecked, lead to destructive conflict.
Matthew 15:19Jesus Himself taught that 'out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, and the like,' directly linking sinful desires originating within a person to outward acts of conflict and violence.
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…
James pinpoints the internal origin of conflict: it's not external circumstances, but the "pleasures" or desires battling within us that spill out into quarrels and fights. He uses the striking imagery of these desires "waging war" inside our very bodies, showing how our inner turmoil directly fuels outward strife.
James has just described the peace that comes from heavenly wisdom, but then abruptly shifts his tone to address the conflict and quarreling within his audience. He questions the origin of these disputes, asserting that they don't stem from external issues but rather from internal desires that are at war within individuals. This sets the stage for James to expose the root causes of strife, leading into his explanation that their requests are not granted because they are motivated by selfish desires.
James has just described the peace that comes from heavenly wisdom, but then abruptly shifts his tone to address the conflict and quarreling within his audience. He questions the origin of these disputes, asserting that they don't stem from external issues but rather from internal desires that are at war within individuals. This sets the stage for James to expose the root causes of strife, leading into his explanation that their requests are not granted because they are motivated by selfish desires.
"What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you…" — James pinpoints the internal origin of conflict: it's not external circumstances, but the "pleasures" or desires battling within us that spill out into quarrels and fights. He uses the striking ima…
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Last reviewed October 2026
