Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse emphasizes that the laborers' wages, unjustly withheld, aren't just silent debts; they are actively "crying out." This personification highlights that God not only hears their cries but recognizes the very money, though stolen, as having a voice demanding justice.
Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.
English Standard Version (ESV)
James is directly addressing wealthy oppressors who have accumulated riches through unjust means. He's just warned them about the impending judgment that will consume their wealth. Now, he points to their specific sin: withholding fair wages from the laborers who toiled in their fields, a clear act of fraud and injustice. This exploitation isn't going unnoticed; their cries of suffering have reached the ears of the all-powerful God, the Lord of Hosts, who will hold them accountable.
Imagine the sweat and toil that goes into harvesting a field. Now imagine that promised payment never arriving. James doesn't just condemn theft; he calls out a specific, insidious kind of injustice.
James is directly addressing wealthy landowners who are cheating their workers. The key here is 'kept back by fraud.' This isn't just an oversight or a simple delay; it's a deliberate act of injustice.
The Weight of Unpaid Labor
When earthly systems fail to deliver justice, where can the wronged turn? James assures us that the cries of the exploited don't go unnoticed; they reach the highest court.
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The latter part of the verse reveals God's direct involvement and response to injustice.
The Lord of Hosts Listens
Understand the original words
misthos · Greek Noun
The payment or recompense due to a worker for their service, which in biblical law is considered sacred and must be paid promptly, with withholding it viewed as a grave social and spiritual sin.
Sabaōth · Hebrew/Greek Noun phrase
A title for God reflecting His absolute sovereignty over all creation, including the heavenly hosts (angels) and earthly armies, indicating He is the ultimate Commander and Judge.
James' warning against defrauding laborers is deeply rooted in the Old Testament Law and prophetic tradition, highlighting a consistent concern for economic justice throughout Israel's history and into the early church. The phrase 'Lord of hosts' (Lord of Sabaoth) powerfully invokes God's authority as the ultimate judge and vindicator of the oppressed.
c. 1500 BC
Mosaic Law Given
The Law given through Moses explicitly commanded fair and timely payment for laborers, stating 'At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it' (Deuteronomy 24:14-15). This established a clear ethical and legal standard for employment.
c. 450 BC
Malachi's Prophecy
The prophet Malachi denounced those who oppressed hired servants and withheld wages, declaring God would be a swift witness against them (Malachi 3:5). This echoed the earlier Mosaic Law and demonstrated a continuing concern for economic justice.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry
Jesus spoke parables and taught principles that emphasized compassion, generosity, and justice, implicitly condemning exploitative economic practices. His teachings on the Kingdom of God set a radical standard for how people should treat one another.
c. AD 40-50— this verse
James Writes His Letter
James, the brother of Jesus, addressed his letter to Jewish believers scattered abroad. He confronted the practical realities of their faith, including social injustices and the danger of wealth hoarding and mistreatment of the poor.
c. AD 60-62
Paul's Letters to Timothy
Paul's letters to Timothy also touch on fair labor practices and the dangers of wealth, warning against those who 'keep back the wages of laborers' (1 Timothy 5:18, referencing Deuteronomy 24:14-15). This shows the concern persisted within the early church.
This passage also speaks of God hearing the cries of the oppressed and promising to bring judgment, directly paralleling James' warning about the cries of defrauded laborers reaching God's ears.
Deuteronomy 24:14-15This Old Testament law explicitly forbids oppressing a hired servant by withholding wages, stating that 'he will cry out against you to the Lord, and you will be guilty of sin,' mirroring James' concern for fair labor practices and divine justice.
Malachi 3:5The prophet Malachi warns against those who defraud laborers of their wages, declaring God will be a swift witness against them, echoing the sentiment in James that such injustices are seen and will be punished by the Lord of hosts.
Luke 12:16-21Jesus' parable of the rich fool highlights the folly of hoarding wealth while neglecting God and others, a theme that resonates with James' condemnation of the rich who exploit laborers and amass fortunes through injustice.
barnesJames 5:4: "Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth."
Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields - In the previous verses the form of the sin which the apostle specified was that they had hoarded their property. He now states another form of their guilt, that, while doing this, they had withheld what was due from…
vincentJames 5:4: "Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth."
Reaped down (ἀμησάντων)Only here in New Testament. The primary meaning is to reap corn; also in classical Greek of mowing down in battle. The secondary, which some mistake for the primary sense, is to gather, as for harvest. Rev., mowed.Fields (χώρας)The more general word, place,…
The verse emphasizes that the laborers' wages, unjustly withheld, aren't just silent debts; they are actively "crying out." This personification highlights that God not only hears their cries but recognizes the very money, though stolen, as having a voice demanding justice.
James is directly addressing wealthy oppressors who have accumulated riches through unjust means. He's just warned them about the impending judgment that will consume their wealth. Now, he points to their specific sin: withholding fair wages from the laborers who toiled in their fields, a clear act of fraud and injustice. This exploitation isn't going unnoticed; their cries of suffering have reached the ears of the all-powerful God, the Lord of Hosts, who will hold them accountable.
James is directly addressing wealthy oppressors who have accumulated riches through unjust means. He's just warned them about the impending judgment that will consume their wealth. Now, he points to their specific sin: withholding fair wages from the laborers who toiled in their fields, a clear act of fraud and injustice. This exploitation isn't going unnoticed; their cries of suffering have reached the ears of the all-powerful God, the Lord of Hosts, who will hold them accountable.
"Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts." — The verse emphasizes that the laborers' wages, unjustly withheld, aren't just silent debts; they are actively "crying out." This personification highlights that God not only hears their cries but rec…
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Last reviewed October 2026