This text of Scripture, a much quoted text, has been treated several places already: see Joel M. Hoffman, BBB, and Peter Kirk.
The genius of this whole discussion surrounds the meaning of the present middle/passive participle ἐνεργουμένη (energoumenē).
The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective [circumstantail].
17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. (TNIV, emphasis added)
So Peter Kirk decides to go with the ESV’s marginal reading (The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power), understanding the present participle as attributively:
The implication of this for James 5:16 is that the prayer he has in mind is set into operation by God, that he is the one who makes it effective…
and,
Prayer, even that of a righteous person, is not powerful simply because of the form of words, but only as God works through it and makes it effective.
While Joel M. Hoffman seems to favor the NRSV’s rending (The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective) and then turning to Galatians 5:6 and Wisdom 18:22—he objects, essentially leaving the reader on his or her own.
But after much deliberation, I’m siding with Peter Kirk for two reasons: the position of ἐνεργουμένη (energoumenē), at the end of this Greek sentence, no doubt for emphasis; and the fact that the kind of prayer has become James focus, as is illustrated from both vv. 15-16a-b and the Elijah allusion (v. 17).
Thanks for the link, and the support.
“So Peter Kirk decides to go with the ESV’s marginal reading (The effective prayer of a righteous person has great power) ….
But after much deliberation, I’m siding with Peter Kirk …”
Except, for this reader, the English of the ESV rendering is aweful …and almost tautological as well ? ..’the effective prayer is…effective…’
Steve L 2010.02.24.1140
Steve L,
Fair enough. But why?
why what?
Steve, I agree that the English of ESV is not good here. In fact it is not good anywhere.
The question is whether James intended any distinction of meaning between ischuei “is powerful” and energoumene “effective”. I would think that he did, as he wouldn’t have written a tautologous sentence. In that case maybe the translation needs to be adjusted to bring out the distinction.
Or perhaps Joel H. is right in suggesting that the words “are nearly synonymous, … because we already see them used in parallel”. But that would make sense only if energoumene is taken as predicative, which would support the TNIV rendering. I can’t be sure which is correct, but still prefer the ESV margin version.
” I agree that the English of ESV is not good here. In fact it is not good anywhere.”
Peter,
Are you saying that no Bible translations “get” these verses right? or that you think the ESV is not a good translation?
EK, what I am saying is that in general ESV is not a translation into good quality modern English. While I wouldn’t go quite as far as generalising Steve’s words “the English of the ESV rendering is aweful”, there are very many places in it where I cringe at the language. For examples, see Mark Strauss’ ETS paper on the inadequacies of ESV, linked to here.
Interesting reading,Thanks!
Isn’t reasonable to see in James a Hebraic parallelism for emphasis?
Isn’t it reasonable to see in James a Hebraic parallelism for emphasis?
Kyle, in 5:17 yes: proseuche proseuxato. That is the Hebrew idiom for emphasis, a verb with a cognate noun or similar. Or there could be synonymous parallelism which might be emphatic, or simply poetic, but that is usually rendered in Greek as two clauses linked with kai – as in fact we see in parallel couplets in the latter parts of verses 18 and 20 of this chapter; indeed James is full of Hebraic parallelism. But in verse 16 the combination of a verb and an unrelated participle, ischuei … energoumene, doesn’t fit into either category. So, despite Joel’s opinion, I don’t think this is “parallelism for emphasis”.
BDAG treats it as a middle with the following: “always with impersonal subject” [2 Cor. 4:12; 1Th. 2:13; Eph. 3:20; 2 Th. 2:7 (effective prayer).
Very helpful.
Thanks
I didn’t generalize my words either
: my negative comment about the English of the ESV was in reference to the verse in question. But, like you Peter, I do find myself cringing elsewhere. Steve L
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