James 4:8 — Bible Verse Meaning & Context

James 4:8 reads: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded." — from the New Testament, James (General epistle). The full verse is shown above with both the World English Bible (WEB) and King James Version (KJV) translations side by side.

James 4:8 is in the book of James, traditionally attributed to James, half-brother of Jesus and leader of the Jerusalem church and written around c. 45–50 AD (possibly the earliest NT book). James is general epistle in the New Testament, originally addressed to Jewish Christians scattered across the Roman world. Best known for "faith without works is dead".

James 4:8 is primarily a Bible verse about Prayer. Within James, James is the New Testament's wisdom book — practical, direct, and full of pithy imperatives. Read the full passage above with surrounding context.

James 4:8 in the World English Bible (WEB) reads: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.". The King James Version (KJV) reads: "Draw nigh1448 to God2316, and2532 he will draw nigh1448 to you5213. Cleanse2511 your hands5495, ye sinners268; and2532 purify48 your hearts2588, ye double minded1374.". The WEB is a modern public-domain translation that updates the KJV's 1611 English while keeping a similar formal-equivalence style. Both render the same underlying Greek or Hebrew text.

James 4:8 is 22 words in the WEB translation (123 characters), broken into 6 clauses. It is short and well-suited to memorisation. Estimated reading time is about 7 seconds.

To memorise James 4:8, split it into its 6 natural clauses and learn one at a time. Repeat the full verse out loud five times, then write it from memory. Saving the verse as a photo wallpaper using our verse image studio helps daily review — the visual association with a memorable background dramatically improves recall.

James is the New Testament's wisdom book — practical, direct, and full of pithy imperatives. It tests genuine faith by visible works ("faith without works is dead" — 2:17), warns about the tongue, demands care for the poor, urges patience in trials, and insists on real-world holiness. James 4:8 sits within this larger story — James as a whole emphasises wisdom, works, speech.

Many readers use James 4:8 as a daily reminder verse — saving it as a phone wallpaper, sharing it on Pinterest, or memorising it for prayer. The verse studio on this page lets you download James 4:8 on 52 different backgrounds for free. Pair the verse with the surrounding chapter context shown above to understand its full meaning before applying it.