“Brothers!
Do not speak evil
Against one another!
Whoever speaks evil
Against a brother
Or judges his brother,
Speaks evil
Against the law
And judges
The law.
But if you judge
The law
You are not a doer
Of the law
But a judge.”
Μὴ καταλαλεῖτε ἀλλήλων, ἀδελφοί. ὁ καταλαλῶν ἀδελφοῦ ἢ κρίνων τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καταλαλεῖ νόμου καὶ κρίνει νόμον· εἰ δὲ νόμον κρίνεις, οὐκ εἶ ποιητὴς νόμου ἀλλὰ κριτής.
James said, “Brothers (ἀδελφοί)! Do not speak evil (Μὴ καταλαλεῖτε) against one another (ἀλλήλων)! Whoever speaks evil (ὁ καταλαλῶν) against a brother (ἀδελφοῦ) or judges (ἢ κρίνων) his brother (τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ), speaks evil (καταλαλεῖ) against the law (νόμου) and judges (καὶ κρίνει) the law (νόμον). But if (εἰ δὲ) you judge (κρίνεις) the law (νόμον) you are not a doer (οὐκ εἶ ποιητὴς) of the law (νόμου) but a judge (ἀλλὰ κριτής).” James had a criticism for his brotherly readers. They were not to speak evil against each other. Anyone who spoke evil of his brother was speaking evil against the law. Anyone who judged his brother was judging the law, not observing the law. Thus, if you were judging the Torah law you were not a doer of the Torah law. If you were speaking evil against someone, you were denying divine justice and the law of God itself. There was a correlation between how you treated your brother and how you treated the law of God itself. Do you speak evil of your brother?