JAMES, PETER & JUDE · AT A GLANCE · AT A GLANCE · AT A GLANCE · OLD TESTAMENT

Inside the letters

A deeper look at each: who wrote it and to whom, how it is built, the words it leans on and the Old Testament behind it.

AT A GLANCE

James at a glance

James, all in one place: the letter at a glance, how it is built, the words it leans on and the Old Testament behind it.

VERSES

108

GREEK WORDS

1,764

KEY VERSES

THEMES

THE LETTER

The writer calls himself only "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" and claims no title. Three men of that name appear in the New Testament. James the son of Zebedee was put to death early, which is why most writers rule him out; the views that remain connect the letter with James "the Lord's brother", leader of the church in Jerusalem, though they differ over who he was and whether he wrote it. Mayor noticed wording shared with James's speech and letter in Acts 15: the letter-opening "greeting" appears in the New Testament only here, in the Jerusalem letter of Acts 15:23, and in a Roman officer's letter at Acts 23:26. James 1:1 Acts 12:2 Galatians 1:19 Acts 15:13–23 Acts 23:26 [1][5][8]

KEY VERSES

2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. James 1:2–3 · KJV

Trials as the place where faith learns endurance.

THEMES

Trials and endurance. Testing ripens faith into endurance; "patience" comes three times and "be patient" three more, with the farmer, the prophets and Job held up as patterns. James 1:2–4 James 1:12 James 5:7–11
Wisdom from above. Wisdom is asked of a generous God, and true wisdom is known by a peaceable, gentle life, unlike the jealous "wisdom" from below. James 1:5 James 3:13–18
Hearing and doing. "Doer" comes four times in James; in the rest of the New Testament the word is used only twice. James 1:22–25 James 4:11
Faith shown by works. "Faith" comes 16 times and "works" 15, most of them packed into 2:14–26: faith that does nothing is dead. James 2:14–26
Rich and poor. God has chosen the poor; the rich fade like a flower, and those who hold back wages will answer for it. James 1:9–11 James 2:1–7 James 5:1–6
The tongue. A small member that steers the whole body like a bit or a rudder, and can set a forest alight. James 1:19 James 1:26 James 3:1–12 James 4:11 James 5:12
An undivided heart. "Double minded" (1:8 and 4:8, its only two uses in the New Testament) stands against single loyalty to God; "friendship of the world is enmity with God". James 1:8 James 4:4 James 4:8
Prayer and the Lord's coming. Patience until the Lord comes, prayer in trouble and sickness, and Elijah as proof of what a righteous person's prayer can do. James 5:7–18
A letter of commands. A hand count of the Greek text on this site finds 47 commands in James's own voice in 108 verses (by chapter 11, 4, 4, 12 and 16), plus 7 more inside quoted speech; two of the 47 are "Go to now", which grammarians often treat as an exclamation. This is a hand count, not yet checked against a grammatically tagged Greek text, and other editions of the Greek can add one or two, so published counts vary. The densest runs are 4:7–10, ten commands in four verses, and 5:7–16, thirteen. James 4:7–10 James 5:7–16
Scripture in James. The letter leans on the Old Testament throughout — the "royal law" of loving one's neighbour, Abraham, Rahab, Job, Elijah — but one appeal, "the scripture saith" at 4:5, matches no Old Testament verse. Mayor called it "the difficult passage"; it is left unresolved here. James 2:8 James 4:5 [1]

HOW IT IS BUILT

James in 15 parts, each as long as it is, in our own words. Click a part to keep it.

A Greeting from JamesJames 1:1
Rejoicing in TrialsJames 1:2–12
Good and Perfect GiftsJames 1:13–18
Hearing and DoingJames 1:19–27
A Warning against FavoritismJames 2:1–13
Faith and WorksJames 2:14–26
Taming the TongueJames 3:1–12
The Wisdom from AboveJames 3:13–18
A Warning against PrideJames 4:1–6
Drawing Near to GodJames 4:7–12
Do Not Boast about TomorrowJames 4:13–17
A Warning to the RichJames 5:1–6
Patience in SufferingJames 5:7–12
The Prayer of FaithJames 5:13–18
Restoring a SinnerJames 5:19–20

THE WORDS IT LEANS ON

THE OLD TESTAMENT BEHIND IT

James 1:10–11 quotes Isaiah 40:6–7 Allusion: the grass withers and the flower fades.
James 2:8 quotes Leviticus 19:18 Quotation: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself", which James calls the royal law.
James 2:11 quotes Exodus 20:13–14 Quotation: James puts adultery before killing, the reverse of the order in the KJV.
James 2:11 quotes Deuteronomy 5:17–18 Quotation: the same two commandments as given in Deuteronomy.
James 2:21 quotes Genesis 22:9–12 Allusion: Isaac on the altar.
James 2:23 quotes Genesis 15:6 Quotation: "Abraham believed God"; KJV Genesis reads "he believed in the LORD".
James 2:23 quotes Isaiah 41:8 Allusion: "the Friend of God" (KJV Isaiah: "Abraham my friend").
James 2:23 quotes 2 Chronicles 20:7 Allusion: "Abraham thy friend".
James 2:25 quotes Joshua 2:1 Allusion: Rahab receives the spies.
James 2:25 quotes Joshua 2:15 Allusion: Rahab sends them out another way.
James 3:9 quotes Genesis 1:26–27 Allusion: people made after the likeness of God.
James 4:6 quotes Proverbs 3:34 Quotation in the Greek Old Testament's form, "God resisteth the proud"; KJV Proverbs reads differently. 1 Pet 5:5 has the same form.
James 5:4 quotes Deuteronomy 24:14–15 Allusion: withheld wages cry out to the Lord.
James 5:4 quotes Isaiah 5:9 Allusion: "the Lord of sabaoth" — the Hebrew title the KJV renders "LORD of hosts".
James 5:5 quotes Jeremiah 12:3 Allusion: "the day of slaughter".
James 5:7 quotes Deuteronomy 11:14 Allusion: "the early and latter rain".
James 5:7 quotes Joel 2:23 Allusion: the former and latter rain.
James 5:11 quotes Job 1:21–22 Allusion: the patience of Job.
James 5:11 quotes Job 42:12 Allusion: "the end of the Lord" — Job's latter end blessed.
James 5:17–18 quotes 1 Kings 17:1 Allusion: Elijah's drought. James, like Luke 4:25, gives "three years and six months", a detail Mayor traces to Jewish tradition.
James 5:17–18 quotes 1 Kings 18:42–45 Allusion: Elijah prays and the rain returns.
James 5:20 quotes Proverbs 10:12 Allusion: love covers all sins; compare 1 Pet 4:8.

AT A GLANCE

Peter at a glance

1 Peter and 2 Peter, each in full; then where Peter's readers lived, and the "Babylon" he wrote from.

1 Peter

VERSES

105

GREEK WORDS

1,726

KEY VERSES

THEMES

THE LETTER

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ", who also calls himself an elder and a witness of Christ's sufferings. He wrote "by Silvanus" — Paul's companion Silas — and passes on greetings from "Marcus my son", that is John Mark. Eusebius records that the ancient elders used the letter freely as an undisputed work. In modern times Harnack doubted that it came from a personal disciple of Jesus and thought its opening and closing verses were added later; Bigg answered him. 1 Peter 1:1 1 Peter 5:1 1 Peter 5:12–13 Acts 15:40 Acts 12:12 [11][3]

KEY VERSES

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3 · KJV

The opening praise: a living hope through the resurrection.

THEMES

A living hope. In the site's Greek text "hope" appears three times and the verb "to hope" twice; the ISBE calls this the letter of hope. 1 Peter 1:3 1 Peter 1:13 1 Peter 1:21 1 Peter 3:5 1 Peter 3:15 [18]
Suffering. The verb "suffer" comes 12 times and the noun "sufferings" 4: suffering for doing right, as Christ suffered, is the letter's steady subject. 1 Peter 2:19–23 1 Peter 3:14–18 1 Peter 4:1 1 Peter 4:13–19 1 Peter 5:10
Strangers and pilgrims. The readers are sojourners whose true home lies ahead. 1 Peter 1:1 1 Peter 1:17 1 Peter 2:11
Good conduct among outsiders. The word the KJV renders "conversation" — a whole way of life — appears six times, and the words for doing good another six: the answer to slander is a life that silences it. 1 Peter 1:15 1 Peter 2:12 1 Peter 2:15 1 Peter 3:16 1 Peter 4:19
Submission. "Submit" and "be subject" come seven times — to rulers, to masters, wives to husbands, the younger to the elder, and all to one another. 1 Peter 2:13 1 Peter 2:18 1 Peter 3:1 1 Peter 3:5 1 Peter 3:22 1 Peter 5:5
Christ the example and the living stone. "Stone" comes five times in 2:4–8; Christ's suffering is the pattern his people follow. 1 Peter 2:4–8 1 Peter 2:21–24
Grace and glory. "Grace" appears ten times and "glory" eleven — suffering now, glory to follow. 1 Peter 1:11 1 Peter 4:13 1 Peter 5:10

HOW IT IS BUILT

1 Peter in 11 parts, each as long as it is, in our own words. Click a part to keep it.

A Greeting from Peter1 Peter 1:1–2
A Living Hope1 Peter 1:3–12
A Call to Holiness1 Peter 1:13–21
The Enduring Word1 Peter 1:22–25
The Living Stone and Chosen People1 Peter 2:1–12
Submission to Authorities1 Peter 2:13–20
Christ’s Example of Suffering1 Peter 2:21–25
Wives and Husbands1 Peter 3:1–7
Turning from Evil1 Peter 3:8–13
Suffering for Righteousness1 Peter 3:14–22
Living for God’s Glory1 Peter 4:1–11
Suffering as Christians1 Peter 4:12–19
Instructions to Elders1 Peter 5:1–4
Cast Your Cares on Him1 Peter 5:5–9
Benediction and Farewell1 Peter 5:10–14

THE WORDS IT LEANS ON

THE OLD TESTAMENT BEHIND IT

1 Peter 1:16 quotes Leviticus 11:44 Quotation: "Be ye holy; for I am holy" (also Lev 19:2 and 20:7).
1 Peter 1:24–25 quotes Isaiah 40:6–8 Quotation: "All flesh is as grass"; Peter ends "the word of the Lord endureth for ever".
1 Peter 2:3 quotes Psalms 34:8 Allusion: taste that the Lord is gracious.
1 Peter 2:6 quotes Isaiah 28:16 Quotation following the Greek Old Testament: "shall not be confounded" (KJV Isaiah: "shall not make haste").
1 Peter 2:7 quotes Psalms 118:22 Quotation: the rejected stone becomes the head of the corner.
1 Peter 2:8 quotes Isaiah 8:14 Quotation: a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.
1 Peter 2:9 quotes Exodus 19:5–6 Allusion: a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a peculiar treasure.
1 Peter 2:9 quotes Isaiah 43:20–21 Allusion: my chosen people, who shall shew forth my praise.
1 Peter 2:10 quotes Hosea 1:10 Allusion: "not my people" become the people of God.
1 Peter 2:10 quotes Hosea 2:23 Allusion: those who had not obtained mercy.
1 Peter 2:22 quotes Isaiah 53:9 Quotation: no deceit in his mouth.
1 Peter 2:24 quotes Isaiah 53:5 Allusion: with his stripes we are healed.
1 Peter 2:25 quotes Isaiah 53:6 Allusion: like sheep gone astray.
1 Peter 3:6 quotes Genesis 18:12 Allusion: Sarah calls Abraham "my lord".
1 Peter 3:10–12 quotes Psalms 34:12–16 Quotation: he that will love life, and see good days.
1 Peter 3:14–15 quotes Isaiah 8:12–13 Allusion: be not afraid of their terror; sanctify the Lord.
1 Peter 3:20 quotes Genesis 7:13 Allusion: eight souls saved in the ark.
1 Peter 4:8 quotes Proverbs 10:12 Allusion: love covers all sins; compare Jas 5:20.
1 Peter 4:18 quotes Proverbs 11:31 Quotation following the Greek Old Testament: "If the righteous scarcely be saved".
1 Peter 5:5 quotes Proverbs 3:34 Quotation in the Greek Old Testament's form, as in Jas 4:6.
1 Peter 5:7 quotes Psalms 55:22 Allusion: cast thy burden upon the LORD.

2 Peter

VERSES

GREEK WORDS

1,107

KEY VERSES

THEMES

THE LETTER

"Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ" — many Greek manuscripts have the Hebrew form "Symeon", used of Peter elsewhere only in James's speech at Acts 15:14. The writer says the Lord has shown him his death is near, that he heard the Father's voice on "the holy mount", that this is his second letter, and he speaks of "our beloved brother Paul". It was the most doubted of the four in the early church, and its authorship is still argued. 2 Peter 1:1 2 Peter 1:14 2 Peter 1:17–18 2 Peter 3:1 2 Peter 3:15–16 Acts 15:14 [3][11][12][13]

KEY VERSES

3According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 2 Peter 1:3 · KJV

God's power has given all that life and godliness need.

THEMES

Knowledge. In the site's Greek text "full knowledge" comes four times and "knowledge" three, and the letter ends "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord". The ISBE puts it in a line: the key word of 1 Peter is hope, of 2 Peter knowledge. 2 Peter 1:2–8 2 Peter 2:20–21 2 Peter 3:18 [19]
Godliness, and a ladder of virtues. "Godliness" comes four times; to faith the readers are to add virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness and charity. 2 Peter 1:3 2 Peter 1:5–7 2 Peter 3:11
Remembering. The writer means to keep putting them in mind of what they already know, before he is gone. 2 Peter 1:12–15 2 Peter 3:1–2
Judgment kept in store. "Reserved" comes four times and "destruction" or "perdition" six: the angels, the false teachers and the present world are all kept for judgment. 2 Peter 2:4 2 Peter 2:9 2 Peter 2:17 2 Peter 3:7
The Lord's coming. A thousand years are as one day to the Lord; the delay is his patience, and the day of the Lord will come as a thief, bringing new heavens and a new earth. 2 Peter 1:16 2 Peter 3:4 2 Peter 3:8–13
Saviour. The title comes five times, always of Jesus. 2 Peter 1:1 2 Peter 1:11 2 Peter 2:20 2 Peter 3:2 2 Peter 3:18
A rare word. "Cast them down to hell" (2:4) renders a verb meaning "to put in Tartarus", found nowhere else in the Bible; Mayor called it "the extremely rare word". 2 Peter 2:4 [2]

HOW IT IS BUILT

2 Peter in 11 parts, each as long as it is, in our own words. Click a part to keep it.

A Greeting from Peter2 Peter 1:1–2
Partakers of the Divine Nature2 Peter 1:3–15
Eyewitnesses of His Majesty2 Peter 1:16–21
Deliverance from False Prophets2 Peter 2:1–22
The Coming Judgment2 Peter 3:1–7
The Day of the Lord2 Peter 3:8–13
Final Exhortations2 Peter 3:14–18

THE WORDS IT LEANS ON

THE OLD TESTAMENT BEHIND IT

2 Peter 2:5 quotes Genesis 7:13 Allusion: Noah "the eighth person" — eight people were saved (the flood story of Genesis 6–8).
2 Peter 2:6–8 quotes Genesis 19:24 Allusion: fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.
2 Peter 2:6–8 quotes Genesis 19:29 Allusion: Lot rescued.
2 Peter 2:15–16 quotes Numbers 22:5 Allusion: Balaam.
2 Peter 2:15–16 quotes Numbers 22:28 Allusion: the ass that spoke.
2 Peter 2:22 quotes Proverbs 26:11 Quotation: the dog returns to its vomit. The washed sow, the second proverb, is not from the Old Testament.
2 Peter 3:5–6 quotes Genesis 1:9 Allusion: the earth standing out of the water.
2 Peter 3:5–6 quotes Genesis 7:11 Allusion: the flood.
2 Peter 3:8 quotes Psalms 90:4 Allusion: a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday.
2 Peter 3:13 quotes Isaiah 65:17 Allusion: new heavens and a new earth.
2 Peter 3:13 quotes Isaiah 66:22 Allusion: new heavens and a new earth.

WHERE HIS READERS LIVED

1 Peter names its readers' regions in the order Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia — though Pontus and Bithynia were one Roman province, they stand at opposite ends of the list. Hort took the order to follow the route of the man carrying the letter; Easton thought it the order that would occur to someone writing from Babylon on the Euphrates. Bigg notes that, read loosely, the list covers the whole of Asia Minor except the south coast. Pins mark the site's region centres, not boundaries. 1 Peter 1:1 Acts 2:9 [4][21][3]

WHERE HE WROTE FROM, AND HOW THE LETTER TRAVELLED

Hort argued that the order of the regions in 1 Peter 1:1 is not chance but traces the journey of Silvanus, who carried the letter: landing on the Black Sea coast, going inland through Galatia and Cappadocia, west to Asia, and north to Bithynia to close the circuit. Bigg found the route probable. The towns Hort names are not in the site's place data, so the line joins the region centres and is only a sketch of his route. 1 Peter 1:1 1 Peter 5:12 [4][3]

Where 1 Peter was written depends on what "Babylon" means. These are the two main candidates in the site's place data; a Babylon in Egypt and Jerusalem have also been proposed (see the question on Babylon). 1 Peter 5:13 [10][3][8][18]

AT A GLANCE

Jude at a glance

Jude, all in one place: the letter at a glance, how it is built, the words it leans on and the Old Testament behind it.

VERSES

GREEK WORDS

453

KEY VERSES

THEMES

THE LETTER

"Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James." He seems to stand apart from the apostles, asking his readers to remember what they foretold. Mayor, Bigg and the ISBE take him to be the brother of Jesus and of James named in Mark 6:3; Easton identifies him with the apostle "Judas of James"; others have proposed a later Judas. Jude 1:1 Jude 1:17 Mark 6:3 Luke 6:16 [2][3][20][21]

KEY VERSES

3Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Jude 1:3 · KJV

Contend for the faith once delivered to the saints.

THEMES

Things in threes. Mayor noted Jude's fondness for triplets: called, sanctified, preserved; mercy, peace, love; Israel, the angels, Sodom; defile, despise, speak evil; Cain, Balaam, Korah; separating, sensual, without the Spirit. Jude 1:1–2 Jude 1:5–8 Jude 1:11 Jude 1:19 [2]
Kept. "Keep" comes five times. The angels who did not keep their place are kept for judgment, and the intruders are reserved for darkness; the faithful are preserved in Christ and told to keep themselves in God's love. Jude 1:1 Jude 1:6 Jude 1:13 Jude 1:21
Ungodly. The "ungodly" family of words comes six times, four of them inside the prophecy of Enoch. Jude 1:4 Jude 1:15 Jude 1:18
"These are…" Five times Jude points at the intruders with the word "these". Jude 1:8 Jude 1:10 Jude 1:12 Jude 1:16 Jude 1:19
Sources beyond the Old Testament. Jude 14–15 quotes the prophecy of Enoch; R. H. Charles, editing 1 Enoch, judged that the whole of 1 Enoch 1:9 "has been quoted by Jude 14, 15 in a compressed form". Michael's dispute with the devil over the body of Moses (9) is not in the Old Testament; Origen said it came from the "Ascension of Moses", a book whose surviving text no longer contains the scene. Jude 1:9 Jude 1:14–15 [15][16]

HOW IT IS BUILT

Jude in 9 parts, each as long as it is, in our own words. Click a part to keep it.

A Greeting from JudeJude 1:1–2
God’s Judgment on the UngodlyJude 1:3–16
A Call to PersevereJude 1:17–23
DoxologyJude 1:24–25

THE WORDS IT LEANS ON

THE OLD TESTAMENT BEHIND IT

Jude 1:5 quotes Exodus 12:51 Saved out of Egypt.
Jude 1:5 quotes Numbers 14:22–23 Then destroyed for unbelief (see also Num 14:29, 35).
Jude 1:6 quotes Genesis 6:1–4 The angels who left their first estate — Genesis as read in 1 Enoch.
Jude 1:7 quotes Genesis 19:24 Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by fire.
Jude 1:9 quotes Zechariah 3:2 "The LORD rebuke thee", word for word; the dispute itself is not in the Old Testament.
Jude 1:9 quotes Deuteronomy 34:5–6 Moses' burial, his grave unknown.
Jude 1:11 quotes Genesis 4:8 The way of Cain.
Jude 1:11 quotes Numbers 22:1–24:25 The error of Balaam (with Num 31:16).
Jude 1:11 quotes Numbers 16:1–3 The gainsaying of Korah (and his end, Num 16:32–33).
Jude 1:12 quotes Ezekiel 34:2 Shepherds that feed themselves.
Jude 1:13 quotes Isaiah 57:20 The troubled sea casting up mire and dirt.
Jude 1:14 quotes Genesis 5:3–24 "The seventh from Adam": Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch.
Jude 1:14 quotes Deuteronomy 33:2 "He came with ten thousands of saints."
Jude 1:23 quotes Amos 4:11 A firebrand plucked out of the burning.
Jude 1:23 quotes Zechariah 3:2–4 The brand from the fire and the filthy garments.

OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament behind James, Peter & Jude

Where the quotations in all four letters come from, book by book; click a book or a letter to keep it. Then every quotation, letter by letter.

JAMES

22 passages

Most from Deuteronomy, Genesis and Isaiah (3 each)

1 PETER

21 passages

Most from Isaiah (8)

2 PETER

11 passages

Most from Genesis (5)

JUDE

15 passages

Most from Genesis (4)

Every one of these letters draws on Genesis and Isaiah.

Each line runs from an Old Testament book to the letter that draws on it; its width is the number of passages the letter quotes or clearly alludes to from that book, from the checked lists on this page. Between them the four draw on 69 passages, and only Genesis and Isaiah feed every one. James ranges widest, over twelve books, from the Law and Job to Elijah and Rahab; 1 Peter leans on Isaiah and the Psalms; 2 Peter and Jude both turn to Genesis and Numbers for Sodom and Balaam, 2 Peter adding the flood and Jude adding Cain and Korah. Easton counted about thirty-five Old Testament references in 1 Peter and eleven in 2 Peter, so a fuller list would add fainter allusions. Jude's sources outside the Old Testament, 1 Enoch and the lost Assumption of Moses, are not shown.[21]

JAMES

James 1:10–11 quotes Isaiah 40:6–7 Allusion: the grass withers and the flower fades.
James 2:8 quotes Leviticus 19:18 Quotation: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself", which James calls the royal law.
James 2:11 quotes Exodus 20:13–14 Quotation: James puts adultery before killing, the reverse of the order in the KJV.
James 2:11 quotes Deuteronomy 5:17–18 Quotation: the same two commandments as given in Deuteronomy.
James 2:21 quotes Genesis 22:9–12 Allusion: Isaac on the altar.
James 2:23 quotes Genesis 15:6 Quotation: "Abraham believed God"; KJV Genesis reads "he believed in the LORD".
James 2:23 quotes Isaiah 41:8 Allusion: "the Friend of God" (KJV Isaiah: "Abraham my friend").
James 2:23 quotes 2 Chronicles 20:7 Allusion: "Abraham thy friend".
James 2:25 quotes Joshua 2:1 Allusion: Rahab receives the spies.
James 2:25 quotes Joshua 2:15 Allusion: Rahab sends them out another way.
James 3:9 quotes Genesis 1:26–27 Allusion: people made after the likeness of God.
James 4:6 quotes Proverbs 3:34 Quotation in the Greek Old Testament's form, "God resisteth the proud"; KJV Proverbs reads differently. 1 Pet 5:5 has the same form.
James 5:4 quotes Deuteronomy 24:14–15 Allusion: withheld wages cry out to the Lord.
James 5:4 quotes Isaiah 5:9 Allusion: "the Lord of sabaoth" — the Hebrew title the KJV renders "LORD of hosts".
James 5:5 quotes Jeremiah 12:3 Allusion: "the day of slaughter".
James 5:7 quotes Deuteronomy 11:14 Allusion: "the early and latter rain".
James 5:7 quotes Joel 2:23 Allusion: the former and latter rain.
James 5:11 quotes Job 1:21–22 Allusion: the patience of Job.
James 5:11 quotes Job 42:12 Allusion: "the end of the Lord" — Job's latter end blessed.
James 5:17–18 quotes 1 Kings 17:1 Allusion: Elijah's drought. James, like Luke 4:25, gives "three years and six months", a detail Mayor traces to Jewish tradition.
James 5:17–18 quotes 1 Kings 18:42–45 Allusion: Elijah prays and the rain returns.
James 5:20 quotes Proverbs 10:12 Allusion: love covers all sins; compare 1 Pet 4:8.

1 PETER

1 Peter 1:16 quotes Leviticus 11:44 Quotation: "Be ye holy; for I am holy" (also Lev 19:2 and 20:7).
1 Peter 1:24–25 quotes Isaiah 40:6–8 Quotation: "All flesh is as grass"; Peter ends "the word of the Lord endureth for ever".
1 Peter 2:3 quotes Psalms 34:8 Allusion: taste that the Lord is gracious.
1 Peter 2:6 quotes Isaiah 28:16 Quotation following the Greek Old Testament: "shall not be confounded" (KJV Isaiah: "shall not make haste").
1 Peter 2:7 quotes Psalms 118:22 Quotation: the rejected stone becomes the head of the corner.
1 Peter 2:8 quotes Isaiah 8:14 Quotation: a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence.
1 Peter 2:9 quotes Exodus 19:5–6 Allusion: a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a peculiar treasure.
1 Peter 2:9 quotes Isaiah 43:20–21 Allusion: my chosen people, who shall shew forth my praise.
1 Peter 2:10 quotes Hosea 1:10 Allusion: "not my people" become the people of God.
1 Peter 2:10 quotes Hosea 2:23 Allusion: those who had not obtained mercy.
1 Peter 2:22 quotes Isaiah 53:9 Quotation: no deceit in his mouth.
1 Peter 2:24 quotes Isaiah 53:5 Allusion: with his stripes we are healed.
1 Peter 2:25 quotes Isaiah 53:6 Allusion: like sheep gone astray.
1 Peter 3:6 quotes Genesis 18:12 Allusion: Sarah calls Abraham "my lord".
1 Peter 3:10–12 quotes Psalms 34:12–16 Quotation: he that will love life, and see good days.
1 Peter 3:14–15 quotes Isaiah 8:12–13 Allusion: be not afraid of their terror; sanctify the Lord.
1 Peter 3:20 quotes Genesis 7:13 Allusion: eight souls saved in the ark.
1 Peter 4:8 quotes Proverbs 10:12 Allusion: love covers all sins; compare Jas 5:20.
1 Peter 4:18 quotes Proverbs 11:31 Quotation following the Greek Old Testament: "If the righteous scarcely be saved".
1 Peter 5:5 quotes Proverbs 3:34 Quotation in the Greek Old Testament's form, as in Jas 4:6.
1 Peter 5:7 quotes Psalms 55:22 Allusion: cast thy burden upon the LORD.

2 PETER

2 Peter 2:5 quotes Genesis 7:13 Allusion: Noah "the eighth person" — eight people were saved (the flood story of Genesis 6–8).
2 Peter 2:6–8 quotes Genesis 19:24 Allusion: fire on Sodom and Gomorrah.
2 Peter 2:6–8 quotes Genesis 19:29 Allusion: Lot rescued.
2 Peter 2:15–16 quotes Numbers 22:5 Allusion: Balaam.
2 Peter 2:15–16 quotes Numbers 22:28 Allusion: the ass that spoke.
2 Peter 2:22 quotes Proverbs 26:11 Quotation: the dog returns to its vomit. The washed sow, the second proverb, is not from the Old Testament.
2 Peter 3:5–6 quotes Genesis 1:9 Allusion: the earth standing out of the water.
2 Peter 3:5–6 quotes Genesis 7:11 Allusion: the flood.
2 Peter 3:8 quotes Psalms 90:4 Allusion: a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday.
2 Peter 3:13 quotes Isaiah 65:17 Allusion: new heavens and a new earth.
2 Peter 3:13 quotes Isaiah 66:22 Allusion: new heavens and a new earth.

JUDE

Jude 1:5 quotes Exodus 12:51 Saved out of Egypt.
Jude 1:5 quotes Numbers 14:22–23 Then destroyed for unbelief (see also Num 14:29, 35).
Jude 1:6 quotes Genesis 6:1–4 The angels who left their first estate — Genesis as read in 1 Enoch.
Jude 1:7 quotes Genesis 19:24 Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by fire.
Jude 1:9 quotes Zechariah 3:2 "The LORD rebuke thee", word for word; the dispute itself is not in the Old Testament.
Jude 1:9 quotes Deuteronomy 34:5–6 Moses' burial, his grave unknown.
Jude 1:11 quotes Genesis 4:8 The way of Cain.
Jude 1:11 quotes Numbers 22:1–24:25 The error of Balaam (with Num 31:16).
Jude 1:11 quotes Numbers 16:1–3 The gainsaying of Korah (and his end, Num 16:32–33).
Jude 1:12 quotes Ezekiel 34:2 Shepherds that feed themselves.
Jude 1:13 quotes Isaiah 57:20 The troubled sea casting up mire and dirt.
Jude 1:14 quotes Genesis 5:3–24 "The seventh from Adam": Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch.
Jude 1:14 quotes Deuteronomy 33:2 "He came with ten thousands of saints."
Jude 1:23 quotes Amos 4:11 A firebrand plucked out of the burning.
Jude 1:23 quotes Zechariah 3:2–4 The brand from the fire and the filthy garments.

WHERE THIS PAGE COMES FROM

Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. James: The Greek Text with Introduction, Notes and Comments (1892), Introduction.
Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. Jude and the Second Epistle of St. Peter (1907), Introduction.
Charles Bigg, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude (International Critical Commentary) (1901 (2nd ed. 1902)), Introductions to 1 Peter, 2 Peter and Jude.
F. J. A. Hort, The First Epistle of St Peter I.1–II.17 (1898), Additional Note III, "The Provinces of Asia Minor included in St Peter's address", pp. 157–185.
Alfred Plummer, The General Epistles of St. James and St. Jude (The Expositor's Bible) (1891), ch. II.
B. F. Westcott, A General Survey of the History of the Canon of the New Testament (7th ed.) (1896), pp. 219–221, 248–249, 344, 488–491.
Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 1: Apostolic Christianity (1889), section on the Epistle of James, note "James and Paul"; § 100, list of commentaries on Hebrews.
John Calvin, tr. John Owen, Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles (1551) (1855), Arguments to each letter; on Jas 2:21 and 1 Pet 5:13 (paraphrased here, not quoted).
Council of Trent, tr. J. Waterworth, The Canons and Decrees of the Sacred and Oecumenical Council of Trent (1848), Session 6 (1547), Decree on Justification, ch. X, pp. 37–38.
Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 2 (NPNF Second Series, vol. 1) (1890), 2.1, 2.15, 2.23, 2.25.
Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 3 (NPNF Second Series, vol. 1) (1890), 3.1, 3.3, 3.4, 3.19–20, 3.25.
Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History, book 6 (NPNF Second Series, vol. 1) (1890), 6.14, 6.25.
Jerome, tr. E. C. Richardson, Lives of Illustrious Men (NPNF Second Series, vol. 3) (1892), chs. 1, 2, 4.
Athanasius, tr. R. Payne-Smith, Festal Letter 39 (NPNF Second Series, vol. 4) (1892).
R. H. Charles, The Book of Enoch, or 1 Enoch (1912), 1 Enoch 1:9 with note (pp. 8–9); Introduction pp. xcv–xcvi.
R. H. Charles, The Assumption of Moses, Translated from the Latin Sixth Century MS. (1897), Introduction; fragments of the original Assumption, pp. 105–110.
Doremus Almy Hayes, "James, Epistle of", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
William G. Moorehead, "Peter, the First Epistle of", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
William G. Moorehead, "Peter, the Second Epistle of", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
William G. Moorehead, "Jude, the Epistle of", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary (3rd ed.) (1897), entries on each letter and on Pontus, Bithynia, Cappadocia, Galatia, Asia.

Rooted in Scripture. Open for discovery.

A place to read slowly, ask deeply, and follow the connections. Scripture, study and the voices of Christian history, brought together for a lifetime of learning.

SPEND TIME IN THE WORD

Open the reader
Books & reading progress
Compare Scripture editions
Find a passage

FOLLOW YOUR QUESTIONS

Study collections
People & places
Faith & apologetics
Stories of faith

A library with a paper trail.

Meet the authors. Explore the collection. Trace each work to its source.

Download the code.

Open source on GitHub.