Verse 11
11. Now and then the rich man found this glorious lowliness and became a Christian; but the rich of St. James’s day and locality was generally a persecutor, (James 2:5,) and an oppressor, (note on James 5:1-6.) Hence in this verse, with a vividness akin to the last quoted passage, St. James paints the evanescence of the proud and oppressive millionaire. The imagery is borrowed mostly from Isaiah 40:6-8, where the fading character of our earthly humanity is described. Is The Greek has all the verbs in this verse in the past tense, so as to make the description in fact a pictorial narrative. The sun no sooner rose… withered… fell… perished.
Burning heat The Greek word for burning heat, καυσων , (from καιω , to burn,) often in the Septuagint designates the east wind, which, sweeping over the burning sands, brings a heat terribly scorching to all vegetation. Here it designates simply the burning power of the tropical or semi-tropical sun.
The grass Pasturage, including all herbage, especially that supplying food for animals.
The flower The bloom, the flourish.
Grace Becomingness.
Fashion Literally, face, aspect. Translate, the becomingness of its aspect.
Fade Literally, wither; a word applicable to a flower, transferable to dying man.
Ways Modes, plans, and purposes of life. It is to be noted that St. James here describes, not the vanishing of the riches from the man, but the vanishing of the man from his riches. Human wealth survives its possessor. Human things are often more permanent than human beings. Happy the rich man who passes from an earthly to a heavenly patrimony. He makes, perhaps, the best of both worlds. Such a man is described in the next verse.
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