“…The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much [NKJV]…The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working” [ASV] (James 5:16).
James’ quill only wrote five words to make this statement. Such brevity is a hallmark of Scripture and is packed with potency. And as can be see above, such brevity is a challenge to translators.
Consider these five words as they appear in the New King James translation:
“Avails much” (polus ischuo) is placed at the beginning of James’ original sentence. This was done for the sake of emphasis. The verb ischuo is present active indicative. This indicates a statement of reality which is continuous. This vibrant strength/power of prayer does not wax and wane like the moon; it does not diminish over time or from too much use.
“Fervent prayer” (deesis) is a particular kind of prayer called supplication. It is a petition covering a specific matter and is made with a great sense of urgency. In its context, the great need being addressed is the forgiveness of sin confessed by a fellow Christian.
“Of a righteous man” (dikaios) defines the one to whom God’s ears are ever open to hear. A righteous person is anyone who expresses his faith daily in continuous effort to conform his life to God’s will. It is impossible to be righteous without being obedient. To be obedient is to be righteous.
“Effective” (energeo) is a present participle and is intended to describe something that occurs while the righteous person is making supplication. The New King James translators viewed this energeo to be upon the person and his supplication. The American Standard translators viewed the energeo being the effect upon God when He hears the supplication.
Both ideas harmonize with the rest of Scripture: It is true that making supplication for others does energize you spiritually and helps to make you a better person. It is also true that God does hear and take action in response to human supplication; intercessory supplications do energize Jehovah.
Just five words, but they sure do make a powerful argument for why we should cultivate the habit of confessing our trespasses to and praying for one another.
