Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, cries: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
the hire.
Leviticus 19:13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
Deuteronomy 24:14,15 Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates: …
Job 24:10,11 They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry; …
the cries.
Genesis 4:10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
Exodus 2:23,24 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage…
Exodus 3:9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
Lord.
Romans 9:29 And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
Isaiah 1:9 Except the LORD of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah.
the wages you withheld from the workmen
Withholding wages was a violation of the Mosaic Law, which commanded prompt payment to laborers (Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15). This reflects a broader biblical principle of justice and fairness in economic dealings. In the historical context, day laborers were often poor and relied on daily wages for survival, making this sin particularly grievous.
who mowed your fields
Agriculture was a central part of the economy in biblical times, and mowing fields was a common task. This phrase highlights the agrarian society in which James's audience lived. The workmen were likely hired to harvest grain, a critical task that ensured the landowner's wealth and sustenance.
are crying out against you.
This echoes the language of Genesis 4:10, where Abel's blood cries out to God from the ground. It suggests that the injustice done to the laborers is not hidden but is known to God, who hears the cries of the oppressed. This also aligns with the biblical theme of God as a defender of the poor and marginalized.
The cries of the harvesters
The harvesters represent those who are vulnerable and exploited. Their cries symbolize a plea for divine justice, reminiscent of the Israelites' cries in Egypt (Exodus 3:7-9). This phrase underscores the biblical narrative of God responding to the suffering of His people.
have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
The title "Lord of Hosts" emphasizes God's sovereignty and power, often used in contexts of divine judgment and warfare (1 Samuel 17:45; Isaiah 1:24). It assures that God is aware of the injustice and will act as a righteous judge. This phrase connects to the prophetic tradition where God hears and responds to the cries of the oppressed (Isaiah 5:9; Malachi 3:5).
• James opens with an arresting “Look” that functions like a flashing light.
• It grabs the attention of wealthy landowners who assumed their practices were hidden or insignificant.
• Prophets often began rebukes this way—see Isaiah 3:14-15; Luke 6:24.
• The word warns hearers that what follows is not suggestion but divine indictment (James 4:13-16).
• God cares about everyday business practices.
• Withholding pay violates explicit commands: “Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. The wages you withhold must not remain with you until morning” (Leviticus 19:13; cf. Deuteronomy 24:14-15).
• These laborers cut grain for someone else’s profit, yet the promised pay never arrived.
• Scripture equates this sin with robbery (Jeremiah 22:13) and places it alongside idolatry and adultery (Malachi 3:5).
• Practical application:
– Pay employees promptly.
– Honor contracts and verbal agreements (Proverbs 3:27-28).
– Recognize that financial dealings reveal the heart (Matthew 6:24).
• The unpaid wages themselves “cry out,” much like Abel’s blood did from the ground (Genesis 4:10).
• James personifies money to show that injustice leaves a record even when victims are silent.
• Revelation 6:10 pictures martyrs’ voices ascending in similar fashion.
• God’s courtroom hears evidence nobody else notices; sin cannot be hidden by clever bookkeeping (Numbers 32:23).
• While the landowners ignored petitions for fair pay, God did not.
• “Lord of Hosts” (or “Lord of Armies”) emphasizes His power to act on behalf of the oppressed (1 Samuel 17:45; Psalm 24:10).
• Echoes of Israel’s slavery: “their cry for help rose up to God” (Exodus 2:23-24).
• Deuteronomy 24:15 warns that withheld wages will cause workers to “cry out to the LORD,” bringing guilt on the oppressor.
• Assurance for believers:
– God hears every injustice (Proverbs 15:3).
– He will settle accounts in His timing (Romans 12:19; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-7).
– Faithful living includes treating others as we hope Christ will treat us (James 2:13).
James 5:4 declares that unpaid wages are not merely an accounting error but a moral offense that reaches heaven itself. God hears the cries of defrauded workers and stands ready to act as the mighty Lord of Hosts. Believers are called to transparent, timely, and fair dealings, confident that righteousness in everyday transactions honors the Savior and avoids judgment reserved for those who use wealth to oppress rather than serve.
(4) Behold, the hire of the labourers.--Not merely the wrong of the poor, but the wages kept back from him by the stingy master, contrary to the merciful Jewish law (Leviticus 19:13), which permitted no delay in payment whatever (comp. Jeremiah 22:13; Malachi 3:5). And the indignant remonstrance of the text is "a swift witness" also against the like-minded of this generation--whose God is self, whose religion political economy, and whose one great object in life is to buy in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest: as if for these ignoble purposes the Lord God had given them a brain and a soul.The hire of the labourers . . . kept back by fraud, crieth (out).--A question has arisen concerning the right position of the word translated "of," or from you, in this clause; whether the withholden dues appeal "from the wronger to God," or as the Authorised version has it above, "the hire of the labourers of you kept back by fraud." The balance of opinion seems to be with the latter.
Are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.--"A sublime and awful picture" is in the mind of the Apostle. The Lord of Hosts, the name by which He is called, especially by the last of the prophets, Malachi, is seated as a judge on His throne, to hear the right; the charge is laid, the guilty called, the witnesses are heard: the cries of the wronged have entered into His ears:--
"The Lord of the Vineyard beholdeth afar;
The arm of His fury is bared to the war:
The day of His terrible wrath is at hand." . . .
Verse 4 accounts for the miseries that are coming upon them. Their sins are the cause. The language is modeled upon the Old Testament, and the special sin denounced is one that is expressly forbidden in the Law (see Deuteronomy 24:14, 15, "Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy. At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it: for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee;" cf. Malachi 3:5, "I will be a swift witness... against those that oppress the hireling in his wages (LXX., ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀποστεροῦντας μισθὸν μισθωτοῦ)" Later allusions to the same sin are found in Tobit 4:14; Ecclus. 34:22. Which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth. For ἀπεστερημένος of the Received Text, read ἀφυστερημένος (א, B). It is possible to join the words ἀφ ὑμῶν with κράζει, but it is more natural to take them as the A.V. with ἀφυστερημένος. Reaped... reaped (ἀμησάντων... θερισάντων); R.V., "mowed... reaped." But it would seem that the words should have been reversed, as, judging by Old Testament usage, ἀμάω is always used of corn (Leviticus 25:11; Deuteronomy 24:19; Isaiah 17:5; Isaiah 37:30; Micah 6:15); while θερίζειν is the wider word, including all "harvesting," and used of χόρτος in Psalm 128. (127.) 7; Jeremiah 9:22. Into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. These words are adopted from Isaiah 5:9, Κύριος Σαβαώθ, a Grecized form of the Hebrew יהוה צבאות, frequent in the LXX. Found in the New Testament only here and Romans 9:29 (in a quotation); elsewhere, e.g. in the Apocalypse, it is represented by παντοκράτωρ (Revelation 1:8, etc.); so also in 2 Corinthians 6:18 (equivalent to 2 Samuel 7:8).