James 4:11

Speak not evil. Or, “stop speaking evil,” or, “stop backbiting.” James now turns from the church member’s duties to the Lord, whom he professes to serve, and resumes his denunciation of certain specific evils that plague the church. A lack of humility before God inevitably leads to a similar lack before men. The practice of criticizing fellow church members reveals flagrant self-interest and becomes a common source of church dissension (see ch. 3:2-6).

Of. Or, “against.”

Brother. That is, a fellow church member.

Judgeth. The one who speaks against a church member “judgeth” him. This judging is associated with critical faultfinding whose purpose is to injure. See on Matt. 7:1-5.

Law. Harsh judgment of any kind is inconsistent with the spirit of the moral law. The principle of love is violated by the desire for self-assertion and by criticism of others.

Judgeth the law. That is, the one who judges infers that the law does not apply in his case. He is virtually saying that there is no law to protect the maligned brother and that no law condemns his critical spirit.

Not a doer. James again censures the church member for the disparity between his Christian profession and his daily deeds (see James 1:22-25). Each church member should feel a personal obligation to be controlled by the spirit of the law of God regardless of the nature of the outward provocations he may suffer.

A judge. That is, of the law. By disregarding the law’s jurisdiction over all men the critical faultfinder aspires to be a lawmaker rather than a lawkeeper. Frequently the cause for faultfinding is found in the critical member’s own private standards of conduct or in his own interpretations of the Bible, which lead him to condemn all who do not agree with him.