NT Text: James 5:20
OT Source(s):
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Analogy
Significance: James concludes his letter with the declaration that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his ways "will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (kalypsei plēthos hamartiōn). The phrase "cover a multitude of sins" echoes Proverbs 10:12, where "love covers all offenses" (kol-pesha'im tekasseh ahavah). Peter also quotes this proverbial tradition in 1 Peter 4:8 ("love covers a multitude of sins"). James applies the wisdom principle in the specific context of restoring an erring believer — the act of turning someone back from sin is an expression of love that "covers" sins in the sense of preventing their destructive consequences. The allusion connects James's pastoral instruction to the wisdom tradition's understanding of love as the antidote to the proliferation of sin's effects.