ἐγγίσατε τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν. καθαρίσατε χεῖρας ἁμαρτωλοί καὶ ἁγνίσατε καρδίας δίψυχοι. (James 4:8)
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse hands, sinners, and purify hearts, double-minded ones.
Grammatical Structure and Spiritual Urgency
This piercing exhortation from the epistle of James combines imperative verbs with powerfully declined nouns and vocatives. Through dative, accusative, and vocative cases, the verse calls for decisive, inward and outward repentance, grounding its message in formal syntactic clarity. The declensions not only identify who is being addressed—but what kind of transformation they need.
Declinable Elements: A Closer Look
Greek Word
Morphology
Case & Syntactic Role
Notes
τῷ Θεῷ
2nd declension masculine dative singular noun with article
Dative of direction (“toward”)
“Draw near to God” — the indirect object of nearness and communion
ὑμῖν
2nd person personal pronoun, dative plural
Dative of advantage (indirect object)
“He will draw near to you” — reciprocal action marked by case parallel
χεῖρας
3rd declension feminine accusative plural noun
Accusative direct object of καθαρίσατε
Outward deeds symbolized — the hands to be cleansed
ἁμαρτωλοί
2nd declension masculine vocative plural adjective
Vocative of direct address
A wake-up call — identifying the audience as sinners
καρδίας
1st declension feminine accusative plural noun
Accusative direct object of ἁγνίσατε
Symbolic of inner life — hearts must be purified
δίψυχοι
2nd declension masculine vocative plural adjective
Vocative of direct address
Literally “double-souled” — denotes wavering loyalty
Case Patterns and Theological Force
– The dative τῷ Θεῷ and ὑμῖν frame a mutual approach: you move toward God, and He moves toward you.… Learn Koine Greek
