NOTES for Jam 2:13

First, a little about the second half of the verse. In court cases it happens this way: a criminal receives a sentence somehow corresponding to the gravity of the crime, but then some easing of his lot is possible, by amnesty or pardon. Or another possibility: a crime has been committed, but the injured party forgives the guilty one, and the case does not even reach court. In both situations we see that mercy proves more effective, "higher," than judgment. This is what the apostle James has in mind.