<p>5:13<i> Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise</i>-The previous verse has been emphasizing the importance of not letting our words run away with us- and therefore James now tells us to channel all our words through prayer, rather than indulge in the circular talking of Job and the friends which was the exact opposite of &quot;Yes, yes... no, no&quot;. &quot;Afflicted&quot; is the same word translated &quot;affliction&quot; in v.10 concerning Job's hardships.</p><p>&quot;Cheerful&quot; really means 'To be cheered up' after hardship, and is only used elsewhere in the record of Paul's shipwreck concerning the company being of &quot;good cheer&quot; after Paul's stirring exhortation on the deck- surely one of the most dynamic and powerful appeals for faith ever heard (Acts 27:22,36). It may be that some of them had found legitimate release from their sufferings, perhaps by contributions from other ecclesias. Alternatively, James may be talking hypothetically: 'Even if any of you find relief, then express your joy in the words of the psalms rather than giving reign to your own natural inclinations to make a rash oath to God in gratitude'. Those who had been 'cheered up' may refer to the rich brethren- instead of expressing their joy in rowdy parties dressed up with spiritual excuses (Jude 12; 1 Cor. 11:21; James 2:2), they should express it in the words of psalms.</p><p>&quot;Sing&quot; here is also translated &quot;making melody&quot; in Eph. 5:19, where Paul speaks of doing so in the heart by singing &quot;psalms and hymns and spiritual songs&quot;. It is perhaps significant that Paul advises them to do this as an antidote to being drunk (Eph. 5:18)- and if James is speaking about the need to sing psalms instead of indulging in drunken revelry at the communion service, then he would be saying the same thing as Paul. Drunkenness at the breaking of bread must have been a regular occurrence at Corinth at least, from how Paul writes (e.g. &quot;Another is drunken... when(ever) you come together... this is not to eat the Lord's supper&rdquo;, 1 Cor. 11:20,21). Singing psalms would have been done at the breaking of bread service to imitate the singing of the Hallel Psalms (113-118) at the last supper (Mt. 26:30); and the reference to Psalm singing in 1 Cor. 14:26 also seems to be in the communion service context. Thus it may be that v.13-16 are describing what should have been happening at the memorial feast- there should have been prayer rather than complaining by the suffering, psalm singing rather than drunkenness by the joyful, the time given over to conversation- which would have been considerable, if the service was based on that of the Jewish Sabbath or Passover- should have been spent confessing faults rather than bragging, condemning and spreading false doctrine (Jude 10-12 cp. 2 Pet. 2:18,19), and this should have given way to loving prayer for those who had been struck sick because of committing such sins.</p>