# Where is “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” in the Bible?

> “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” is James 1:22.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/be-doers-of-the-word-and-not-hearers-only
By Andrew Kittridge · November 10, 2026

James writes it in his letter to Jewish believers scattered abroad.

## The verse

> But be people who act on the word. If you only hear it, you deceive yourselves.
>
> — [James 1:22](https://www.lumin.faith/read/james/1#22) (Lumin Translation)

English Bibles word this verse in different ways. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here.

## What it means there

James compares a person who only listens to someone who looks in a mirror and walks off, forgetting what they saw. Hearing without doing is a way of fooling yourself.

## Common questions

### Where is “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” in the Bible?

“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” is James 1:22. English Bibles word this verse in different ways. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here. James writes it in his letter to Jewish believers scattered abroad.

### Is “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” in the Bible?

Yes. It is James 1:22. In the Lumin Translation, James 1:22 reads: “But be people who act on the word. If you only hear it, you deceive yourselves.”

### Who said “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only”?

James writes it in his letter to Jewish believers scattered abroad.

### What does “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only” mean in the Bible?

James compares a person who only listens to someone who looks in a mirror and walks off, forgetting what they saw. Hearing without doing is a way of fooling yourself.

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