# Where is “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” in the Bible?

> “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” is James 5:16.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/the-prayer-of-a-righteous-person-is-powerful-and-effective
By Andrew Kittridge · November 10, 2026

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

## The verse

> Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.
>
> — [James 5:16](https://www.lumin.faith/read/james/5#16) (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 gives Elijah as the example and stresses that he was a human being like us (James 5:17). The verse also tells believers to confess their sins to one another and pray for each other.

## Common questions

### Where is “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” in the Bible?

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” is James 5:16. 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 “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” in the Bible?

Yes. It is James 5:16. In the Lumin Translation, James 5:16 reads: “Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.”

### Who said “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective”?

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

### What does “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” mean in the Bible?

James gives Elijah as the example and stresses that he was a human being like us (James 5:17). The verse also tells believers to confess their sins to one another and pray for each other.

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