* **Every good gift and every perfect gift** - These two phrases mean basically the same thing. James uses them to emphasize that anything good that a person has comes from God. (See: [[:en:ta:vol2:translate:figs_doublet]])
* **the Father of lights** - God is the creator of all the lights in the sky (sun, moon, and stars).
* **He does not change like shifting shadows** - This is a simile that compares the unchanging God being a constant light to the changing and moving lights in the sky (sun, moon, and stars). AT: "God does not change like shadows that appear and disappear." (See: [[en:ta:vol1:translate:figs_simile]])
* **to give us** - The word "us" refers to James and his audience (See: [[en:ta:vol2:translate:figs_inclusive]]).
* **give us life** - "give us spiritual life" (UDB)
* **the word of truth** - "the Gospel" or "the teachings of Jesus"
* **like firstfruits** - James is emphasizing that just like the first fruit of a crop, his audience was among the first believers of what would be many believers in the future. (See: [[en:ta:vol1:translate:figs_simile]])
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