1.1 KiB
brothers
My fellow believers"
if anyone among you strays from the truth, but someone leads him back
This is a metaphor that compares a believer who stops obeying God with a sheep that walks off the road and goes a different direction than the flock. The fellow believer who helps him start obeying again is the shepherd who brings the sheep back to the correct road. This can be translated as "if anyone stops obeying God, but another person helps him start obeying again." (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)
let him know
"let the one who leads him back know"
leads a sinner out of the error of his way
"helps a sinner stop living in a way that does not honor God"
will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins
Here, James uses the word "soul" to show this death is more than just physical death. The word "soul" refers to the person who is sinning. Here, "death" refers to spiritual death. This can be translated as "will save the sinner from spiritual death, and God will forgive the sinner for all of his sins." (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche)