"let him know, that he who doth on-turn one who un-marks, from the straying of his way, shall save a breath from death and shall cover a multitude of un-marks."
In this final verse of his epistle, James' concern is that he who succeeds in the intense effort of "on-turning" one who un-marks...can know the good that comes of the effort. Specifically, as the Etymological New Testament has it, he has saved "a breath from death" and covered "a multitude of un-marks." In the ENT, the etymologies of the two words typically translated "spirit" and "soul" are carefully distinguished. PSUCHE is often "soul" or "life" in most versions. In the ENT, the ultra-literal root "breath" is always used. Similarly, PNEUMA, often "spirit" in most renderings, is always "wind" in the Etymological New Testament. Here, James notes that our very breath, our life-force, can die if we persist in our missing of the mark. Helping someone turn back to way of truth makes all the difference.
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