{Ye lust} (epithumeite). Present active indicative of
epithume(935c), old word (from epi, thumos, yearning passion for),
not necessarily evil as clearly not in  Lu 22:15  of Christ, but
usually so in the N.T., as here. Coveting what a man or nation
does not have is the cause of war according to James. {Ye kill
and covet} (phoneuete kai z(886c)oute). Present active indicatives
of phoneu(935c) (old verb from phoneus, murderer) and z(886c)o(935c), to
desire hotly to possess ( 1Co 12:31 ). It is possible (perhaps
probable) that a full stop should come after phoneuete (ye
kill) as the result of lusting and not having. Then we have the
second situation: "Ye covet and cannot obtain (epituchein,
second aorist active infinitive of epitugchan(935c)), and (as a
result) ye fight and war." This punctuation makes better sense
than any other and is in harmony with verse  1 . Thus also the
anticlimax in phoneuete and z(886c)oute is avoided. Mayor makes
the words a hendiadys, "ye murderously envy." {Ye have not,
because ye ask not} (ouk echete dia to m(8820)aiteisthai humas).
James refers again to ouk echete (ye do not have) in verse  2 .
Such sinful lusting will not obtain. "Make the service of God
your supreme end, and then your desires will be such as God can
fulfil in answer to your prayer" (Ropes). Cf.  Mt 6:31-33 . The
reason here is expressed by dia and the accusative of the
articular present middle infinitive of aite(935c), used here of
prayer to God as in  Mt 7:7f . Hum(8373) (you) is the accusative of
general reference. Note the middle voice here as in aiteisthe
in  3 . Mayor argues that the middle here, in contrast with the
active, carries more the spirit of prayer, but Moulton (_Prol_.,
p. 160) regards the distinction between aite(935c) and aiteomai
often "an extinct subtlety."