The meaning of Business in the Bible
(From International Standard Bible Encyclopedia)

biz'-nes: Is the rendering of four Hebrew words: (1) mela'khah, in Genesis 39:11 (the American Standard Revised Version "work"); I Chronicles 26:29-30; II Chronicles 13:10 (the American Standard Revised Version "in their work"); II Chronicles 17:13 (the American Standard Revised Version "many works"); Nehemiah 11:16, Nehemiah 11:22; Nehemiah 13:30 (the American Standard Revised Version "in his work"); Esther 3:9; Psalms 107:23; Proverbs 22:29; Daniel 8:27. (2) dabhar, literally "a word," is so translated in Deuteronomy 24:5; Joshua 2:14, Joshua 2:20; Judges 18:7 (the American Standard Revised Version "dealings"); Judges 18:28 (the American Standard Revised Version "dealings"); I Samuel 21:2, I Samuel 21:8. (3) ma'aseh, "an action" (I Samuel 20:19). (4) 'inyan, "employment" (Ecclesiastes 5:3; Ecclesiastes 8:16).

In the New Testament "business" in Luke 2:49 is the rendering of the phrase en, tois, tou patros mou, literally "in the things of my Father," which the American Standard Revised Version renders "in my Father's house," with "about my Father's business" as the marginal reading. "Business" is also used in the translation of chreia, literally "need," of Acts 6:3; as the translation of spoude, literally "haste" of Romans 12:11 (the American Standard Revised Version "diligence"); of pragma, literally "thing done," of Romans 16:2 (the American Standard Revised Version "matter"); of prassein ta idia, literally "tend to one's own business," of I Thessalonians 4:11. In Acts 19:24-25 in Paul's account of the riot in Ephesus, ergasia, literally "working," "performing," is translated "little business" in Acts 19:24 (the King James Version "small gain"), and "by this business" in Acts 19:25 (the King James Version "by this craft").

Arthur J. Kinsella

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