Lexical Summary zémioó: To suffer loss, to forfeit, to be punished, to sustain damage Original Word: ζημιόω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be cast away, suffer loss. From zemia; to injure, i.e. (reflexively or passively) to experience detriment -- be cast away, receive damage, lose, suffer loss. see GREEK zemia HELPS Word-studies 2210 zēmióō (from 2209 /zēmía, "loss") – to cause or experience loss (forfeiture), especially carrying a penalty (significant detriment). See 2209 (zēmia). 2210 /zēmióō ("experience loss") is pointedly used in Phil 3:8. Here Paul shares the irony of how loss brings gain. As a person grows in knowing Christ they willingly "lose" their "right" to be self-governing – to gain eternal significance in every scene of life by living in faith ("His inworked persuasion," 4102 /pístis, Phil 3:8,9). This eternal gain always follows, no matter how "menial" or "mundane" the faith-scene seems to be (cf. Mt 13:31,32,17:20). [Heeding this lesson brings incalculable gain (1 Cor 2:9; 1 Jn 4:17) – and ignoring it results in tragic, eternal loss (1 Cor 3:15).] NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom zémia Definition to damage, suffer loss NASB Translation forfeit (1), forfeits (2), suffer loss (2), suffered the loss of (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2210: ζημιόωζημιόω, ζημιω: (ζημία), to affect with damage, do damage to: τινα ((Thucydides), Xenophon, Plato); in the N. T. only in the passive, future ζημιωθήσομαι ((Xenophon, mem. 3, 9, 12, others; but as often) in secular authors (future middle) ζημιώσομαι in passive sense; cf. Krüger, § 39, 11 Anm.; Kühner, on Xenophon, mem. as above; (Liddell and Scott, under the word; Veitch, under the word)); 1 aorist ἐζημιώθην; absolutely, to sustain damage, to receive injury, suffer loss: 1 Corinthians 3:15; ἐν τίνι ἐκ τίνος, in a thing from one, 2 Corinthians 7:9; with the accusative of the thing: (one from whom another is taken away (as a penalty) by death, is said τήν ψυχήν τίνος ζημιουσθαι, Herodotus 7, 39), τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ, to forfeit his life, i. e. according to the context, eternal life, Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36, for which Luke, in Luke 9:25, ἑαυτόν i. e. himself, by being shut out from the everlasting kingdom of God. πάντα ἐζημιώθην, reflexive (yet see Meyer), I forfeited, gave up all things, I decided to suffer the loss of all these ((?)) things, Philippians 3:8. Topical Lexicon Concept Overview Strong’s Greek 2210, ζημιόω, commonly conveys the idea of suffering loss, forfeiting, or sustaining damage. Scripture uses the verb to contrast temporal gain with eternal values, revealing the divine evaluation that governs both discipleship and final judgment. Occurrences in the New Testament • Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25 – Jesus poses the piercing question of ultimate value: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?”. Here ζημιόω frames the soul’s irreversible loss when worldly acquisition is pursued at the expense of obedience to Christ. Christ’s Teaching on Eternal Profit and Loss The Synoptic texts place ζημιόω at the heart of Jesus’ call to self-denial. Earthly gain is exposed as transient when measured against the soul’s destiny. The verb thus functions as a moral checkpoint, compelling hearers to weigh every ambition by eternal scales. Pauline Development In Philippians 3:8 Paul personalizes the principle: prestige, lineage, and legal righteousness become liabilities compared with union with Christ. This deliberate forfeiture demonstrates that true gain is found solely in the righteousness that is through faith. 1 Corinthians 3:15 pushes the theme into eschatology. Believers’ works face divine scrutiny; faithful labor survives, while superficial activity is “lost.” Salvation remains secure, yet the forfeiture of reward is real, guarding against complacency. 2 Corinthians 7:9 extends the verb to pastoral discipline. By responding to rebuke, the church avoids harm; repentance converts potential loss into spiritual profit. Interplay with Old Testament Wisdom Although ζημιόω itself is Greek, the concept resonates with Proverbs’ warnings that unjust gain “takes away the life of its possessors” (Proverbs 1:19), and with Jeremiah’s lament over people who “gain dishonest wealth” yet “end up foolish” (paraphrase of Jeremiah 17:11). The New Testament verb thus carries forward the prophetic insistence that material advantage without righteousness culminates in ruin. Pastoral and Ministry Implications 1. Discipleship: Shepherds must help believers evaluate goals by Christ’s standard, lest apparent success conceal eternal loss. Eschatological Perspective Ζημιόω reinforces the certainty of divine assessment. For the unregenerate, it warns of eternal destruction; for believers, it admonishes that rewards may be forfeited though salvation is secured. The verb thus sustains both the hope of glory and the fear of wasted opportunity. Practical Discipleship Applications • Regularly inventory motives and investments in light of eternity. Strong’s 2210 therefore serves as a sobering reminder and a liberating call: whatever is forfeited for Christ is not truly lost, while whatever is gained apart from Him ultimately perishes. Forms and Transliterations εζημιωθην εζημιώθην ἐζημιώθην εζημιώθησαν ζημιουμένου ζημιούν ζημιωθεις ζημιωθείς ζημιωθη ζημιωθή ζημιωθῇ ζημιωθηναι ζημιωθῆναι ζημιωθησεται ζημιωθήσεται ζημιωθητε ζημιωθῆτε ζημίωθητε ζημιώσαι ζημιώσουσιν ezemiothen ezemiṓthen ezēmiōthēn ezēmiṓthēn zemiothe zēmiōthē zemiothêi zēmiōthē̂i zemiotheis zemiotheís zēmiōtheis zēmiōtheís zemiothenai zemiothênai zēmiōthēnai zēmiōthē̂nai zemiothesetai zemiothḗsetai zēmiōthēsetai zēmiōthḗsetai zemiothete zemiothête zēmiōthēte zēmiōthē̂teLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Matthew 16:26 V-ASP-3SGRK: ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζημιωθῇ ἢ τί NAS: world and forfeits his soul? KJV: world, and lose his own soul? INT: [the] soul of him lose or what Mark 8:36 V-ANP Luke 9:25 V-APP-NMS 1 Corinthians 3:15 V-FIP-3S 2 Corinthians 7:9 V-ASP-2P Philippians 3:8 V-AIP-1S Strong's Greek 2210 |
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