Lexical Summary misthótos: Hired hand, hireling Original Word: μισθωτός Strong's Exhaustive Concordance hired servant, hireling. From misthoo; a wage-worker (good or bad) -- hired servant, hireling. see GREEK misthoo NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom misthoó Definition hired, a hired servant NASB Translation hired hand (2), hired servants (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3411: μισθωτόςμισθωτός, μισθωτοῦ, ὁ (μισθόω), one hired, a hireling: Mark 1:20; John 10:12f (Aristophanes, Plato, Demosthenes, others; the Sept. for שָׂכִיר.) Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Greek 3411 refers to the hired laborer or “hireling.” In Scripture the term functions as more than an occupational label; it becomes a moral and theological foil that sharpens the contrast between mercenary service and covenantal faithfulness. Old Testament Background of the Hireling The Mosaic Law respected day-laborers as fellow image-bearers yet acknowledged the limits of their commitment (Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15). Prophets later invoked the figure of the hireling to expose Israel’s unfaithful leaders (Isaiah 16:14; Isaiah 56:11). Thus, before the New Testament era the hireling already embodied provisional loyalty: he served for pay, not love. Socio-Economic Setting in the First Century Galilean fishing families and Judean shepherds alike relied on temporary workers. A hireling was typically engaged for a day, paid each evening, and bore no long-term responsibility for the master’s property. Legally he answered for gross negligence but could walk away once danger exceeded his wage. This social reality underlies each New Testament occurrence. Mark 1:20—An Incidental yet Instructive Snapshot When Jesus called James and John, they “left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him” (Mark 1:20). The verse shows: 1. Zebedee’s household employed several workers, attesting to a profitable business. John 10:12-13—The Hireling versus the Good Shepherd “He who is a hired hand, and not the shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, abandons the sheep and runs away… He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep” (John 10:12-13). Within the Good Shepherd discourse: Jesus thereby exposes religious leaders who prized position over pastoral care, contrasting them with His incarnational fidelity. Theological Significance 1. Christological: Jesus fulfills Ezekiel 34 by becoming the true Shepherd who rescues scattered sheep abandoned by hirelings. Implications for Ministry and Discipleship • Motive Check: Service motivated primarily by compensation—whether financial, social, or emotional—reflects the hireling spirit. Practical Application for the Contemporary Church 1. Compensation is just, but remuneration must never define ministry identity. Related Themes and Further Study Shepherd motif (Psalm 23; Ezekiel 34; John 10), Faithful servant versus wicked servant (Matthew 24:45-51), Stewardship (1 Corinthians 4:1-2), Love of money (1 Timothy 6:10), Laborer worthy of his wages (Luke 10:7). Forms and Transliterations μίσει μισθωτοί μισθωτος μισθωτός μισθωτὸς μισθωτού μισθωτώ μισθωτων μισθωτών μισθωτῶν μίσος μίσους μίτραν μίτρας misthoton misthotôn misthōtōn misthōtō̂n misthotos misthotós misthotòs misthōtos misthōtós misthōtòsLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Mark 1:20 N-GMPGRK: μετὰ τῶν μισθωτῶν ἀπῆλθον ὀπίσω NAS: in the boat with the hired servants, and went away KJV: with the hired servants, and went INT: with the hired servants they went away after John 10:12 N-NMS John 10:13 N-NMS Strong's Greek 3411 |
    |