Smith's Bible Dictionary
WagesThe earliest mention of wages is of a recompense, not in money, but in kind, to Jacob from Laban. (Genesis 29:15,20; 30:28; 31:7,8,41) In Egypt money payments by way of wages were in use, but the terms cannot now be ascertained. (Exodus 2:9) The only mention of the rate of wages in Scripture is found in the parable of the householder and the vineyard, (Matthew 20:2) where the laborer's wages was set at one denarius per day, probably 15 to 17 cents, a sum which may be fairly taken as equivalent to the denarius, and to the usual pay of a soldier (ten asses per diem) in the later days of the Roman republic. Tac. Ann. i. 17; Polyb. vi. 39. In earlier times it is probable that the rate was lower; but it is likely that laborers, and also soldiers, were supplied with provisions. The law was very strict in requiring daily payment of wages. (Leviticus 19:13; 24:14,15) The employer who refused to give his-laborers sufficient victuals is censured (Job 22:11) and the iniquity of withholding wages is denounced. (Jeremiah 22:13; Malachi 3:5; James 6:4)
ATS Bible Dictionary
WagesThe law and the gospel both require the full and prompt payment of a just equivalent for all services rendered according to agreement, Le 19:13 Jeremiah 22:13 James 5:4. Eternal death is the wages or just recompense of sin; while eternal life is not a recompense earned by obedience, but a sovereign gift of God, Romans 6:22-23.
Easton's Bible Dictionary
Rate of (mention only in
Matthew 20:2); to be punctually paid (
Leviticus 19:13;
Deuteronomy 24:14, 15); judgements threatened against the withholding of (
Jeremiah 22:13;
Malachi 3:5; Comp.
James 5:4); paid in money (
Matthew 20:1-14); to Jacob in kind (
Genesis 29:15, 20;
30:28;
31:7, 8, 41).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(
n.) A compensation given to a hired person for services; price paid for labor; recompense; hire. See Wage, n., 2.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
WAGESwa'-jez, wa'-jiz (chinnam, maskoreth, pe`ullah, sakhar, sakhar; misthos, opsonion):
(1) Chinnam means "gratis," without cost or any advantage, for nought, or in vain; wages in the sense of reasonable return. Jeremiah pronounces woe upon him who "useth his neighbor's service without wages, and giveth him not his hire" (Jeremiah 22:13; the only place where the word is used).
(2) Maskoreth means "reward" or "wages." Laban said to Jacob: "Shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought? Tell me, what shall thy wages be?" (Genesis 29:15). Jacob said, concerning Laban, speaking to Rachel and Leah: "Your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times" (Genesis 31:7; compare 31:41).
(3) Pe`ullah generally means "work," "labor," "reward," "wages." The old Levitical Law was insistent on honesty in wages and on promptness in payments: "The wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night until the morning" (Leviticus 19:13).
(4) Mistakker means "earning," "hire," "reward," "wages," from root sakhar, meaning "to hire," and has in it the idea of temporary purchase: "He that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes" (Haggai 1:6).
(5) Sakhar means "payment of contract," in the material way of salary, maintenance, fare, and so compensation, reward, price, benefit, wages-seemingly wages received after an understanding as to time, manner and amount of payment. Laban (employer) said to Jacob (employee): "Appoint me thy wages, and I will give it" (Genesis 30:28); "If he said thus, The speckled shall be thy wages" (Genesis 31:8); Pharaoh's daughter said to Moses' mother: "Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages" (Exodus 2:9); Nebuchadrezzar and his army served against Tyre, "yet had he no wages, nor his army" (Ezekiel 29:18), and the prey of Egypt "shall be the wages for his army" (Ezekiel 29:19); swift and sure judgment is predicted against "those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless" (Malachi 3:5).
(6) Misthos means either in a literal or figurative sense "pay for service," either primitive or beneficial, and so reward, hire, wages. In John 4:36 Jesus said, "He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal." 2 Peter 2:15 has changed "wages" (the King James Version) to "hire," reading "who loved the hire of wrongdoing."
(7) Opsonion, meaning primarily "rations for soldiers" (opson being the word for cooked meat) and so "pay" or stipend, provision wages. In Luke 3:14 John said to the soldiers, "Be content with your wages"; "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23); Paul said: "I robbed other churches, taking wages of them" (2 Corinthians 11:8); the same word in 1 Corinthians 9:7 is translated "charges."
The Bible refers to wages actual and wages figurative. Of actual wages there are three kinds:
(1) money wages,
(2) provision (usually food) wages, and
(3) what may be called "exchange" wages, wages in kind, sometimes "human-kind," e.g. Jacob's wages from Laban.
Often laborers and soldiers received both money and "keep" wages. The laborer in New Testament times received about 15 cents per day (the "shilling" of Matthew 20:2), besides in some cases his provisions. The old Law required daily payment, honesty in dealing, also sufficient food for the laborer.
It is practically impossible to test "Bible" wages by any of theories of modern economists. In this connection, however, mere mention of the six principal theories may be of interest. Concisely put, they are:
(1) the wage-fund theory,
(2) the standard-of-living theory,
(3) the German-socialistic theory,
(4) the production theory,
(5) Henry George's theory, and
(6) the laborer's value theory.
The incidents in the Old Testament of Jacob and in the New Testament of Matthew 20 both show that the laborer was at the caprice of the employer. Therefore, we may designate the Bible law of wages as the "employer's theory."
William Edward Raffety
Greek
3408. misthos -- wages, hire ... wages, hire. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: misthos Phonetic Spelling:
(mis-thos') Short Definition:
wages, reward Definition: (a) pay,
wages ... //strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3408.htm - 6k3800. opsonion -- provisions, wages
... provisions, wages. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: opsonion Phonetic
Spelling: (op-so'-nee-on) Short Definition: pay, wages Definition: pay, wages ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3800.htm - 7k
3405. misthapodosia -- payment of wages
... payment of wages. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: misthapodosia
Phonetic Spelling: (mis-thap-od-os-ee'-ah) Short Definition: reward, due ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3405.htm - 7k
3406. misthapodotes -- one who pays wages
... one who pays wages. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: misthapodotes
Phonetic Spelling: (mis-thap-od-ot'-ace) Short Definition: a rewarder ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3406.htm - 7k
5160. trophe -- nourishment, food
... food, meat. From trepho; nourishment (literally or figuratively); by implication,
rations (wages) -- food, meat. see GREEK trepho. (trophas) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5160.htm - 6k
3409. misthoo -- to let for hire, to hire
... hire. From misthos; to let out for wages, ie (middle voice) to hire -- hire. see
GREEK misthos. (emisthosato) -- 1 Occurrence. (misthosasthai) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3409.htm - 6k
3414. mna -- a mina (Gr. monetary unit)
... See also 1220 ("denarius") and 1406 ("drachma"). One was equivalent to 100
denarii (= one hundred days' wages for the common worker). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3414.htm - 7k
4170. polemeo -- to make war
... Word Origin from polemos Definition to make war NASB Word Usage make war (1),
quarrel (1), wage war (2), waged (1), wages war (1), waging (1). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4170.htm - 6k
Strong's Hebrew
4909. maskoreth -- wages... wages. Transliteration: maskoreth Phonetic Spelling: (mas-koh'-reth) Short Definition:
wages. Word Origin from sakar Definition
wages NASB Word Usage
wages (4).
... /hebrew/4909.htm - 6k 7939. sakar -- hire, wages
... 7938, 7939. sakar. 7940 . hire, wages. Transliteration: sakar Phonetic
Spelling: (saw-kawr') Short Definition: wages. Word Origin ...
/hebrew/7939.htm - 6k
7938. seker -- hire, wages
... seker. 7939 . hire, wages. Transliteration: seker Phonetic Spelling: (seh'-ker)
Short Definition: hired. ... reward, sluices. From sakar; wages -- reward, sluices. ...
/hebrew/7938.htm - 6k
866. ethnah -- the wages (of a harlot)
... 865b, 866. ethnah. 867 . the wages (of a harlot). Transliteration: ethnah
Phonetic Spelling: (eth-naw') Short Definition: wages. ...
/hebrew/866.htm - 6k
868. ethnan -- the wages (of a harlot)
... 867, 868. ethnan. 869 . the wages (of a harlot). Transliteration: ethnan
Phonetic Spelling: (eth-nan') Short Definition: earnings. ...
/hebrew/868.htm - 6k
6468. peullah -- a work, recompense
... Word Origin from paal Definition a work, recompense NASB Word Usage deeds (1), labor
(1), recompense (3), reward (2), wages (2), work (3), works (1). ...
/hebrew/6468.htm - 6k
7936. sakar -- to hire
... root Definition to hire NASB Word Usage earns (2), hire (3), hired (11), hires
(2), surely hired (1). earn wages, hire out self, reward, surely. ...
/hebrew/7936.htm - 6k
4242. mechir -- price, hire
... Word Origin from the same as machar Definition price, hire NASB Word Usage
cost (2), payment (1), price (10), sale (1), wages (1). ...
/hebrew/4242.htm - 6k
2600. chinnam -- out of favor
... From chen; gratis, ie Devoid of cost, reason or advantage -- without a cause (cost,
wages), causeless, to cost nothing, free(-ly), innocent, for nothing (nought ...
/hebrew/2600.htm - 6k
7916. sakir -- hired
... hired man, servant, hireling. From sakar; a man at wages by the day or year -- hired
(man, servant), hireling. see HEBREW sakar. 7915, 7916. sakir. 7917 . ...
/hebrew/7916.htm - 6k
Library
The Wages of Sin
... III. THE WAGES OF SIN. "The wages of sin is death."-Romans 6:23 ... Such a penalty,
considered as the wages of sin, would only be an insult to God's government. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/finney/sermons on gospel themes/iii the wages of sin.htm
The World's Wages to a Prophet
... THE WORLD'S WAGES TO A PROPHET. ... What did England do with her prophets? What
did America do with hers? What wages do they get to-day? ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/the worlds wages to a.htm
The Wages of Sin. February 20.
... The Wages of Sin. February 20. It is sometimes said, "The greater the sinner
the greater the saint." I do not believe it. I do not see it. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/daily thoughts /the wages of sin february.htm
The Wages of Sin (Chapel Royal June, 1864)
... SERMON IV. THE WAGES OF SIN (Chapel Royal June, 1864). ROM. ... For the wages of sin
is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. ...
/.../kingsley/the water of life and other sermons/sermon iv the wages of.htm
That Wages be Quickly Paid to the Hireling.
... 81. That wages be quickly paid to the hireling. In Leviticus: "The wages of thy
hireling shall not sleep with thee until the morning." [4550]. Footnotes: ...
/.../three books of testimonies against the jews/81 that wages be quickly.htm
Death, Being the Wages of Sin, Why are not the Righteous Delivered ...
... Question 85: Death, being the wages of sin, why are not the righteous delivered
from death, seeing all their sins are forgiven in Christ? ...
/.../anonymous/the westminster larger catechism/question 85 0 0 death being the.htm
Only Chapter Treats of the Great Importance of Perseverance in ...
... MANSIONS ONLY CHAPTER TREATS OF THE GREAT IMPORTANCE OF PERSEVERANCE IN ORDER TO
ENTER THE LAST MANSIONS, AND OF THE FIERCE WAR THE DEVIL WAGES AGAINST US. ...
/.../teresa/the interior castle or the mansions/only chapter treats of the.htm
Lost Earnings
... XIV Lost Earnings. 'He that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into
a bag with holes.' (Haggai 1:6.). In our Holiness Meetings ...
/.../howard/standards of life and service/xiv lost earnings.htm
Results of Transgression
... Him unselfishly. They asked higher wages for their services, because of
their superior skill as workmen in the finer arts. In some ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 4 results of transgression.htm
The Destiny of Man
... 107. Accordingly, even the life eternal, which is surely the wages of good
works, is called a gift of God by the apostle. "For the ...
/.../augustine/handbook on faith hope and love/chapter xxviii the destiny of.htm
Thesaurus
Wages (52 Occurrences)... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia.
WAGES.
... (2) Maskoreth means "reward" or "
wages."
Laban said to Jacob: "Shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought?
.../w/wages.htm - 28kHireling (17 Occurrences)
... His wages were paid as soon as his work was over (Leviticus 19:13). ... 2. (a.) Serving
for hire or wages; venal; mercenary. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ...
/h/hireling.htm - 13k
Wage (39 Occurrences)
... 4. (vt) To adventure, or lay out, for hire or reward; to hire out. 5. (vt) To
put upon wages; to hire; to employ; to pay wages to. ... See Wages. ...
/w/wage.htm - 18k
Earn (6 Occurrences)
... 3. (vt) To acquire by labor, service, or performance; to deserve and receive as
compensation or wages; as, to earn a good living; to earn honors or laurels. ...
/e/earn.htm - 8k
Laborers (19 Occurrences)
... Matthew 20:8 When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his
manager,'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to ...
/l/laborers.htm - 11k
Rob (27 Occurrences)
... Be content with your wages." (See RSV). ... (WEB ASV YLT NAS RSV NIV). 2 Corinthians
11:8 I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you. ...
/r/rob.htm - 15k
Earneth (2 Occurrences)
... Earneth (2 Occurrences). Proverbs 11:18 The wicked earneth deceitful wages; But
he that soweth righteousness hath a sure reward. (ASV JPS). ...
/e/earneth.htm - 7k
Earns (3 Occurrences)
... (See RSV). Proverbs 11:18 The wicked earneth deceitful wages; but he that
soweth righteousness hath a sure reward. (See NAS RSV NIV). ...
/e/earns.htm - 7k
Earnest (33 Occurrences)
... In other words, the one promising to convey property, wages or blessing binds the
promise with an advance gift or pledge partaking of the quality of the ...
/e/earnest.htm - 20k
Hire (48 Occurrences)
... price, reward, or compensation paid, or contracted to be paid, for the temporary
use of a thing or a place, for personal service, or for labor; wages; rent; pay ...
/h/hire.htm - 27k
Resources
What does it mean that the wages of sin is death? | GotQuestions.orgDid Jacob placing branches in front of his flock really result in the offspring being speckled and spotted? | GotQuestions.orgShould pastors be paid a salary? | GotQuestions.orgWages: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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