Gain

gān : In the Old Testament the translation of three Hebrew substantives, בּצע , beca‛ , "unjust gain," "any gain" (Judges 5:19; Job 22:3; Proverbs 1:19; Proverbs 15:27; Isaiah 33:15; Isaiah 56:11; Ezekiel 22:13 , Ezekiel 22:17; Micah 4:13 ); מחיר , meḥı̄r , "price" for which a thing is sold (Daniel 11:39 , the only place where the Hebrew word is translated "gain" in the King James Version, though it occurs in other places translated "price"); תּבוּאה , tebhū'āh , "produce," "profits," "fruit" (Proverbs 3:14 ). It is the translation of one Hebrew verb, בּצע , bāca‛ , "to gain dishonestly" (Job 27:8 ); of one Aramaic verb, זבן , zebhan , "to buy," "procure for oneself" (Daniel 2:8 , here used of buying time, i.e. "seeking delay" (Gesenius)).

In the New Testament, the translation of three Greek substantives, ἐργασία , ergası́a , "gain gotten by work," "profit" (Acts 16:16 , Acts 16:19; Acts 19:24 (the King James Version)); κέρδος , kérdos , "gain," "advantage" (Phil Acts 12:1; Acts 3:7 , in the former, Paul asserting that to him to die was a personal advantage, because then he would "be with Christ"; in the latter, he counts as "loss" his personal privileges in the flesh, when compared with "the excellency of the knowledge of Christ"); πορισμός , porismós , "gain," "a source of gain" (1 Timothy 6:5 , 1 Timothy 6:6 , where the apostle asserts, not "gain" (earthly) is godliness, but godliness is "gain" (real, abiding)). It is the translation of three Greek vbs., κερδαίνω , kerdaı́nō , "to gain," "acquire," in Matthew 16:26 , where Jesus teaches that the soul, or life in its highest sense ("his own self," Luke 9:25 ), is worth more than the "gaining" of the whole (material) world; Matthew 18:15 , concerning the winning of a sinning brother by private interview; Matthew 25:17 , Matthew 25:22 , the parable of the Talents; Acts 27:21 the King James Version, injury "gained," sustained, by sailing from Crete; 1 Corinthians 9:19 , 1 Corinthians 9:20 bis , 21, 22, all referring to Paul's life-principle of accommodation to others to "gain," win, them to Christ; in James 4:13 used in a commercial sense; ποιέω , poiéō , "to make," "make gain" (Luke 19:18 the King James Version, the parable of the Pounds); προσεργάζομαι , prosergázomai , "to gain by trading" (Luke 19:16 , commercial use, in the same parallel).