Gain
Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words [1]
signifies (a) "work, working, performance" (from ergon, "work"), Ephesians 4:19; in Luke 12:58 , "diligence;" (b) "business or gain got by work," Acts 16:16,19; in 19:24,25, the RV adheres to the meaning "business" (AV, "gain" and "craft"). See Craft , Diligence.
primarily denotes "a providing" (akin to porizo, "to procure"), then, "a means of gain," 1—Timothy 6:5 (RV, "a way of gain"); 1—Timothy 6:6 .
"gain" (akin to kerdaino, see below), occurs in Philippians 1:21; 3:7; Titus 1:11 . See Lucre.
akin to A, No. 3, signifies (I), literally, (a) "to gain something," Matthew 16:26; 25:16 (in the best mss.),17,20,22; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25; (b) "to get gain, make a profit," James 4:13; (II), metaphorically, (a) "to win persons," said (1) of "gaining" an offending brother who by being told privately of his offense, and by accepting the representations, is won from alienation and from the consequences of his fault, Matthew 18:15; (2) of winning souls into the kingdom of God by the Gospel, 1—Corinthians 9:19,20 (twice),21,22, or by godly conduct, 1—Peter 3:1 (RV, "gained"); (3) of so practically appropriating Christ to oneself that He becomes the dominating power in and over one's whole being and circumstances, Philippians 3:8 (RV, "gain"); (b) "to gain things," said of getting injury and loss, Acts 27:21 , RV, "gotten." See Get.
signifies "to gain by trading," Luke 19:15 (from dia, "through," used intensively, and pragmateuomai, "to busy oneself, to be engaged in business").
"to save for oneself, gain," is in the Middle Voice in the best mss. in Luke 17:33 , RV, "gain." See Purchase.
Luke 19:16 Luke 19:18 2—Corinthians 12:17,18 Revelation 18:17Trade. Acts 25:9
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament [2]
GAIN. —The word ‘gain’ occurs ten times in the Authorized Version of the Gospels, and on every occasion in one of the sayings of our Lord. These passages fall into three groups: (1) The parallel records of a saying repeated by all the Synoptists ( Matthew 16:26, Luke 9:25, Mark 8:36); (2) the parables of the Talents and the Pounds ( Matthew 25:17; Matthew 25:20; Matthew 25:22, Luke 19:15-16; Luke 19:18); (3) the single record of the saying in Matthew 18:13. It is (with the exception of St. Luke’s use of διαπραγματεύομαι, προσεργάζομαι, and ποιέ in the parable of the Pounds) always a translation of ΚΕΡΔΑίΝΩ. This verb and its cognate substantive κέρδος are used elsewhere in the NT by St. Paul ( 1 Corinthians 9:19-22, Philippians 1:21; Philippians 3:7-8, Titus 1:11), St. Peter ( 1 Peter 3:1), and St. Luke ( Acts 27:21, a peculiar use, but not without classical parallels).
1. Matthew 16:26 (|| cf. Philippians 3:7; Philippians 1:21) contrasts gain and loss as they touch the direct personal relation of the soul to God. A man may count the world a thing to be gained, and give his soul as the price of it; or, with the wiser Apostle, may reckon communion with Christ a gain worth the sacrifice of everything else; or, rising to the vision of the great beatitude, may look for the supreme gain, something better even than living here in Christ, to the life beyond the grave. This is the mystic’s conception of religion—‘I and God are alone in the world.’ All gain apart from union with the Divine is really loss; and loss, or what seems loss, incurred in achieving that union is gain. ‘Qui invenit Jesum,’ says Thomas à Kempis, ‘invenit thesaurum bonum; immo bonum, super omne bonum.’ The thought finds its simplest and at the same time its fullest expression in the parables of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearl of Great Price, whose finder sells ‘with joy’ all that he has, to buy what he has discovered.
2. The parables of the Talents and the Pounds express the gain to character which comes of faithful use of powers and abilities. The thought is of the realization of the possibilities that are in man and the subsequent fitness for higher work. Here the gain depends less on sacrifice than on diligence and faithfulness. This is a common conception of the meaning of the Christian religion. In it life is not a period of aspiration for an unutterable beatitude, but a time of training, in expectation of the gain of the Master’s praise and ultimate ability to do more and greater work for Him.
3. Matthew 18:15, with which must be connected 1 Corinthians 9:19 ff., speaks of the gain of winning other souls for Christ. Here there is the need of sacrifice, the sacrifice of pride, of social and racial prejudice; and there is also the need of faithfulness and diligence. This is the missionary’s conception of Christianity. We find it in St. Paul and in all those after him who have felt the necessity laid on them, ‘Woe is me if I preach not the gospel.’ The joy of this gain is anticipated in Daniel 12:3 (cf. James 5:19-20). Its greatness is most fully known when we realize that we share it with God Himself and His angels ( Luke 15:6; Luke 15:9; Luke 15:22 ff.).
In all three classes of passages the language is that of the market-place where men get gain by bargaining or labouring; but it is immensely sublimated and purified of all selfishness and greed.
Literature.—Augustine, Confessions ; Francis de Sales, The Spirit ; Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ ; Theologia Germanica (translation by S. Winkworth); Jeremy Taylor, Holy Living ; Goulburn, Thoughts on Personal Religion ; H. J. Coleridge, S.J., Life and Letters of St. Francis Xavier : R. Southey, Life of John Wesley ; Lives of eminent modern missionaries.
J. O. Hannay.
King James Dictionary [3]
GAIN, Heb. to gain, to possess.
1. To obtain by industry or the employment of capital to get as profit or advantage to acquire. Any industrious person may gain a good living in America but it is less difficult to gain property, than it is to use it with prudence. Money at interest may gain five, six, or seven per cent.
What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world,and lose his own soul? Matthew 16
2. To win to obtain by superiority or success as, to gain a battle or a victory to gain a prize to gain a cause in law. 3. To obtain to acquire to procure to receive as, to gain favor to gain reputation.
For fame with toil we gain, but lose with ease.
4. To obtain an increase of anything as, to gain time. 5. To obtain or receive anything, good or bad as, to gain harm and loss. Acts 27 . 6. To draw into any interest or party to win to one's side to conciliate.
To gratify the queen,and gain the court.
If he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. Matthew 18
7. To obtain as a suitor. 8. To reach to attain to to arrive at as, to gain the top of a mountain to gain a good harbor.
To gain into, to draw or persuade to join in.
He gained Lepidus into his measures.
To gain over, to draw to another party or interest to win over.
To gain ground, to advance in any undertaking to prevail to acquire strength or extent to increase.
GAIN, To have advantage or profit to grow rich to advance in interest or happiness.
Thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbors by extortion. Ezekiel 22 .
1. To encroach to advance on to come forward by degrees with on as, the ocean or river gains on the land. 2. To advance nearer to gain ground on with on as, a fleet horse gains on his competitor. 3. To get ground to prevail against or have the advantage.
The English have not only gained upon the Venetians in the Levant, but have their cloth in Venice itself.
4. To obtain influence with.
My good behavior had so far gained on the emperor,that I began to conceive hopes of liberty.
To gain the wind, in sea language, is to arrive on the windward side of another ship.
GAIN, n. Profit interest something obtained as an advantage.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Philippians 3
1. Unlawful advantage. 2 Corinthians 12 2. Overplus in computation any thing opposed to loss.
GAIN, n. In architecture, a beveling shoulder a lapping of timbers, or the cut that is made for receiving a timber.
GAIN, a. Handy dexterous.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [4]
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).
