Lexical Summary ergasia: Work, business, trade, gain, practice Original Word: ἐργασία Strong's Exhaustive Concordance craft, diligence, gain, work. From ergates; occupation; by implication, profit, pains -- craft, diligence, gain, work. see GREEK ergates NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ergon Definition work (noun) NASB Translation business (2), effort (1), practice (1), profit (2). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 2039: ἐργασίαἐργασία, ἐργασίας, ἡ, (ἐργάζομαι; 1. equivalent to τό ἐργάζεσθαι, a working, performing: ἀκαθαρσίας, Ephesians 4:19. 2. work, business: Acts 19:25 (Xenophon, oec. 6, 8, et al.). 3. gain got by work, profit: Acts 16:19; παρέχειν ἐργασίαν τίνι, Acts 16:16; Acts 19:24 (yet others refer this to 2 above); (Xenophon, mem. 3, 10, 1; cyneg. 3, 3; Polybius 4, 50, 3). 4. endeavor, pains (A. V. diligence): δίδωμι ἐργασίαν, after the Latinismoperam do, Luke 12:58 (Hermog. de invent. 3, 5, 7). The noun ἐργασία (Strong’s Greek 2039) denotes the activity, enterprise, or industry that produces material gain. Rather than mere “work” in the abstract, it points to trade, business, or profit-making endeavor. In Scripture, its six appearances cluster around two themes: the pursuit of economic advantage and the moral weight that such pursuit carries in daily life and discipleship. In the Teaching of Jesus (Luke 12:58) In the parable about settling with an accuser on the way to court, the Lord places ἐργασία in a legal context, highlighting the costliness of unresolved conflict. When worldly gain or livelihood is threatened, people move quickly to settle; how much more should believers seek reconciliation before divine judgment falls. Jesus employs the marketplace instinct—protecting one’s “business”—to press home the urgency of repentance. Economic Upheaval in Philippi (Acts 16:16, 19) Luke records that a slave girl “brought her owners much profit by fortune-telling” (Acts 16:16). When Paul expelled the spirit, “their hope of profit was gone” (Acts 16:19), triggering persecution. Here ἐργασία exposes the collision between gospel liberation and exploitative commerce. Where Christ sets people free, ungodly economies often feel the loss. Ministry today must anticipate similar backlash when the freedom of the oppressed undercuts lucrative but sinful enterprises. Commercial Resistance in Ephesus (Acts 19:24-25) The Ephesian silversmith Demetrius “brought no little business to the craftsmen” (Acts 19:24) and rallied them, saying, “You know that our prosperity comes from this business” (Acts 19:25). His speech reveals three truths: The riot that followed shows how ἐργασία can mobilize an entire culture against the gospel when livelihoods seem endangered. Moral Abandonment in Gentile Culture (Ephesians 4:19) Paul warns that the nations “have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.” The phrase “the practice” translates ἐργασία and pictures an organized, deliberate industry of vice. Sin is not only personal; it becomes commercialized. The church must therefore confront systems that normalize and profit from impurity, offering instead the new creation ethic described in Ephesians 4:20-24. Theological Insights 1. Work is honorable, but profit divorced from righteousness becomes idolatry. Practical Ministry Applications • Preach repentance that reaches the wallet, preparing converts for economic sacrifices. Summary Strong’s 2039 underscores how deeply work, wealth, and worship intertwine. Scripture presents ἐργασία as an arena where allegiance to Christ is tested, opposition arises, and holiness must prevail. Wise discipleship equips believers to steward their trades for the kingdom, even when profit must bow to principle. Englishman's Concordance Luke 12:58 N-AFSGRK: ὁδῷ δὸς ἐργασίαν ἀπηλλάχθαι ἀπ' NAS: [there] make an effort to settle KJV: give diligence that thou mayest be delivered INT: way give earnestness to be set free from Acts 16:16 N-AFS Acts 16:19 N-GFS Acts 19:24 N-AFS Acts 19:25 N-GFS Ephesians 4:19 N-AFS Strong's Greek 2039 |
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