3411. misthótos
Lexical Summary
misthótos: Hired hand, hireling

Original Word: μισθωτός
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: misthótos
Pronunciation: mis-tho-tos'
Phonetic Spelling: (mis-tho-tos')
KJV: hired servant, hireling
NASB: hired hand, hired servants
Word Origin: [from G3409 (μισθόω - hire)]

1. a wage-worker (good or bad)

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 Origin
from misthoó
Definition
hired, a hired servant
NASB Translation
hired hand (2), hired servants (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3411: μισθωτός

μισθωτός, μισθωτοῦ, (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.
2. The brothers’ departure created a vacuum that only covenant loyalty could fill; hirelings remained, but sons left.
3. Discipleship demands greater devotion than paid labor, a theme John will later expand.

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:
• Ownership: the shepherd “lays down His life”; the hireling’s relationship is transactional.
• Knowledge: the shepherd “knows his own sheep”; the hireling lacks personal attachment.
• Sacrifice: danger tests allegiance; the shepherd stays, the hireling flees.

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.
2. Soteriological: Salvation rests on covenant love, not contractual merit.
3. Ecclesiological: Leaders are to imitate the Good Shepherd, not the hireling, feeding the flock “not for shameful gain, but eagerly” (1 Peter 5:2).

Implications for Ministry and Discipleship

• Motive Check: Service motivated primarily by compensation—whether financial, social, or emotional—reflects the hireling spirit.
• Pastoral Courage: Shepherds must remain when spiritual wolves threaten, trusting the Chief Shepherd for reward (1 Peter 5:4).
• Lay Participation: Like James and John, believers are called beyond commercial security into relational obedience.

Practical Application for the Contemporary Church

1. Compensation is just, but remuneration must never define ministry identity.
2. Congregations should discern between gifted labor and shepherd hearts when selecting leaders.
3. Faith communities are admonished to extend covenantal care to one another, mirroring Christ’s sacrificial ownership rather than hireling detachment.

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 misthōtòs
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Mark 1:20 N-GMP
GRK: 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
GRK: μισθωτὸς καὶ οὐκ
NAS: He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd,
KJV: But he that is an hireling, and not
INT: the hired servant however not

John 10:13 N-NMS
GRK: ὅτι μισθωτός ἐστιν καὶ
NAS: [He flees] because he is a hired hand and is not concerned
KJV: The hireling fleeth, because
INT: because a hired servant he is and

Strong's Greek 3411
3 Occurrences


μισθωτῶν — 1 Occ.
μισθωτὸς — 2 Occ.

3410
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