Earnings
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Definition and Context:
Earnings refer to the income or profit derived from labor, business, or investments. In biblical terms, earnings are often associated with the fruits of one's labor and are seen as a blessing from God. The Bible provides guidance on how earnings should be obtained, viewed, and used, emphasizing principles of honesty, diligence, and stewardship.

Biblical Principles on Earnings:

1. Diligence and Hard Work:
The Bible consistently highlights the importance of hard work and diligence in earning a living. Proverbs 14:23 states, "There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty." This verse underscores the value of active effort in generating earnings, contrasting it with idleness or empty words.

2. Honesty and Integrity:
Earnings should be obtained through honest means. Proverbs 13:11 warns, "Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will multiply." This principle is echoed throughout Scripture, emphasizing that integrity in financial dealings is crucial.

3. Contentment and Trust in God:
While earnings are necessary for sustenance, the Bible cautions against placing ultimate trust in wealth. Hebrews 13:5 advises, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: 'Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.'" This verse encourages believers to find contentment in God's provision rather than in material wealth.

4. Generosity and Stewardship:
The Bible teaches that earnings are not solely for personal gain but should be used to bless others and further God's kingdom. 1 Timothy 6:18 instructs, "Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share." This reflects the biblical view that earnings should be managed wisely and shared with those in need.

5. Warnings Against Greed:
The pursuit of earnings should not lead to greed or the exploitation of others. Jesus warns in Luke 12:15, "Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." This teaching highlights the danger of allowing the desire for wealth to overshadow spiritual and moral values.

Examples from Scripture:

· The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30): This parable illustrates the importance of using one's earnings and resources wisely. The servants who invested their talents were rewarded, while the one who buried his talent was rebuked. This account emphasizes the responsibility to manage and grow what God has entrusted to us.

· The Proverbs 31 Woman: Proverbs 31:16 describes a virtuous woman who "considers a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard." This example highlights industriousness and the prudent use of earnings to provide for one's family and community.

· The Laborer and His Wages (Luke 10:7): Jesus instructs His disciples, "Stay at the same house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker is worthy of his wages." This teaching affirms the right to fair compensation for one's labor.

Conclusion:
The biblical perspective on earnings encompasses a balance of diligence, integrity, contentment, and generosity. Believers are encouraged to earn their living through honest means, to trust in God's provision, and to use their resources to serve others and honor God.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
(n.) Plural of Earning.
Strong's Hebrew
3022. yaga -- a gain
... earnings as the product of toil. From yaga'; earnings (as the product of toil);
-that which he laboured for. see HEBREW yaga'. 3021, 3022. yaga. 3023 . ...
/hebrew/3022.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

6529. peri -- fruit
... Word Origin from parah Definition fruit NASB Word Usage earnings* (1), foliage
(1), fruit (84), fruitful (2), fruits (2), fruits* (1), offspring (11), price (1 ...
/hebrew/6529.htm - 6k

3709. kaph -- hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the foot) ...
... Word Origin from kaphaph Definition hollow or flat of the hand, palm, sole (of the
foot), a pan NASB Word Usage branches (1), earnings* (1), footstep* (1 ...
/hebrew/3709.htm - 6k

Library

Lost Earnings
... XIV Lost Earnings. ... These words of Haggai about the man who lost his earnings through
a faulty bag will serve me as a text, and are very significant. ...
/.../howard/standards of life and service/xiv lost earnings.htm

"A Fine, Generous Fellow. "
... week. If he bore the whole expense of our pleasure excursion, it cost him
within a fraction of half his earnings for a week. Had ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arthur/words for the wise/a fine generous fellow.htm

Arise, and Go into the City
... It was inevitable that some members of Christ Church Boys' Clubs should lose their
earnings, and whatever of character the church was building up was thus ...
/.../herrick/frank h nelson of cincinnati/arise and go into the.htm

A Changed Life
... With this person it is fashion, and with that it is earnings; with another it is
pride, and still another selfishness; with this one it is the encouragement of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapman/and judas iscariot/a changed life.htm

Twenty-Third Day. Benevolence.
... But remember God can be as much glorified by the trifle saved from the earnings
of poverty, as by the splendid benefaction from the lap of plenty "The Lord ...
/.../macduff/the mind of jesus/twenty-third day benevolence.htm

Acts xix. 21, 23
... He was wealthy himself, and to him indeed it was no such great loss; but to them
the loss was great, since they were poor, and subsisted on their daily earnings ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xlii acts xix 21.htm

The Canonical Epistle of St. Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa, to St. ...
... then confess their sin to the priest, are only obliged to amendment, and to be liberal
to the poor; and if they have nothing, to labour and give their earnings ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/vi the canonical epistle of.htm

Questions and Answers--Sorrowful Cases--Testimonies from those who ...
... Now, could yon see them at nineteen and twenty-two"able to read and write,
well-clothed with their own honest earnings, having saved, in 1877, one hundred ...
/.../lowe/gods answers/chapter ix questions and answerssorrowful.htm

The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Commonly Called the Didache
... 5Do not be one who holds his hand out to take, but shuts it when it comes to giving.
?^6If your labor has brought you earnings, pay a ransom for your sins. ...
/.../richardson/early christian fathers/the teaching of the twelve.htm

The First Theban Empire
... Their deeds are unknown to history, but it was under the reign of one of
them"Nibkauri"that a travelling fellah, having been robbed of his earnings by an ...
/.../chapter iiithe first theban empire.htm

Thesaurus
Earnings (6 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) Plural of Earning. Multi-Version Concordance
Earnings (6 Occurrences). Deuteronomy 23:18 You shall ...
/e/earnings.htm - 8k

Riches (118 Occurrences)
... collected, amassed. (3) Hon looks upon riches as earnings, the fruit of
toil (Psalm 119:14 Proverbs 8:18 Ezekiel 27:27). (4) Hamon ...
/r/riches.htm - 41k

Earns (3 Occurrences)

/e/earns.htm - 7k

Earning (2 Occurrences)

/e/earning.htm - 7k

Resources
What does it mean to be a godly wife? | GotQuestions.org

Should a Christian enter a sweepstakes? | GotQuestions.org

What should we learn from the virtuous woman in Proverbs 31? | GotQuestions.org

Earnings: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Earnings (6 Occurrences)

Deuteronomy 23:18
You shall not bring the hire of a prostitute, or the wages of a dog, into the house of Yahweh your God for any vow: for even both these are an abomination to Yahweh your God. "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
(See NIV)

Nehemiah 5:13
Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house and from his earnings, that performeth not this promise: even thus be he shaken out and emptied! And all the congregation said, Amen! And they praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise.
(DBY)

Proverbs 31:16
After looking at a field with care, she gets it for a price, planting a vine-garden with the profit of her work.
(See NAS NIV)

Isaiah 23:18
And her goods and her trade will be holy to the Lord: they will not be kept back or stored up; for her produce will be for those living in the Lord's land, to give them food for their needs, and fair clothing.
(See NIV)

Hosea 9:1
Rejoice not, O Israel, be not joyful like the peoples, For thou hast gone a-whoring from thy God, Thou hast loved a gift near all floors of corn.
(See NAS)

Micah 1:7
All her idols will be beaten to pieces, and all her temple gifts will be burned with fire, and all her images I will destroy; for of the hire of a prostitute has she gathered them, and to the hire of a prostitute shall they return."
(See NAS)

Subtopics

Earnings

Related Terms

Earn (6 Occurrences)

Purse (7 Occurrences)

Warm (25 Occurrences)

Earnings (6 Occurrences)

Earring (7 Occurrences)

Sown (45 Occurrences)

Holes (36 Occurrences)

Clothe (52 Occurrences)

Wages (52 Occurrences)

Bag (52 Occurrences)

Harvested (6 Occurrences)

Inspiration (4 Occurrences)

Handicraft

Bible

Earning Money
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