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HIRE.—‘Hire’ ( ìéóèüò ) occurs in two passages as the regular payment given for service rendered. In the parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard (Mat_20:8) it is spoken of the day’s wage, the denarius, owing by agreement to the workers. The proverbial phrase, ‘The labourer is worthy of his hire’ (Luk_10:7), is used by Christ in connexion with the mission of the Seventy. In Mat_10:10 ôñïöÞ , ‘food,’ is substituted for ìéóèüò . The latter Greek word occurs again (Joh_4:36) as the wages of the reaper. It is used in a good sense as the reward of devotion and service to God (Mat_5:12; Mat_6:1; Mat_10:41, Mar_9:41, Luk_6:23), as well as to describe the ‘empty popularity’ attaching to the religious ostentation of the hypocrites (Mat_6:2; Mat_6:5; Mat_6:16). It is employed (Rev_22:12) of Christ’s reward to His faithful followers: ‘My reward is with me.’
The term ‘hired servant’ or ‘hireling’ ( ìéóèùôüò ) is used in speaking of Zebcdee’s servants (Mar_1:20), and of the false shepherd who deserts his flock at the approach of danger (Joh_10:12-13). A similar derivative ( ìßóèéïò ) describes the father’s servants in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luk_15:19). The verb ‘to hire’ ( ìéóèüù ) occurs (Mat_20:1) of the householder who engaged the labourers for his vineyard. See also next article.
C. H. Prichard.