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hı̄r: Two entirely different words are translated “hire†in the Old Testament:
(1) The most frequent one is שׂכר, sākhār, verb שׂכר, sākhar, and verbal adjective שׂכיר, sākhı̄ř. (a) As a verb it means “to hire†for a wage, either money or something else; in this sense it is used with regard to ordinary laborers (; ), or mercenary soldiers (; ; ; ), or a goldsmith (), or a band of loose followers (), or a false priest (), or Balaam (; ), or hostile counselors (), or false prophets ( f). As a verbal adjective it refers to things (; )or men (; ). (b) As a noun it denotes the wage in money, or something else, paid to workmen for their services ( f; ; ; ; ), or the rent or hire paid for a thing (), or a work-beast (). In Leah hires from Rachel the privilege of having Jacob with her again, and her conception and the subsequent birth of a son, she calls her hire or wage from the Lord for the gift of her slave girl to Jacob as a concubine ().
(2) The other word translated hire is ××ª× ×Ÿ, 'ethnaÌ„n, once ××ª× ×Ÿ, 'ethnanÌŒ. It is rather a gift (from root × ×ª×Ÿ, naÌ„than, “to giveâ€) than a wage earned by labor, and is used uniformly in a bad sense. It is the gift made to a harlot (), or, reversing the usual custom, made by the harlot nation (, ). It was also used metaphorically of the gifts made by Israelites to idols, since this was regarded as spiritual harlotry ( f; ; compare also f).
In the English New Testament the word occurs once as a verb and 3 times as a noun as the translation of μισθοÌÏ‚, misthoÌs, and its verbal form. In , and it refers to the hiring of ordinary field laborers for a daily wage. In it signifies the stipend which is due the laborer in the spiritual work of the kingdom of God. It is a wage, earned by toil, as that of other laborers. The word is very significant here and absolutely negatives the idea, all too prevalent, that money received by the spiritual toiler is a gift. It is rather a wage, the reward of real toil.