THE FULL ARTICLE — from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), general editor James Orr — public domain, printed whole.

biz'-nes: Is the rendering of four Hebrew words:

(1) mela'khah, in Ge 39:11 (the American Standard Revised Version "work"); 1Ch 26:29,30; 2Ch 13:10 (the American Standard Revised Version "in their work"); 17:13 (the American Standard Revised Version "many works"); Ne 11:16,22; 13:30 (the American Standard Revised Version "in his work"); Es 3:9; Ps 107:23; Pr 22:29; Da 8:27.

(2) dabhar, literally "a word," is so translated in De 24:5; Jos 2:14,20; Jud 18:7 (the American Standard Revised Version "dealings"); Jud 18:28 (the American Standard Revised Version "dealings"); 1Sa 21:2,8.

(3) ma`aseh, "an action" (1Sa 20:19).

(4) `inyan, "employment" (Ec 5:3; 8:16).

In the New Testament "business" in Lu 2:49 is the rendering of the phrase en, tois, tou patros mou, literally "in the things of my Father," which the American Standard Revised Version renders "in my Father's house," with "about my Father's business" as the marginal reading. "Business" is also used in the translation of chreia, literally "need," of Ac 6:3; as the translation of spoude, literally "haste" of Ro 12:11 (the American Standard Revised Version "diligence"); of pragma, literally "thing done," of Ro 16:2 (the American Standard Revised Version "matter"); of prassein ta idia, literally "tend to one's own business," of 1Th 4:11. In Ac 19:24,25 in Paul's account of the riot in Ephesus, ergasia, literally "working," "performing," is translated "little business" in Ac 19:24 (the King James Version "small gain"), and "by this business" in Ac 19:25 (the King James Version "by this craft").

Arthur J. Kinsella