κέρδος (kerdos)
kerdos
gain
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 3 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun kerdos refers to material gain, profit, or advantage. In the New Testament, it appears only three times, primarily in the pastoral letters and Philippians, where it describes financial benefit or worldly advantage. The sources identify its origin as having uncertain affinity, meaning its exact etymological roots are not definitively known, but its semantic field is consistently tied to tangible gain.
Paul uses this term in contrasting ways depending on context. In Philippians 1:21 and 3:7, he speaks of his former life and religious credentials as "gain," yet later reevaluates them as loss for the sake of Christ. Similarly, Titus 1:11 warns against those who pursue dishonest gain for sordid lucre. The word captures the neutral concept of profit itself, which can be pursued for selfish ends or surrendered for spiritual ones.
Translators typically render kerdos as "gain" or "profit," reflecting its straightforward economic connotation. Unlike words that might imply moral worth, kerdos simply denotes what is acquired. Its rarity in Scripture highlights how significant Paul’s redefinition of value becomes when he treats such concrete advantages as secondary to knowing Christ.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Greek word kerdos simply means material profit or advantage. In the ancient world, it described the tangible benefits of trade and business. Paul uses this familiar term to challenge how we measure success in our own lives.
He contrasts worldly gain with spiritual reality. In Philippians 1:21, he calls death a 'gain' because it brings him closer to Christ. This flips our usual expectations upside down. True value is found not in what we accumulate, but in who we know.
We can trust that God sees beyond surface-level success. He invites us to reorder our priorities, placing relationship with Him above material security. This perspective brings peace when the world’s metrics feel empty or exhausting.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 3 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- gain,1×
- gain1×
- [is] gain.1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- κέρδους1×
- κέρδος.1×
- κέρδη,1×
Key Verses
-
Philippians 1:21
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Paul redefines death itself as gain because it secures eternal union with Christ, overturning natural human fear.
-
Philippians 3:7
However, I consider those things that were gain to me as a loss for Christ.
The term highlights how religious credentials and status are counted as loss when compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus.
-
Titus 1:11
whose mouths must be stopped: men who overthrow whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for dishonest gain’s sake.
This verse warns that pursuing dishonest gain for personal profit can lead others astray, showing the destructive potential of misplaced ambition.