Greek word · G2210

ζημιόω

zēmioō

to lose

To cause loss or damage. Passive: to suffer loss, forfeit, or be fined or penalized. It comes from the language of business and law. It is the opposite of kerdos (gain).

Appears 6 times in 6 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 22, 2026

What it means

ζημόω, -ῶ

(ζημία), [in LXX chiefly for עָנַשׁ ;]

to damage. Pass., to suffer loss, forfeit, lose: absol., 1 Corinthians 3:15; before ἐν, 2 Corinthians 7:9; with accusative of thing(s) (see B1., § 34, 6), τ. ψυχήν, Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36; ἑαυτόν, Luke 9:25; τ. πάντα, Philippians 3:8.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of 2 Corinthians 7:9

Range of meaning: To cause loss or damage. Passive: to suffer loss, forfeit, or be fined or penalized. It comes from the language of business and law. It is the opposite of kerdos (gain).
Against the English: KJV 'receive damage' and WEB 'suffer loss' keep the bookkeeping image. BSB and NIV 'not harmed' are accurate but lose the loss/gain picture.
Used elsewhere in the period: Common in papyri and legal texts for fines and penalties. In the New Testament: Phil 3:7–8, where Paul counts things as 'loss' (zēmia) for Christ, and Mark 8:36, 'forfeit his soul'. In 1 Cor 3:15 the worker 'will suffer loss'.

From the study of Luke 9:25

Range of meaning: Active: to cause loss, to damage, to fine or punish with a penalty. Passive: to suffer loss, to be fined, to forfeit something. The thing lost goes in the accusative, as with 'himself' here.
Against the English: 'Forfeit' (BSB, WEB, YLT and most modern versions) is a good fit, since it covers both loss and penalty. KJV's 'be cast away' moves the idea from accounting to rejection, which is not quite the Greek picture.
How it drifted: In 1611, 'cast away' could mean ruined or wrecked (compare 'castaway'). Today readers tend to hear 'thrown out' or 'rejected'.
Used elsewhere in the period: LXX Exod 21:22: a man who causes a miscarriage 'shall surely be fined' (zēmiōthēsetai). 2 Chr 36:3: Pharaoh Neco 'fined' the land a hundred talents of silver. Prov 22:3: the naive 'suffer loss'. In the NT: 1 Cor 3:15 (the builder whose work burns 'will suffer loss'), 2 Cor 7:9, Phil 3:8. Papyri use zēmia for legal fines.

From the study of Mark 8:36

Range of meaning: In the passive: to suffer loss or damage, be fined or penalized, have something confiscated, forfeit. The related noun zēmia is the normal word for a monetary fine or a commercial loss.
Against the English: KJV and NLT 'lose' can sound like accidentally misplacing something. BSB, ESV, NIV and NASB 'forfeit' better conveys a loss that is imposed, the opposite of a profit.
How it drifted: Modern 'lose' is very broad (lose keys, lose a game). The Greek is narrower and comes from the ledger and the law court: a penalty or write-off that you incur.
Used elsewhere in the period: Exod 21:22 LXX, in a legal ruling: a man who injures a pregnant woman 'shall certainly be fined' (epizēmion zēmiōthēsetai). Greek papyri use zēmia for penalty clauses in contracts (Moulton–Milligan). Paul pairs it with gain in Phil 3:7–8: 'whatever was gain (kerdos) to me I count as loss (zēmia)… I have suffered the loss of all things… that I may gain Christ.'

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

Matthew 16:26 ζημιωθῇ; shall lose?

What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?

Here: Passive: 'is made to forfeit' or 'is penalized'. The word is used for business losses and legal fines. Here the person's own life is the forfeit.

Mark · 1

Mark 8:36 ζημιωθῆναι to lose

What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?

Here: Passive: 'to be made to suffer the loss of', 'to be penalized by forfeiting'. It is the opposite entry to 'gain' in the ledger, a loss imposed on you, like a fine or a confiscation, not something you mislay.

Luke · 1

Luke 9:25 ζημιωθείς; having suffered the loss of?

What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet lose or forfeit his very self?

Here: Aorist passive participle, 'having been made to forfeit' or 'having been fined'. It is the accountant's opposite of 'gain' and also a legal word for a fine or penalty. The thing forfeited is the self.

1 Corinthians · 1

1 Corinthians 3:15 ζημιωθήσεται, he will suffer loss,

If it is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as if through the flames.

2 Corinthians · 1

2 Corinthians 7:9 ζημιωθῆτε you may suffer loss

yet now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.

Here: A word for loss and damage in business and law, the opposite of gain. Paul's harsh letter could have been a pure loss to them. Instead it turned out to be profit.

Philippians · 1

Philippians 3:8 ἐζημιώθην I have lost

More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

Here: 'I was made to forfeit / I suffered the loss.' It is passive and points to a past event, Paul's turning to Christ. The verb is used of being fined or penalized. This is no longer only a matter of how Paul values things. He actually lost them.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.