λυσιτελεῖ

From the study of Sirach 29:11

Range of meaning

Literally 'to pay the costs' (from λύω 'release/pay' + τέλος 'charge/expense'). In general use: 'to be profitable, be worth it, be advantageous, be better'. A word from commerce and practical reasoning.

Against the English

'Profit' (KJV/Brenton, WEB) gets it right. The verse really does speak in terms of gain. Softening it into 'it will be good for you' would hide the deliberate business language.

Used elsewhere in the period

Used by classical writers (Plato, Xenophon) for what is advantageous. In the Septuagint: Tobit 3:6 ('it is better for me to die than to live'); Sir 20:10 (a gift 'that will not profit you'). New Testament: Luke 17:2 ('it would be better for him if a millstone…').

From the study of Luke 17:2

Range of meaning

To be worth the cost, to pay, to be advantageous. The word is built from parts meaning "to pay" and "dues," and in use it means that something covers its expenses and leaves a profit. It was common in Greek from the classical period, both in practical matters and in moral arguments about what really benefits a person.

Against the English

Most versions say "it would be better," which is accurate but loses the sense of accounting. YLT's "it is more profitable" keeps it. English "would be" also softens the Greek, which is a plain present: "it pays."

Used elsewhere in the period

Used only here in the New Testament. Plato's Republic (Book 1) uses it in the debate over whether injustice pays. In the Greek Old Testament Apocrypha, Sirach 29:11 says that storing up treasure according to God's commands will profit you more than gold. The closest parallel is Tobit 3:6 in one Greek form of the text, where someone in despair says, in effect, "it pays me to die rather than live," using the same verb with the same little word for "rather than."