ὄφελος

From the study of James 2:14

Range of meaning

Benefit, advantage, profit, usefulness.

Against the English

'What good is it?' (BSB, WEB) catches the sense well. KJV's 'what doth it profit' is accurate but sounds financial to modern ears. The idea is practical usefulness, not money.

Used elsewhere in the period

Rare in the New Testament (1 Cor 15:32; Jas 2:14, 16). 'What is the benefit?' is a stock question in Greek moral teaching, where a teacher challenges an imagined objector, as in the discourses of the philosopher Epictetus.

From the study of 1 Corinthians 15:32

Range of meaning

Benefit, advantage, use, profit. In everyday Greek it is common in the question 'what's the use?' (ti to ophelos).

Against the English

'Gain' (BSB, ESV), 'profit' (WEB), and 'advantageth' (KJV) are all accurate. 'Profit' can sound purely financial today, but the Greek is broader: any real payoff.

Used elsewhere in the period

James 2:14, 16 ('what is the profit, my brothers…?'). It is common in moral philosophy and in everyday papyrus letters for asking what something is good for.

From the study of James 2:16

Range of meaning

Benefit, advantage, use, good. "What is the benefit?" was a stock question in Greek moral argument, meaning "what use is it?", with "none" as the expected answer.

Against the English

KJV "what doth it profit?" was accurate in 1611, but "profit" now sounds financial. BSB/WEB "what good is that/it?" and YLT "what is the profit?" sit at either end of that shift.

How it drifted

English "profit" once broadly meant benefit or advantage and has narrowed toward financial gain.

Used elsewhere in the period

In the New Testament only in James 2:14, 2:16 and 1 Corinthians 15:32. The "what is the use?" question is common in Greek moral teaching, such as the lively question-and-answer style of the Stoic teacher Epictetus, which James's style resembles.