How to compare 'work' vs 'labor'

I'm trolling for ideas here. I'd like to study the English words 'work' and 'labor' and how they are used in both H and G.

I'm looking for efficiency. I can generate reams of data, but want some tips on how to get the good stuff filtered out from all the extra stuff.

My H language skills are very limited. G skills are medium-ish. English skills are pretty durn solid. :-)

One of the things I've already done is, I went to Ex 20:9, where both words are used in the ESV, and ran BWS on them. Too much info. Help me be more efficient. (Looking to provide application of the biblical ideas to folks in contemporary life.)

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Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

Exodus 20:9 has senses for verb (labor) and noun (work):

<Sense to work> OR <Sense work>

Using OR in search causes verb results to be highlighted with one color while nouns have different color.

Keep Smiling [:)]

John Fidel

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/887125#Comment_887125

Another option after you have exhausted the tip above may be to run a topic guide on the topic of "work", "biblical view of work", and "labor". The guide will give you links to Factbook that will provide you a "Cultural Concept" of work as well as links to senses and the sermon starter. This is how I move from the text to cultural background study to application examples.

Mark Barnes

I'm trolling for ideas here. I'd like to study the English words 'work' and 'labor' and how they are used in both H and G.

I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve here. Are you looking for a distinction between the words 'work' and 'labor' and want to know if that distinction comes from the original languages or not? Or do you see 'work' and 'labor' as reflecting the same sense, and just want to study the concept in the original languages? But if the latter, why not also words like 'toil'?

From your final description, ("Looking to provide application of the biblical ideas to folks in contemporary life"), it sounds like you'd be much better looking at "labor", or "work" in a Bible Dictionary, or Dictionary of Biblical Theology, rather than focusing on the original languages. It's a theological question, more than a linguistic question. Personally, I'd start with the articles in New Bible Dictionary and the Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, which will give you a much better overview than any amount of searching — and more importantly give you ideas of what to search for to delve deeper.

David Thomas

Help me be more efficient. (Looking to provide application of the biblical ideas to folks in contemporary life.)

While not a Logos resource, you may want to check out https://www.madetoflourish.org/ to compare with others who are intentionally developing a theology of work. Membership in the Made to Flourish network garnered me a free copy of https://www.logos.com/product/55574/theology-of-work-bible-commentary

Doc B

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/887252#Comment_887252

I'm not sure what you're trying to achieve here.

I probably should have explained more, Mark, but didn't want to get wordy. A colleague who is a BV pastor asked me my thoughts on the difference between the two, and how that might be applied. I was wanting to know if there is a distinction in scripture, and if the translation of that distinction makes it to English and contemporary culture.

Thanks for the various approaches that all supplied...they were all helpful.