πορισμός

porismós

G4200 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

Means of procuring or providing, especially a source of gain or acquisition; in specific contexts, refers particularly to the obtaining of material goods, profit, or monetary gain. The primary sense highlights the process or result of acquisition, furnishing, or earning.

Semantic Range

means of acquisition, provision, source of gain, profit, monetary gain, process of furnishing

Root / Etymology

From the root πορι- (pori-), related to πορίζω (to furnish, supply, provide, acquire). The suffix -σμός (-smos) forms action nouns denoting the result or process of an action. Thus, πορισμός indicates the act or result of providing or acquiring, especially as applied to material acquisition.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Attested rarely outside the New Testament, πορισμός is a substantival formation built on πορίζω. In Classical Greek, the related verb πορίζω broadly means 'to furnish' or 'to provide,' without specific focus on material or monetary gain. In Hellenistic usage, πορισμός increasingly acquires the sense of 'means of gain' or 'profit,' and in the Pastoral Epistles (e.g., 1 Tim 6:5–6), it denotes acquisition of material profit, especially when contrasted with godliness. The term is generally rendered as 'gain' or 'profit' in standard English translations, but its primary reference is not restricted solely to monetary profit; it may include other forms of means or provision. In the New Testament, its usage is colored by ethical discussions about the pursuit of material gain, contrasting right living with preoccupation with profit.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from a derivative of (a way, i.e. means); furnishing (procuring), i.e. (by implication) money-getting (acquisition):--gain.

Root Family

πορι- (porismós) — to provide, to furnish, to acquire

Root πορι- to provide, to furnish, to acquire

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G4200-01 πορισμὸν porismon N ACC M SG a means of gain means of acquisition means of acquisition 1
G4200-02 πορισμὸς porismos N NOM M SG gain means of acquisition means of acquisition 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G4200-01 1 Timothy 6:5 πορισμὸν porismon N ACC M SG a means of gain means of acquisition means of acquisition
G4200-02 1 Timothy 6:6 πορισμὸς porismos N NOM M SG gain means of acquisition means of acquisition