biz'-nes: Is the rendering of four Hebrew words: (1) mela'khah, in Ge 39:11 (the American Standard Revised Version "work"); 1Ch 26:29-30; 2Ch 13:10 (the American Standard Revised Version "in their work"); 2Ch 17:13 (the American Standard Revised Version "many works"); Ne 11:16,22; 13:30 (the American Standard Revised Version "in his work"); Es 3:9; Ps 107:23; Pr 22:29; Da 8:27. (2) dabhar, literally "a word," is so translated in De 24:5; Jos 2:14,20; Jg 18:7 (the American Standard Revised Version "dealings"); Jg 18:28 (the American Standard Revised Version "dealings"); 1Sa 21:2,8. (3) ma`aseh, "an action" (1Sa 20:19). (4) `inyan, "employment" (Ec 5:3; 8:16).
In the New Testament "business" in Lu 2:49 is the rendering of the phrase en, tois, tou patros mou, literally "in the things of my Father," which the American Standard Revised Version renders "in my Father's house," with "about my Father's business" as the marginal reading. "Business" is also used in the translation of chreia, literally "need," of Ac 6:3; as the translation of spoude, literally "haste" of Ro 12:11 (the American Standard Revised Version "diligence"); of pragma, literally "thing done," of Ro 16:2 (the American Standard Revised Version "matter"); of prassein ta idia, literally "tend to one's own business," of 1Th 4:11. In Ac 19:24-25 in Paul's account of the riot in Ephesus, ergasia, literally "working," "performing," is translated "little business" in Ac 19:24 (the King James Version "small gain"), and "by this business" in Ac 19:25 (the King James Version "by this craft").