ἀροτριάω
I plow
Definition
The verb ἀροτριάω means 'to plow' or 'to till the soil.' In its two New Testament occurrences, it consistently refers to the agricultural act of preparing land for planting by breaking up the ground. In Luke 17:7, it is used literally in a parable about a servant's duties, describing the physical labor of plowing a field. In 1 Corinthians 9:10, the usage is metaphorical; Paul argues that just as a plowman labors with the hope of sharing in the harvest, those who proclaim the gospel have a right to material support from those they spiritually nourish.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only twice in the New Testament, in two distinct contexts. In Luke 17:7, it appears in a straightforward, literal parable by Jesus about master-servant relationships. In 1 Corinthians 9:10, the Apostle Paul employs it figuratively within an extended metaphor about the rights of Christian workers, drawing an analogy from the Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 25:4) to support his argument for the material support of ministers of the gospel.
Etymology
Derived from the noun ἄροτρον (arotron), meaning 'plow.' The verb form ἀροτριάω is built directly from this agricultural tool, literally meaning 'to do the work of a plow' or 'to plow.' It is not a compound of ἀ- (a negative prefix) as previously suggested; that was an error. Its root is firmly in the common Greek vocabulary for farming.
Semantic Range
While the act of plowing is ordinary, its metaphorical use in 1 Corinthians 9:10 gives it theological significance. Paul uses it to establish a principle of reciprocity and just reward in God's economy, linking physical labor and spiritual ministry. This enriches the reading of 1 Corinthians 9 by grounding the apostle's argument for support in a tangible, universally understood image of work and expectation.
In the first-century agrarian society, plowing was fundamental, hard, preparatory work done with a simple plow pulled by oxen. It represented invested labor with a future hope of harvest. Understanding this context is key to the metaphor in 1 Corinthians 9:10—the plowman's work is not an end in itself but is entirely oriented toward a future yield, just as gospel ministry is.
σπείρω (speirō, G4687) — to sow seed, the action following plowing. ἐργάζομαι (ergazomai, G2038) — to work or labor, a more general term for toil.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Dodson Greek-English Lexicon, a concise public-domain resource suitable for introductory word study. Brief glosses are supplemented by STEPBible TBESG data (CC BY 4.0). For advanced research, standard scholarly references include BDAG (Danker, 3rd ed.) and LSJ.
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