ὠφέλ-ῐμος G5624
Beneficial, profitable, useful; describing what yields genuine advantage or practical good.
A straightforward adjective of practical value, this word evaluates things by the real benefit they produce. Paul uses it in 1 Timothy 4:8 to draw a memorable comparison: bodily exercise is profitable for a little, but godliness is profitable for all things. In 2 Timothy 3:16, all Scripture is declared 'beneficial' for teaching and correction. Titus 3:8 urges believers toward good works that are 'profitable' for people. Across languages — Spanish 'provechosa,' German 'nuetzlich' — the translations consistently emphasize tangible, practical usefulness.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Useful, advantageous, or yielding genuine benefit for a stated purpose or person. In the Pastoral Epistles, Paul employs this term to weigh competing goods: physical training is ōphelimos 'for a little' while godliness is ōphelimos 'for all things' (1 Tim 4:8), creating a memorable scale of value. The same practical tone appears in 2 Tim 3:16, where Scripture's profitability is spelled out in four dimensions — teaching, reproof, correction, and training. Spanish 'útil/provechosa' and German 'nuetzlich' both reinforce the concrete, results-oriented flavor of this adjective. 4×
AR["نافِعٌ", "نافِعَةٌ"]·ben["উপকারী", "উপকারী,"]·DE["nuetzlich"]·EN["beneficial", "profitable"]·FR["ὠφέλιμα", "ὠφέλιμος", "ὠφέλιμός"]·heb["מוֹעִיל", "מוֹעִילִים", "מוֹעִילָה"]·HI["लअभकअरि", "लअभदअयक"]·ID["berguna"]·IT["ōphelima", "ōphelimos"]·jav["gina", "migunani", "migunani,"]·KO["유익한", "유익한,"]·PT["proveitosa", "úteis"]·RU["полезно"]·ES["provechosa", "provechosas", "útil"]·SW["-", "unafaa", "yanafaa", "yenye-faida"]·TR["faydalı"]·urd["فائدہ-مند"]
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5159 1. inherited land or property (170×)G2983 1. receive, obtain (134×)H3423 1. Qal: take possession of land (130×)G2983 2. take, take up (113×)G2398 1. one's own, belonging to oneself (91×)G3860 1. hand over, deliver to custody (78×)H7998 1. spoil, plunder, booty (74×)G1325 2. be given, be granted (70×)H5414 2. put, place, set (68×)H7999a 1. pay, repay, recompense (63×)H7069 1. Buy, purchase (59×)H1892 1. vanity, futility, absurdity (58×)H5159 2. heritage as covenant portion (52×)H6299 1. redeem or ransom (Qal active) (49×)H4376 1. Sell (Qal active) (47×)H1350a 1. Redeem, buy back (46×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ὠφέλ-ῐμος, ον, rarely η, ον, Refs:— helping, aiding, useful, serviceable, beneficial, sometimes of persons, as Refs 5th c.BC+: but more frequently of things, Refs 5th c.BC+; τινι to one, Refs 5th c.BC+; ἔς τι for a purpose, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ ὠ. as substantive, Refs 5th c.BC+; τὸ ὑμῖν ὠ. Refs 5th c.BC+. adverb -μως Refs 5th c.BC+: superlative -ώτατα Refs 5th c.BC+