Original Word: ὠφέλιμος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: óphelimos
Pronunciation: o-FEL-ee-mos
Phonetic Spelling: (o-fel'-ee-mos)
KJV: profit(-able)
NASB: profitable, profit
Word Origin: [a form of G3786 (ὄφελος - use)]

1. helpful or serviceable, i.e. advantageous

useful, profitable

From a form of ophelos; helpful or serviceable, i.e. Advantageous -- profit(-able).

see GREEK ophelos

Word Origin
from ópheleó
Definition
useful, profitable
NASB Translation
profit (1), profitable (3).

Overview and Semantic Range

Strong’s Greek 5624 conveys the idea of that which brings genuine advantage—spiritual, moral, or practical. In Scripture its nuance is never neutral; it always points to what truly benefits believers in their walk with God and their service to others.

Occurrences in the Pastoral Epistles

All four New Testament instances appear in the letters Paul wrote to his protégés Timothy and Titus, underscoring the pastoral concern that ministry be measured by what is spiritually advantageous to God’s flock (1 Timothy 4:8; 2 Timothy 3:16; Titus 3:8).

Godliness versus Bodily Training: 1 Timothy 4:8

“For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come.”

Here the term sets a sharp contrast: temporal gain versus enduring profit. Paul does not dismiss physical care; instead he relativizes it beneath a pursuit—godliness—that enriches both temporal life and eternal destiny. The verse calls believers to prioritize disciplines that shape Christlike character, reminding ministers that their instructional focus must remain on what produces lasting spiritual fruit.

The Profitable Word: 2 Timothy 3:16

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

Scripture’s divine origin guarantees its utility. The fourfold purpose clause shows comprehensive benefit: shaping belief (instruction), exposing sin (conviction), guiding repentance (correction), and cultivating ongoing obedience (training). Pastoral ministry that relies on the God-breathed Word will always be “profitable” because it aligns people with God’s revealed will.

Devotion Expressed in Good Works: Titus 3:8

“This saying is trustworthy. And I want you to emphasize these things, so that those who have believed God will be intent on leading honorable lives. These things are excellent and profitable for the people.”

The profitability in view moves beyond personal piety to communal blessing. The gospel produces doers, not spectators; good works are portrayed as the tangible overflow of faith that benefits the wider society. Paul’s charge to Titus shows that sound doctrine and practical benevolence are inseparable.

Historical Background and Classical Usage

Outside the New Testament the term described what was expedient to armies, civic bodies, or business ventures. Paul redeploys the word, stripping it of merely utilitarian connotations and filling it with covenantal substance. Profit is recalibrated: not gain for self but edification for the body of Christ and glory for God.

Theological and Ministerial Implications

1. Scripture as the decisive measure of what is truly profitable guards the church from cultural pragmatism.
2. Spiritual disciplines hold unrivaled value because they prepare believers for both current challenges and future inheritance.
3. Good works rooted in the gospel authenticate faith and serve as a witness to outsiders, fulfilling the missional heartbeat of the church.

Application for Contemporary Discipleship

• Evaluate ministries and personal habits through the lens of eternal usefulness rather than immediate appeal.
• Embed Scripture centrally in teaching, counseling, and worship, trusting its God-breathed capacity to produce enduring benefit.
• Foster a culture where doctrinal soundness overflows into acts of service, demonstrating that what is profitable to God’s people also blesses the watching world.

Connection with Wisdom Literature

Like Proverbs’ repeated commendation of wisdom as “better than silver” (for example, Proverbs 3:14), Strong’s 5624 positions godliness and revelation as treasures yielding far greater return than any temporal pursuit.

Thus, every New Testament occurrence of ὠφέλιμος calls believers to invest in what cannot be taken away—truth that transforms, piety that perseveres, and works that witness to the grace of God in Christ.

ωφελιμα ωφέλιμα ὠφέλιμα ωφελιμος ωφέλιμος ωφέλιμός ὠφέλιμος ὠφέλιμός ώχρα ophelima ophélima ōphelima ōphélima ophelimos ophélimos ophélimós ōphelimos ōphélimos ōphélimósInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts