Question:180952: Dear Sir/Madam

I would be grateful if you can help me. A friend of mine has quoted Isaiah 48:17 as
a justification for the prosperity gospel/health and wealth ministries and a lavish
and materialistic life style.

`Thus said Jehovah, thy redeemer, The Holy One of Israel, `I [am] Jehovah thy God,
teaching thee to profit, Causing thee to tread in the way thou goest.` (youngs
literal translation)

I see in contemporary versions the translators have removed any financial

association from the verse e.g.:

`I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you` (NIV)

But I have been unable to find out what the rationale for this is.

I would like to understand what Isaiah meant when he used the word `profit`
(le·ho·v·`il in the classic Hebrew) please.

Many thanks
Paul.

Paul,
Let's start with the Hebrew term. Yā'al (Strongs #3276) is used 23 times in the Old Testament, and in
the KJV, 19 of those times it is translated “profit.” What is interesting about those other uses is that
nearly all of them are in a negative sense. One example is Isaiah 44:10, which says “a graven image
that is profitable for nothing”. The typical use of this word in Scripture is to point out either the ability
(of God) or the inability (e.g. false gods) to benefit someone.

This brings up the question of the prosperity gospel, and we can use the same word in another verse to
understand God's meaning of “profit.” Proverbs 11:4 says, “Riches profit not in the day of wrath: but
righteousness delivereth from death.” God is clearly distinguishing a materialistic prosperity from a
spiritual prosperity, and that is the sense of the term in Isaiah 48. Jesus made the same distinction in
Matthew 16:26 when He said, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” The Greek word Jesus used is
ōpheleō (Strongs #5623), which leads us to your question about contemporary versions.

One way we learn the meaning of words in ancient languages is by how they were translated into other
ancient languages. The Septuagint is the Greek translation of the Old Testament which was used by
Jesus and the people of His day. In Isaiah 48:17, the Septuagint used ōpheleō to translate Yā'al. This
Greek word means “to be useful, do good, profit” (Vines Expository Dictionary), and is contrasted with
another Greek word, pleonekteō, which means “to seek to get more.” If God's ultimate purpose was to
give us materialistic wealth, this is the word He would have used, and if the Jews understood Isaiah in
that way, they would have translated it that way. Because of the rise in false teachings in recent
decades, as well as changes in language use, modern Bible translators have tried to use terminology
which stays true to the original intent, yet avoids the misleading connotations of those modern uses.
Since the ancient understanding of “profit” was looking at all of life, including relationships, health,
and spiritual well being, a translation of “what is best for you” is appropriate.

When we look at other passages regarding our profit, it is clear that God's focus is far beyond the
“health and wealth” which modern prosperity teachers push. Paul taught Timothy (1 Tim 4:15) that he
was to meditate on the Scriptures, and to grow in his faith, so that his “profiting” or progress in Christ
would be evident to everyone. In Titus 3:8, we are told that good works “are good and profitable” to
men. The love of money is the root of all evil (1 Tim 6:10), but “godliness with contentment is great
gain” (1 Tim 6:6).