Deserve

Deserve - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

DESERVE, v.t. [L. To serve.]

1. To merit; to be worthy of; applied to good or evil.

2. To merit by labor or services; to have a just claim to an equivalent for good conferred. The laborer deserves his wages; he deserves the value of his services.

3. To merit by good actions or qualities in general; to be worthy of, on account of excellence. The virtuous man deserves esteem and commendation. A work of value deserves praise.

4. To be worthy of, in a bad sense; to merit by an evil act; as, to deserve blame or punishment.

God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. Job 11.

DESERVE, v.i. To merit; to be worthy of or deserving; as, he deserves well or ill of his neighbor.

Prize - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

PRIZE, n.

1. That which is taken from an enemy in war; any species of goods or property seized by force as spoil or plunder; or that which is taken in combat, particularly a ship. A privateer takes an enemy's ship as a prize. They make prize of all the property of the enemy.

2. That which is taken from another; that which is deemed a valuable acquisition.

Then prostrate falls, and begs with ardent eyes,

Soon to obtain and long possess the prize.

3. That which is obtained or offered as the reward of contest.

--I will never wrestle for prize.

I fought and conquer'd, yet have lost the prize.

4. The reward gained by any performance.

5. In colloquial language, any valuable thing gained.

6. The money drawn by a lottery ticket; opposed to blank.

PRIZE, v.t. [L. pretium.]

1. To set or estimate the value of; to rate; as, to prize the goods specified in an invoice.

Life I prize not a straw.

2. To value highly; to estimate to be of great worth; to esteem.

I prize your person, but your crown disdain.

3. To raise with a lever. [See Pry.]

Reward - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

REWARD', v.t. a as aw. [[L. re, denoting return.]

To give in return, either good or evil.

Thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. 1 Sam 24.

Hence, when good is returned for good, reward signifies to repay, to recompense, to compensate. When evil or suffering is return for injury or wickedness, reward signifies to punish with just retribution, to take vengeance on, according to the nature of the case.

I will render vengeance to my enemies; and will reward them that hate me. Deu 32.

The Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Mat 16.

In the latter passage, reward signifies to render with good and evil.

REWARD', n.

1. Recompense, or equivalent return for good done, for kindness, for services and the like. Rewards may consist of money, goods or any return of kindness or happiness.

The laborer is worthy of his reward. 1 Tim 5.

Great is your reward in heaven. Mat 5.

Rewards and punishments presuppose moral agency, and something voluntarily done, well or ill; without which respect, though we may receive good, it is only a benefit and not a reward.

2. The fruit of men's labor or works.

The dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward. Eccl 9.

3. A bribe; a gift to pervert justice. Deu 27.

4. A sum of money offered for taking or detecting a criminal, or for recovery of any thing lost.

5. Punishment; a just return of evil or suffering for wickedness.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Psa 91.

6. Return in human applause. Mat 6.

7. Return in joy and comfort. Psa 19.

priz: Two Greek words are so rendered in English Versions of the Bible:

(1) brabeion, the award to the victor in the Greek games, consisting of a garland of bay, olive, or pine; so called because it was given by the brabeus, the adjudicator who assigned the prize at the games (Vulgate bravium, from which may be derived the English "brave" = originally gaily dressed, handsome). Used literally in 1Co 9:24, and figuratively of the heavenly reward for Christian character in Php 3:14.

(2) harpagmos, in the English Revised Version of Php 2:6, "counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God." The termination -uos, -mos, would lead us to expect the active sense: "an act of grasping," "plundering" (the King James Version "robbery"), which would imply that Christ did not deem it an act of usurpation to claim equality with God, for such equality was His inherent right. But the context demands a reference "not to the right which He claimed, but to the dignity which He renounced" (Lightfoot); hence, the majority of modern expositors take the word in a passive sense (= harpagma): "a thing to be seized, prized, retained at all costs as a booty" (the English Revised Version "a prize," the American Standard Revised Version "a thing to be grasped"), implying that Christ did not regard equality with God as a thing to be clutched greedily, but waived His rights (see Lightfoot on Php 2:6). The verb "to prize" occurs only in Zec 11:13.

See GRASP; HUMILIATION OF CHRIST; KENOSIS.

D. Miall Edwards

re-word': In modern English (except when influenced by the Biblical forms) a "reward" is something given in recognition of a good act. In English Versions of the Bible, however, "reward" is used quite generally for anything given, and the term covers the recompense of evil (Ps 91:8), wages (1Ti 5:18 the King James Version), bribes (Mic 7:3), and gifts (Jer 40:5 the King James Version). The Revised Version (British and American) has specialized the meaning in a number of cases (Ps 94:2; Eze 16:34; Jer 40:5, etc.), but not systematically.

Definition

The term “reward” refers to what a person receives because of something he has done, either good or bad. To “reward” someone is to give someone something he deserves. However, this is different than the concept of “wages,” which refers to payment (often money) given in exchange for work performed.

• A reward can be a good or positive thing that a person receives because he has done something well or because he has obeyed God.
• Sometimes a reward can refer to negative things that may result from bad behavior, such as the statement “the reward of the wicked.” In this context “reward” refers to the punishment or negative consequences they receive because of their sinful actions.

Translation Suggestions

• Depending on the context, the term “reward” could be translated as “payment” or “something that is deserved” or “punishment.”
• To “reward” someone could be translated by to “repay” or to “punish” or to “give what is deserved.”
• Make sure the translation of this term does not refer to wages. A reward is not specifically about earning money as part of a job.

(See also: punish)

Bible References

• Deuteronomy 32:6
• Isaiah 40:10
• Luke 6:35
• Mark 9:40-41
• Matthew 5:11-12
• Matthew 6:3-4
• Psalms 127:3-5
• Revelation 11:18

Word Data

• Strong’s: H0319, H0866, H0868, H1576, H1578, H1580, H4909, H4991, H5023, H6118, H6468, H6529, H7938, H7939, H7999, G04690, G05140, G05910, G26030, G34050, G34060, G34080