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Biblical Teaching on Trading for Financial Gain

The Bible acknowledges and describes various forms of trading and commerce, indicating its presence from early human history. Abraham, for instance, was noted for his wealth in silver, gold, and ornaments, suggesting an established system of trade [3]. Commerce is broadly defined as the exchange of commodities, either through barter or for money [1]. This includes buying and selling [1], and the goods involved are referred to as merchandise or wares [1]. Individuals engaged in these activities are called merchants, chapmen, or traffickers [1].

Biblical texts illustrate different aspects of trade:

While trade and financial gain are recognized, the Bible also presents cautions and ethical considerations related to these activities. The pursuit of wealth is often contrasted with spiritual values. For example, 1 Timothy 4:8 states that "the training of the body is of profit for a little, but religion is of profit in every way, giving hope for the life which now is, and for that which is to come" [5]. Similarly, the Didache warns against viewing godliness as a means of financial gain, suggesting that if God were to immediately reward the righteous, it would turn faith into a mere commercial transaction [17].

The prophets frequently condemned dishonest trading practices. Amos, for instance, criticizes those who are so eager for unjust gain that they cannot even spare sacred days from their pursuit of profit, and who make the ephah (a measure of grain) small while making the shekel (a unit of weight for money) large [13]. This indicates a concern for fair weights and measures in commercial dealings. Isaiah also speaks of Tyre's mercantile trading as a form of "prostitution" due to its singular focus on earthly advantages and its disregard for divine limits [16]. John Gill, commenting on Isaiah, interprets prophecies about Tyre's merchandise as eventually being "holy to the Lord," suggesting a future where commercial gains are dedicated to God [15].

Patristic writers like Augustine also reflected on the moral dimensions of trade. In his Exposition on Psalms, Augustine discusses the challenges traders face, noting that "evil artificers... either for gain, or for fear of loss or want, do lie, do forswear themselves" [10]. He also presents a hypothetical trader who brings merchandise from distant places to areas where those goods are scarce [12].

The Summa Theologica by Aquinas addresses the lawfulness of selling a thing at a higher price than what was paid for it. Aquinas distinguishes between natural exchange, which aims to satisfy life's needs, and other forms of trading. one tradition notes that a tradesman's business involves the exchange of things [11].

The Bible also highlights the transient nature of worldly riches, describing them as temporary, uncertain, unsatisfying, corruptible, fleeting, deceitful, and perishable [8]. In contrast, contentment with godliness is presented as "great gain" [9]. This perspective encourages a focus on spiritual wealth over material accumulation.

Sources

  1. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Commerce — The barter of one commodity for another -- 1Ki 5:8,11. The exchange of commodities for money -- 1Ki 10:28,29. Called Trade. -- Ge 34:10; Mt 25:16. Traffic. -- Ge 42:34; Eze 17:4. Buying and selling. -- Jas 4:13. Articles of, called Merchandise. -- Eze 26:12; Mt 22:5. Wares. -- Jer 10:17; Eze 27:16; Jon 1:5. Persons engaged in, called Merchants. -- Ge 37:28; Pr 31:24. Chapmen. -- 2Ch 9:14. Traffickers. -- Isa 23:8. Sellers and buyers. -- Isa 24:2. Carried on in fairs, &c -- Eze 27:12,19; Mt 11:16. Inland, by caravans -- Job 6:19; Isa 21:13. Maritime, by shi”
  2. Deuteronomy “You shall sell me food for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink. Just let me pass through on my feet, -- Deuteronomy 2:28”
  3. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Commerce — From the time that men began to live in cities, trade, in some shape, must have been carried on to supply the town-dwellers with necessaries from foreign as well as native sources, for we find that Abraham was rich, not only in cattle, but in silver, gold and gold and silver plate and ornaments. (Genesis 13:2; 24:22,53) Among trading nations mentioned in Scripture, Egypt holds in very early times a prominent position. The internal trade of the Jews, as well as the external, was much promoted by the festivals, which brought large numbers of persons to Jerusa”
  4. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Gold — Found in the earth -- Job 28:1,6. Abounded in Havilah. -- Ge 2:11. Ophir. -- 1Ki 9:28; Ps 45:9. Sheba. -- Ps 72:15; Isa 60:6. Parvaim. -- 2Ch 3:6. Belongs to God -- Joe 3:5; Hag 2:8. Described as Yellow. -- Ps 68:13. Malleable. -- Ex 39:3; 1Ki 10:16,17. Fusible. -- Ex 32:3,4; Pr 17:3. Precious. -- Ezr 8:27; Isa 13:12. Valuable. -- Job 28:15,16. Most valuable when pure and fine -- Job 28:19; Ps 19:10; 21:3; Pr 3:14. Refined and tried by fire -- Zec 13:9; 1Pe 1:7. Working in, a trade -- Ne 3:8; Isa 40:19. An article of commerce -- Eze 27:22. The patriarchs were ”
  5. I Timothy “I Timothy 4:8 (BBE) — For the training of the body is of profit for a little, but religion is of profit in every way, giving hope for the life which now is, and for that which is to come.”
  6. Genesis “Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.’” -- Genesis 42:34”
  7. Proverbs “Proverbs 3:14 (BBE) — For trading in it is better than trading in silver, and its profit greater than bright gold.”
  8. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Riches — The true riches -- Eph 3:8; 1Co 1:30; Col 2:3; 1Pe 2:7. God gives -- 1Sa 2:7; Ec 5:19. To God belongs this world's riches -- Hag 2:8. God gives power to obtain -- De 8:18. The blessing of the Lord brings -- Pr 10:22. Give worldly power -- Pr 22:7. Described as Temporary. -- Pr 27:24. Uncertain. -- 1Ti 6:17. Unsatisfying. -- Ec 4:8; 5:10. Corruptible. -- Jas 5:2; 1Pe 1:18. Fleeting. -- Pr 23:5; Re 18:16,17. Deceitful. -- Mt 13:22. Liable to be stolen. -- Mt 6:19. Perishable. -- Jer 48:36. Thick clay. -- Hab 2:6. Often an obstruction to the reception of the go”
  9. Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Contentment — With godliness is great gain -- Ps 37:16; 1Ti 6:6. Saints should exhibit In their respective callings. -- 1Co 7:20. With appointed wages. -- Lu 3:14. With what things they have. -- Heb 13:5. With food and raiment. -- 1Ti 6:8. God's promises should lead to -- Heb 13:5. The wicked want -- Isa 5:8; Ec 5:10. Exemplified Barzillai. -- 2Sa 19:33-37. Shunammite. -- 2Ki 4:13. David. -- Ps 16:6. Agur. -- Pr 30:8,9. Paul. -- Php 4:11,12.”
  10. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — PSALM LXXI.[6] (part 15): they profess. All evil artificers, then, not fearing God, either for gain, or for fear of loss or want, do lie, do forswear themselves; there is no continual praise of God in them. How then dost thou withdraw me from trading? Wouldest thou that I be a farmer, and murmur against God thundering, so that, fearing hail, I consult a wizard, in order to learn what to do to protect me against the weather; so that I desire famine for the poor, in order that I may be able to sell what I have kept in store? Unto this dost thou bri”
  11. theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of Cheating, Which is Committed in Buying and Selling, Art. 4: Article: Whether, in trading, it is lawful to sell a thing at a higher price than what was paid for it? I answer that, A tradesman is one whose business consists in the exchange of things. According to the Philosopher (Polit. i, 3), exchange of things is twofold; one, natural as it were, and necessary, whereby one commodity is exchanged for another, or money taken in exchange for a commodity, in order to satisfy the needs of life. Such like trading, prop”
  12. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 8: Augustine — Exposition on Psalms — PSALM LXXI.[6] (part 14): thy mouth all the day long is there the praise of God? While, if thou art a Christian, even out of thy mouth the name of God is being blasphemed, so that men say, see what sort of men are Christians ! Therefore if this man for this reason speaketh the praise of God all the day long, because he hath not known tradings; let Christians amend themselves, let them not trade. But a trader saith to me, behold I bring indeed from a distant quarter merchandise unto these places, wherein there are not those things which I have bro”
  13. Amos (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Amos 8:5: So greedy are they of unjust gain that they cannot spare a single day, however sacred, from pursuing it. They are strangers to God and enemies to themselves, who love market days better than sabbath days; and they who have lost piety will not long keep honesty. The new-2moons (Num 10:10) and sabbaths were to be kept without working or trading (Neh 10:31). set forth wheat--literally, "open out" stores of wheat for sale. ephah--containing three seahs, or above three pecks. making . . . small--making it below the just weight to purchasers. shekel gre”
  14. Babylonian Talmud (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Babylonian Talmud, Bava Metzia 72b.17: The Sages taught: With regard to one who transports a package of goods from one place, where he bought it inexpensively, to another place, where the price is higher, in order to sell it at a profit, and another found him on the way and said to him: Give me the package, and I will pay you in the manner that they pay you in that place to which you are going,”
  15. Isaiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Isaiah 23:18: And her merchandise, and her hire,.... Or, "but her merchandise", &c. not the same as before; or, however, not as carried on at the same time, but many ages after, even in the times of the Gospel; for this part of the prophecy respects the conversion of the Tyrians, in the first ages of Christianity; this is prophesied of elsewhere, Psa 45:12 and was fulfilled in the times of the apostles, Act 11:19 and so Kimchi and Jarchi say this is a prophecy to be fulfilled in the days of the Messiah (m); and then the trade of this people, and what they got by it, should be ho”
  16. Isaiah (Lutheran) “Keil & Delitzsch on Isaiah 23:17: When it begins again to make love to all the world, it will get rich again from the gain acquired by this worldly intercourse. "And it will come to pass at the end of the seventy years: Jehovah will visit Tzor, and she comes again to her hire, and commits prostitution with all the kingdoms of the earth on the broad surface of the globe." Such mercantile trading as hers, which is only bent upon earthly advantages, is called zânâh, on account of its recognising none of the limits opposed by God, and making itself common to all the world, partly because it is a”
  17. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 9: Gospel of Peter, Diatessaron, Origen's Commentaries — CHAP. XX.--GODLINESS, NOT GAIN, THE: TRUE RICHES. But let it not even trouble your mind, that we see the unrighteous possessed of riches and the servants of God straitened. Let us, therefore, brothers and sisters, believe; in a trial of the living God we strive and are exercised in the present life, that we may obtain the crown in that which is to come. No one of the righteous received fruit speedily, but waiteth for it. For if God tendered the reward of the righteous in a trice, straightway were it commerce that we practised, an”
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