Acts 1:18

Working for Hire

The phrase μισθοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας is best understood not merely as the condemnatory “wages of injustice” or "reward of unrighteousness" (a very abstract sense), but more precisely as “the wages received from the unjust one.” Note the usage of the definite article. The genitive τῆς ἀδικίας functions here as a possessive or personal genitive, indicating the source or agent—namely, an unjust person or master. This reading implies a concrete social relationship in which the subject is employed by, or working for, an unjust employer rather than simply engaging in wrongful activity for any reward. Such a genitive construction, denoting the giver or possessor of the wages, is common in classical Greek usage (cf. Thuc. 1.123; Soph. Aj. 968). Consequently, μισθοῦ τῆς ἀδικίας connotes a transactional dynamic wherein the individual receives compensation from an unjust principal, thus emphasizing servitude or employment under unjust authority rather than abstract injustice. This interpretation accords with broader semantic patterns of μισθός and genitive agency in ancient Greek literature.

Won a Plot, Acquired by effort

Cf. Pind. Nem. 9.52: φιάλαις, ἅς ποθʼ ἵπποι κτησάμεναι Χρομίῳ πέμψαν, where κτάομαι (aor. mid. part.) denotes the acquisition of victory prizes in equestrian contests; Isthm. 9.4: σὺν θεῶν δέ νιν αἴσᾳ Ὕλλου τε καὶ Αἰγιμιοῦ Δωριεὺς ἐλθὼν στρατὸς ἐκτήσατο (mss.; ἐκτίσσατο Herm.), describing the Dorian conquest of territory, with the verb connoting military acquisition; and Pae. 2.59: τοὶ σὺν πολέμῳ κτησάμ[ενοι] χθόνα πολύδωρον, where κτάομαι again refers to winning land by force. These passages illustrate a semantic range centered on the procurement of land or goods through effort, contest, or divine favor. This usage informs the reading of ἐκτήσατο χωρίον in Acts 1:18, where the phrase carries ironic overtones. The verb traditionally connotes heroic or noble acquisition, yet here it is paired with μισθὸς τῆς ἀδικίας, a wage of an unjust one.

The verb λάσκω (with imperfect ἔλασκον, future λᾰκήσομαι, and perfect λέληκα) primarily denotes the production of sharp or loud sounds and is especially used to describe vocal utterances by humans. Rather than signifying any physical action of “bursting open,” it is attested in classical and tragic literature as meaning “to shout,” “to scream,” or “to cry aloud.”

This usage includes the utterance of oracles or prophetic proclamations (e.g., Aeschylus Agamemnon 1426; Sophocles Trachiniae 824; Aristophanes Plutus 39). The verb’s semantic domain thus centers on the emission of vocal sounds conveying emotion, alarm, or divine communication, rather than any material rupture or explosion of the body or objects.

Summary of meanings of λάσκω:

1. Ring, rattle, crash (of things):
   Describes sharp, resonant sounds made by objects when struck or stressed, such as metal clanging, shields ringing, bones cracking, wood crackling by fire, or creaking under weight. This sense primarily occurs in the second aorist active forms.

2. Scream or howl (of animals):
   Refers to sharp vocal sounds made by animals—falcons screaming, nightingales in distress, or dogs howling or baying. This sense is mostly found in the perfect tense and aorist medial forms.

3. Shout, scream, or cry aloud (of humans):
   Applies to human vocalizations including shouting, screaming, crying out in fear or alarm, uttering oracles or prophetic pronouncements, and singing. Frequently used in tragic and comic contexts to denote loud vocal expression or proclamation.

4. Utter aloud or shriek forth (with accusative cognate):
   In tragic drama, it specifically means to vocally express or proclaim something intensely, such as a lament, announcement, or dreadful news.

(cf. LSJ λάσκω)