HIRE, HIRELING (wage = שָׂכָר֒, H8510, Gen 30:28; מַשְׂכֹּ֫רֶת, H5382, Ruth 2:12; פְּעֻלָּה, H7190, Lev 19:13; μισθός, G3635, Luke 10:7; laborer = שָׂכִיר, H8502, Job 7:1; μισθωτός, G3638, John 10:12). Modern Eng. tends to use the words “wage” and “wage earner” or “hired worker” instead of “hire, hireling.” In the OT a laborer, who is a free man, would hire himself out for a particular job. It would be either on a daily basis (Deut 24:15) or on a yearly basis (Lev 25:50). As some families grew poorer, they would hire themselves out to rich farmers or to the government. They would work as herdsmen (John 10:12), as harvesters (Ruth 2:3), or as mercenary soldiers (Isa 16:14). In the contemporary Middle E there is still the practice of hiring day laborers for a specific job.

In the NT Jesus uses the day laborer and his relationship to the landowner in a parable to illustrate the kingdom of heaven (Matt 20:1-16). The parable makes it clear that the landowner was required to pay the laborers at the end of every day as specified by the law (Deut 24:14, 15). See Wages.