בצע

From the root ב־צ־ע (b-ṣ-ʿ) meaning "to cut off", "to break off", "to be greedy", to gain unjustly". Compare Arabic بَضَعَ (baḍaʕa, “to cut, to slit”).

• (Modern Israeli Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈbet͡sa/
• (Tiberian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛsˤaʕ/
• (Biblical Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛsˤaʕ/
• (Ashkenazi Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈbɛt͡sa/
• (Yemenite Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈbæsˤæʕ/, [ˈbæːsˤæːʕ]
• (Persian Hebrew) IPA^(key): /ˈbesæ/

בֶּצַע • (bétsa) m [pattern: קֶטֶל]

1. gain, profit, especially that which was unjustly obtained
   • Tanach, Genesis 37:26, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוּדָ֖ה אֶל־אֶחָ֑יו מַה־בֶּ֗צַע כִּ֤י נַהֲרֹג֙ אֶת־אָחִ֔ינוּ וְכִסִּ֖ינוּ אֶת־דָּמֽוֹ׃

     va'yómer y'hudá 'el 'ekháv ma bétsa ki naharóg 'et 'akhínu v'khisínu 'et damó

     Then Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood?

   • Tanach, Jeremiah 22:17, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     כִּ֣י אֵ֤ין עֵינֶ֙יךָ֙ וְלִבְּךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־עַל־בִּצְעֶ֑ךָ וְעַ֤ל דַּֽם־הַנָּקִי֙ לִשְׁפּ֔וֹךְ וְעַל־הָעֹ֥שֶׁק וְעַל־הַמְּרוּצָ֖ה לַעֲשֽׂוֹת׃

     ki ein einékha v'lib'khá ki im al bitsékha v'al dam hanakí li'shpókh v'al haóshek v'al hamerutsá laasót

     But your eyes and your mind are only on ill-gotten gains, on shedding the blood of the innocent, on committing fraud and violence.

2. greed
   • Tanach, Isaiah 57:17, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     בַּעֲוֺ֥ן בִּצְע֛וֹ קָצַ֥פְתִּי וְאַכֵּ֖הוּ הַסְתֵּ֣ר וְאֶקְצֹ֑ף וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ שׁוֹבָ֖ב בְּדֶ֥רֶךְ לִבּֽוֹ׃

     ba'avón bits'ó katsáfti v'akéhu hastér v'ektsóf va'yelékh shováv b'dérekh libó

     For their sinful greed I was angry; I struck them and turned away in My wrath. Though stubborn, they follow the way of their hearts,

• H1215 in Strong, James (1979), Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible