Bible Dictionaries
Labour

　　Greek and Roman thought regarded those who lived by labour as indispensable but contemptible necessities. Jewish teaching stood in strong contrast to this. ‘Hate not laborious work’ (Sirach 7:15) was accepted as a rule of life. Even the scholar was to spend some of his time in manual work (Schürer, History of the Jewish People (Eng. tr. of GJV).]