📖 Biblical Definition
Scripture condemns exploitation absolutely. "He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker: but he that honoureth him hath mercy on the poor" (Proverbs 14:31). The prophets thundered against those who exploited workers and widows: "Because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes; That pant after the dust of the earth on the head of the poor" (Amos 2:6-7); "Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth" (James 5:4). The Mosaic law built protections into the harvest itself (gleaning), the calendar (sabbaths, Jubilee), and the courts (no respect of persons).
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The unjust use of others for one's own profit; the abuse of power over the vulnerable.
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Webster defines EXPLOIT as "a heroic act." The negative sense developed later. He would have addressed it through OPPRESSION and INJUSTICE.
📖 Key Scripture
• Proverbs 14:31 — "He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker."
• Amos 2:6-7 — "They sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes."
• James 5:4 — "The hire of the labourers who reaped your fields, kept back by fraud, crieth."
• Matthew 25:40 — "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Exploitation is either defined so broadly that all inequality becomes exploitation, or ignored when it serves favored institutions.
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Marxist frameworks define all inequality as exploitation, discrediting legitimate concern. Certain capitalist apologists ignore genuine exploitation as market dynamics. Scripture condemns actual exploitation without condemning all inequality or free exchange, protecting both property rights and workers' rights.
Usage
• "Scripture condemns exploitation with the fury of the prophets: withholding fair wages cries out to God."
• "Not all inequality is exploitation, but all exploitation is sin — God has particular anger toward those who abuse power over the vulnerable."