Word study
Servant
14 Hebrew and 10 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: servant, servants. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “servant” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- עֶבֶד ebedslave, servanttranslated this way 626 times of its 793 uses · Strong’s H5650Noun · Translated: servant 327, servants 282, officials 31, slaves 24Full study and all 712 verses →
Genesis 9:25 he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”
Exodus 4:10 “Please, Lord,” Moses replied, “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since You have spoken to Your servant, for I am slow of speech and tongue.”
- נַעַר naara shaking, scatteringtranslated this way 46 times of its 227 uses · Strong’s H5288Noun · Translated: boy 48, young men 30, young man 27, servant 25Full study and all 214 verses →
Genesis 18:7 Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd, selected a tender and choice calf, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it.
Numbers 22:22 Then God’s anger was kindled because Balaam was going along, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
- שִׁפְחָה shiphchâhmaid, maid-servanttranslated this way 19 times of its 60 uses · Strong’s H8198Noun · Translated: maidservant 18, maidservants 17, servant 14, servant girl 4Full study and all 56 verses →
Genesis 16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.”
Exodus 11:5 and every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, to the firstborn of the servant girl behind the hand mill, as well as the firstborn of all the cattle.
- נָתִין NâthînNethinim, Temple-servantstranslated this way 14 times of its 14 uses · Strong’s H5411Noun · Translated: temple servants 14Full study and all 14 verses →
1 Chronicles 9:2 Now the first to resettle their own property in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.
Ezra 2:43 The temple servants: the descendants of Ziha, the descendants of Hasupha, the descendants of Tabbaoth,
- אָמָה âmâhmaid, handmaidtranslated this way 10 times of its 53 uses · Strong’s H519Noun · Translated: maidservant 25, maidservants 13, servant 9, slave woman's 2Full study and all 49 verses →
Exodus 21:7 And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do.
Ruth 3:9 “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer.”
- עָבַד âbadwork, servetranslated this way 7 times of its 286 uses · Strong’s H5647Verb · Translated: serve 110, served 44, worship 32, work 9Full study and all 259 verses →
Genesis 49:15 He saw that his resting place was good and that his land was pleasant, so he bent his shoulder to the burden and submitted to labor as a servant.
2 Kings 10:19 Now, therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. See that no one is missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live.” But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the servants of Baal.
- עֲבַד ăbadslave, servanttranslated this way 7 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s H5649Noun · Translated: servants 6, servant 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Ezra 4:11 (This is the text of the letter they sent to him.) To King Artaxerxes, From your servants, the men west of the Euphrates:
Daniel 2:4 Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
- נַעֲרָה naărâhgirl, damseltranslated this way 4 times of its 56 uses · Strong’s H5291Noun · Translated: girl 11, young woman 8, girl's 5, servant girls 4Full study and all 52 verses →
Genesis 24:61 Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.
Ruth 2:8 Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Do not go and glean in another field, and do not go away from this place, but stay here close to my servant girls.
- שָׁרַת shârathminister, servetranslated this way 4 times of its 94 uses · Strong’s H8334Verb · Translated: minister 32, serve 9, ministering 6, ministers 6Full study and all 88 verses →
2 Kings 4:43 But his servant asked, “How am I to set twenty loaves before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’”
Psalm 103:21 Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will.
- אָמַר âmarutter, saytranslated this way 3 times of its 4,555 uses · Strong’s H559Verb · Translated: said 1,531, says 576, say 352, replied 341Full study and all 3,827 verses →
- בֵּן bênsontranslated this way 2 times of its 4,587 uses · Strong’s H1121Noun · Translated: son 1,843, sons 892, Israelites 422, descendants 358Full study and all 3,473 verses →
Genesis 15:3 Abram continued, “Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir.”
- אֱנוֹשׁ ĕnôshman, mankindtranslated this way 2 times of its 470 uses · Strong’s H582Noun · Translated: men 368, man 25, people 5, husbands 4Full study and all 447 verses →
Genesis 39:11 One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside.
Genesis 39:14 she called her household servants. “Look,” she said, “this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, but I screamed as loud as I could.
- שָׁלַח shâlachsendtranslated this way 2 times of its 829 uses · Strong’s H7971Verb · Translated: sent 334, send 126, go 43, sending 19Full study and all 783 verses →
Exodus 21:26 If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye.
Exodus 21:27 And if he knocks out the tooth of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the tooth.
- עֲבֻדָּה ăbuddâhservicetranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s H5657Noun · Translated: servants 2Full study and all 2 verses →
Genesis 26:14 He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.
Job 1:3 and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East.
Greek words (New Testament)
- δοῦλος doûlosa male slavetranslated this way 92 times of its 125 uses · Strong’s G1401Noun · Translated: servant 55, servants 36, slave 18, slaves 10Full study and all 117 verses →
Matthew 8:9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
Mark 12:2 At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard.
- διάκονος diákonosa waiter, servant, administratortranslated this way 22 times of its 29 uses · Strong’s G1249Noun · Translated: servant 14, servants 8, minister 3, deacons 2Full study and all 27 verses →
Matthew 20:26 It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
Mark 9:35 Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all.”
- παῖς paîsa boy or girl childtranslated this way 14 times of its 23 uses · Strong’s G3816Noun · Translated: servant 12, boy 4, servants 2Full study and all 23 verses →
Matthew 8:6 “Lord, my servant lies at home, paralyzed and in terrible agony.”
Luke 1:54 He has helped His servant Israel, remembering to be merciful,
- σύνδουλος sýndoulosa fellow servant, colleaguetranslated this way 10 times of its 10 uses · Strong’s G4889Noun · Translated: fellow servant 6, fellow servants 4Full study and all 10 verses →
Matthew 18:28 But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’
Colossians 1:7 You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
- παιδίσκη paidískēa female slave, maidservant, maid.translated this way 6 times of its 13 uses · Strong’s G3814Noun · Translated: servant girl 5, slave woman 3Full study and all 12 verses →
Matthew 26:69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.
Mark 14:66 While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down
- οἰκέτης oikétēsa household servanttranslated this way 4 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s G3610Noun · Translated: servant 2, servants 2, household 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Acts 10:7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his attendants.
- ὑπηρέτης hypērétēsa servant, an attendanttranslated this way 4 times of its 20 uses · Strong’s G5257Noun · Translated: officers 12, servants 3Full study and all 20 verses →
Luke 1:2 just as they were handed down to us by the initial eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
John 18:36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world; if it were, My servants would fight to prevent My arrest by the Jews. But now My kingdom is not of this realm.”
- δούλη doúlēa female slave, bonds-maidtranslated this way 2 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s G1399Noun · Translated: servant 2, maidservants 1Full study and all 3 verses →
Luke 1:38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel left her.
Luke 1:48 For He has looked with favor on the humble state of His servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed.
- μίσθιος místhiosa paid workertranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G3407Adjective · Translated: hired servants 2Full study and all 2 verses →
Luke 15:17 Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food, but here I am, starving to death!
Luke 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
- λειτουργός leitourgósa minister, servanttranslated this way 2 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s G3011Noun · Translated: servants 2, minister 2, ministers 1Full study and all 5 verses →
Romans 13:6 This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work.
Hebrews 1:7 Now about the angels He says: “He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.”
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
What the Bible says about servant: passages by topic →
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.