Word study
Service
10 Hebrew and 4 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: service, services. 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 “service” 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)
- עֲבֹדָה ăbôdâhlabour, servicetranslated this way 59 times of its 127 uses · Strong’s H5656Noun · Translated: service 56, work 25, labor 8, task 5Full study and all 112 verses →
Exodus 1:14 and made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar, and with all kinds of work in the fields. Every service they imposed was harsh.
Numbers 3:7 They are to perform duties for him and for the whole congregation before the Tent of Meeting, attending to the service of the tabernacle.
- מִשְׁמֶרֶת mishmerethguard, watchtranslated this way 4 times of its 73 uses · Strong’s H4931Noun · Translated: charge 20, duties 18, responsible 3, service 3Full study and all 66 verses →
Numbers 3:38 Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons were to camp to the east of the tabernacle, toward the sunrise, before the Tent of Meeting. They were to perform the duties of the sanctuary as a service on behalf of the Israelites; but any outsider who approached the sanctuary was to be put to death.
Nehemiah 12:9 Bakbukiah and Unni, their associates, stood across from them in the services.
- עָמַד âmadtake one's stand, standtranslated this way 3 times of its 508 uses · Strong’s H5975Verb · Translated: stood 99, stand 95, standing 50, stands 12Full study and all 485 verses →
Genesis 41:46 Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.
1 Samuel 16:21 When David came to Saul and entered his service, Saul loved him very much, and David became his armor-bearer.
- שָׁרַת shârathminister, servetranslated this way 3 times of its 94 uses · Strong’s H8334Verb · Translated: minister 32, serve 9, ministering 6, ministers 6Full study and all 88 verses →
2 Kings 25:14 They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes, and all the articles of bronze used in the temple service.
1 Chronicles 28:1 Now David summoned all the leaders of Israel to Jerusalem: the leaders of the tribes, the leaders of the divisions in the king’s service, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officials in charge of all the property and cattle of the king and his sons, along with the court officials and mighty men— every mighty man of valor.
- מְלָאכָה melâkâhoccupation, worktranslated this way 3 times of its 142 uses · Strong’s H4399Noun · Translated: work 86, regular work 10, craft 3, service 3Full study and all 131 verses →
1 Chronicles 4:23 These were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the service of the king.
Nehemiah 11:22 Now the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem was Uzzi son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica. He was one of Asaph’s descendants, who were the singers in charge of the service of the house of God.
- צָבָא tsâbâarmy, war, warfaretranslated this way 2 times of its 468 uses · Strong’s H6635Noun · Translated: Hosts 286, army 66, host 23, divisions 21Full study and all 448 verses →
Numbers 8:24 “This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years of age or older shall enter to perform the service in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
Job 14:14 When a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hard service I will wait, until my renewal comes.
- עָבַד âbadwork, servetranslated this way 2 times of its 286 uses · Strong’s H5647Verb · Translated: serve 110, served 44, worship 32, work 9Full study and all 259 verses →
Numbers 18:7 But only you and your sons shall attend to your priesthood for everything concerning the altar and what is inside the veil, and you are to perform that service. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift, but any outsider who comes near the sanctuary must be put to death.”
Deuteronomy 15:18 Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.
- מַעֲמָד maămâdoffice, function, servicetranslated this way 2 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s H4612Noun · Translated: service 2, duty 1, stations 1, position 1Full study and all 5 verses →
1 Kings 10:5 the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.
2 Chronicles 9:4 the food at his table, the seating of his servants, the service and attire of his attendants, the attire of his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he presented at the house of the LORD, it took her breath away.
- יָצָא yâtsâgo or come outtranslated this way 2 times of its 1,035 uses · Strong’s H3318Verb · Translated: brought 108, went 103, go 82, came 78Full study and all 975 verses →
- מֶלֶךְ melekkingtranslated this way 2 times of its 2,416 uses · Strong’s H4428Noun · Translated: king 1,810, kings 267, king's 134, royal 58Full study and all 1,901 verses →
Greek words (New Testament)
- διακονία diakoníawaiting at table, service, ministrationtranslated this way 6 times of its 34 uses · Strong’s G1248Noun · Translated: ministry 19, service 6, serve 3Full study and all 32 verses →
Romans 15:31 Pray that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there,
1 Corinthians 16:15 You know that Stephanas and his household were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. Now I urge you, brothers,
- λειτουργία leitourgíaa charitable gift, public servicetranslated this way 4 times of its 6 uses · Strong’s G3009Noun · Translated: service 4, ministry 1, worship 1Full study and all 6 verses →
Luke 1:23 And when the days of his service were complete, he returned home.
2 Corinthians 9:12 For this ministry of service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God.
- λατρεία latreíaservice, worshiptranslated this way 2 times of its 5 uses · Strong’s G2999Noun · Translated: service 1, temple worship 1, service of worship 1, worship 1Full study and all 5 verses →
John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
- εὐεργεσία euergesíagood action, kind servicetranslated this way 2 times of its 2 uses · Strong’s G2108Noun · Translated: kind service 1, good service 1Full study and all 2 verses →
Acts 4:9 If we are being examined today about a kind service to a man who was lame, to determine how he was healed,
1 Timothy 6:2 Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.
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.
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.