H5650 H5650
Servant, attendant, subject; slave or bondservant; honorific title 'servant of God' for patriarchs, prophets, and kings.
The Hebrew noun eved spans a social spectrum from royal courtier to chattel slave, and ascends to become one of Scripture's highest honorific titles. In its most common use (723 occurrences), it denotes anyone who serves another — a household attendant, a king's official, a military officer, or a speaker using 'your servant' as a polite first-person pronoun. Spanish siervo, French serviteur, and German Knecht cluster around the feudal-service end of the range, while the distinct sense of involuntary bondage (63 occurrences) draws out Spanish esclavo, French esclave, and German Sklave — vocabulary reserved for chattel slavery contexts like Exodus 21 and Leviticus 25. Most strikingly, eved becomes a divine title: 'My servant Moses' (Num 12:8), 'My servant David' (2 Sam 7:8), 'My servant Job' (Job 1:8) — an honorific that in Isaiah's Servant Songs (Isa 42-53) carries messianic weight across every Christian tradition.
Senses
1. Servant, attendant, subject — A servant, attendant, official, or subject — any person who serves another in a household, royal court, military, or political capacity, including the deferential self-reference 'your servant' meaning 'I/me.' This overwhelmingly dominant sense (723 occurrences) covers Pharaoh's servants (Gen 20:8; Exod 7:10), royal officials, household attendants, and the ubiquitous politeness formula where speakers refer to themselves as 'your servant' before a superior. Spanish siervo/siervos, French serviteur/serviteurs, German Knecht/Knechte, and Arabic عبد/عبيد all converge on the general service relationship. The breadth is striking: the same word names Joseph as Potiphar's household manager and courtiers advising kings. 723×
AR["عَبيدُهُ","عَبيدِهِ","عَبِيدَهُ","عَبِيدِهِ"]·ben["তাঁর-দাসদের","তাঁর-দাসেরা","তার-দাসদের","তার-দাসেরা","দাসদের-তাঁর"]·DE["sein-Knechte","seine-Knechte"]·EN["his-servants"]·FR["ses-serviteurs","son-serviteurs"]·heb["עבד-ו","עבדי-ו","עבדיו"]·HI["अपने-दअसोन-से","अपने-दस-को","अपने-दासों","अपने-दासों-का","उसके-दासों","उसके-दासों-का","उसके-दासों-के","उस्के-दअस","उस्के-सेवकोन-के","उस्के-सेवकोन-ने","दास-उसके","दासõ-उस्के-की","दासों-उसके","सेवकों-अपने","सेवकों-उसके-की"]·ID["hamba-hamba-Nya","hamba-hambanya","para-hambanya"]·IT["suo-servi","suoi-servi"]·jav["abdi-abdi-Panjenengané","abdi-abdi-nipun","abdi-abdinipun","para-abdi","para-abdinipun"]·KO["그의-신하들에게","그의-신하들의","그의-신하들이","그의-종들","그의-종들과","그의-종들에게","그의-종들을","그의-종들의","그의-종들이"]·PT["servos-dele","servos-seus","seus-servos"]·RU["рабами-Своими","рабами-его","рабов-Своих","рабов-его","рабов-своих","рабы-его","слуг-его","слуг-своих","слугам-своим","слугами-его","слуги-его"]·ES["siervos-suyos","sus-siervos"]·SW["na-akasema","wa-watumishi-wake","watumishi-wake","wote","ya-watumishi-wake"]·TR["kulları","kullarına","kullarını","kullarının"]·urd["اس-کے-نوکروں","اُس-کے-نوکروں","اپنے-بندوں","اپنے-بندوں-کا","اپنے-خادموں","اپنے-غلاموں-کی","اپنے-نوکروں","خادم","خادم-اس-کے","خادموں-اس-کے","خادموں-اس-کے-کی","خادموں-اس-کے-کے","خادموں-اُس-کے","خادموں-اُس-کے-کے","خادموں-اپنے"]
Gen 20:8, Exod 5:21, Exod 7:10, Exod 7:20, Exod 8:24, Exod 9:20, Exod 9:21, Exod 10:1, Exod 12:30, Deut 29:2, Deut 32:36, Deut 32:43 (+38 more)
2. Slave, bondservant — A slave or bondservant — a person held as property, bought with money, born in the house, or subjected to involuntary servitude under biblical law. With 63 occurrences, this sense surfaces in legal codes (Exod 21:2-6, the Hebrew slave law; Lev 25:39-46, regulations on Israelite versus foreign slaves) and economic inventories listing slaves alongside livestock and possessions (Gen 12:16; 24:35). Spanish shifts to esclavo, French to esclave, and German to Sklave in these contexts, while Arabic retains عبد but the legal framing makes the chattel sense unmistakable. The curse of Canaan — 'a servant of servants shall he be' (Gen 9:25) — uses the superlative construction eved avadim to express the lowest social station. 63×
AR["الْ-عُبُودِيَّةِ","الْعَبِيدِ","الْعُبودِيَّةِ","الْعُبُودِيَّةِ","عَابَادِيمَ","عَبيداً","عَبِيدًا","لِـ-عَبِيدٍ"]·ben["এবং-আশের","দাস-রূপে","দাসত্বের","দাসত্বের।","দাসদের","দাসদের-জন্য","দাসেদের-জন্য","দাসেরা"]·DE["Knechte","Sklaven","fuer-Knechte","zu-Knechte","zu-Knechten"]·EN["for-servants","slaves"]·FR["esclaves","pour-serviteurs","serviteur","serviteurs"]·heb["ל-עבד","ל-עבדים","עבדים"]·HI["दअस","दासत्व","दासत्व-के","दासों","दासों-के","दासों-के-रूप-में","दासों-के-लिए","दासों-को"]·ID["budak-budak","hamba-hamba","menjadi-hamba","perbudakan","perhambaan","sebagai-budak","sebagai-hamba"]·IT["per-servi","schiavi","servi","servo"]·jav["abdi","abdi-abdi","batur","batur-tukon","dados-abdi","kabudakan","kanggé-abdi-ipun","kanggé-para-abdi","kawula-kapal.","perbudakan","rencang-abdi","rencang-abdi."]·KO["로-종들","에-종들","종들-로","종들-의","종들로-","종들의"]·PT["escravidão","escravos","escravos,","escravos.","para-servos","por-servos","servidão","servos"]·RU["для-рабов","рабами","рабов","рабства"]·ES["esclavos","para-siervos","por-siervos","siervos"]·SW["kama-watumishi","utumwa","watumishi","watumwa","ya-utumwa"]·TR["kullar","kullar-olarak","köleler-olarak","kölelerin"]·urd["غلام","غلاموں","غلاموں-کے","غلاموں-کے-طور-پر","غلامی","غلامی-کے"]
3. Servant of God — The honorific title 'servant of God/the LORD,' applied to distinguished patriarchs, prophets, and kings who stand in a special covenant relationship with YHWH. Only 17 occurrences in this distinctive formulation, but each carries immense theological weight: 'My servant Abraham' (Gen 26:24), 'My servant Moses' (Num 12:8), 'My servant Caleb' (Num 14:24), 'My servant David' (2 Sam 3:18; 7:8), and 'My servant Job' (Job 1:8). The first-person divine possessive ('My servant') transforms a social-status term into a title of election and intimacy. Spanish mi siervo, French mon serviteur, and German mein Knecht preserve the possessive construction. This sense reaches its theological apex in Isaiah's Servant Songs, where the unnamed Servant of the LORD (Isa 42:1; 52:13; 53:11) carries suffering on behalf of others. 17×
AR["عَبدي","عَبْدِي","عَلَى-عَبْدِي","كَ-عَبْدِي","كَعَبْدِي","لِ-عَبْدِي","لِعَبدي","لِعَبْدِي","وَ-عَبِيدِي","وَ-عَبْدِي","وَعَبْدِي"]·ben["-আমার-দাসের-বিরুদ্ধে","-আমার-দাসের-মতো","-এবং-আমার-দাসেরা","-কাছে","আমার-দাস","আমার-দাসকে","আমার-দাসের","আর-আমার-দাস","এবং-আমার-দাস","ও-দাসদের-আমার","মতো-আমার-দাস"]·DE["Knechte-von","My-Knecht","gegen-mein-Knecht","meines-Knechtes","und-Knechte-von","und-mein-Knecht","und-mein-Knechte","wie-Knechte-von","wie-My-Knecht","zu-Knechte-von","zu-mein-Knecht"]·EN["My-servant","against-my-servant","and-My-servant","and-My-servants","and-my-servant","and-my-servants","as-My-servant","like-My-servant","servant-my","to-my-servant"]·FR["Mon-serviteur","comme-Mon-serviteur","comme-mon-serviteur-moi","contre-mon-serviteur","et-mon-serviteur","et-mon-serviteurs","mon-serviteur","pour-mon-serviteur","serviteur","serviteur-mon","à-mon-serviteur"]·heb["ב-עבדי","ו-עבד-י","ו-עבדי","כ-עבדי","ל-עבד-י","ל-עבדי","עבד-י","עבדי"]·HI["और-दास","और-दास-मेरा","और-दास-मेरे","और-मेरा-सेवक","और-मेरे-दास","जैसा-सेवक-मेरे","जैसे-मेरे-दास","दास-अपने-को","मेरे","मेरे-दास-के","मेरे-दास-के-विरुद्ध","मेरे-दास-से","सेवक-मेरे"]·ID["dan-hamba-Ku","dan-hamba-hamba-Ku","dan-hamba-hambaku","hamba-Ku","kepada-hamba-Ku","seperti-hamba-Ku","terhadap-hamba-Ku","tetapi-hamba-Ku"]·IT["My-servo","a-mio-servo","a-servi-di","come-My-servo","come-servo-mio","contro-mio-servo","e-il-mio-servo","e-mio-servi","e-mio-servo","e-servi-di","il-mio-servo","servo","servo-mio"]·jav["Nanging-abdi-Ku","abdi-Kawula","abdi-Ku","dhateng-abdi-Ingsun","dhateng-abdi-Kawula","dhateng-abdi-Ku","dhateng-abdi-Kula","kados-abdi-Ku","kadosdéné-abdi-Kawula","lan-abdi-Ingsun","lan-abdi-Kawula","lan-abdi-Kula","lan-para-abdi-kula","nglawan-abdi-Kawula"]·KO["그리고-나의-종","그리고-나의-종들이","그리고-내-종","그리고-내-종들이","그리고-종-나의인","나-의-종-처럼","나의-종","나의-종의","에-나의-종처럼","에-종-나-의","에게-나의-종","종-나의-에게","종에게-나의"]·PT["E-servo-meu","a-meu-servo","a-servo-meu","como-meu-servo","contra-servo-Meu","e-meus-servos","e-servo-meu","e-servos-meus","servo-meu"]·RU["и-раб-Мой","и-рабы-Мои","и-рабы-мои","как-раб-Мой","против-раба-Моего","раба-Моего","рабу-Моему"]·ES["Pero-mi-siervo","Y-mi-siervo","a-mi-siervo","a-siervo-mío","como-mi-siervo","contra-mi-siervo","mi-siervo","siervo-mío","y-mi-siervo","y-mis-siervos"]·SW["Lakini-mtumishi-wangu","Na-mtumishi-wangu","kama-mtumishi-wangu","kuhusu-mtumishi-wangu","kwa-mtumishi-wangu","mtumishi-wangu","na-mtumishi-wangu","na-watumishi-wangu","pamoja-na"]·TR["-de-kuluma-karşı","gibi-kulum","kulum","kulum-gibi","kuluma","kuluma-","ve-kullarim","ve-kullarım","ve-kulum"]·urd["اور-بندہ-میرا","اور-میرا-بندہ","اور-میرا-خادم","اور-میرے-بندے","اور-نوکر-میرے","اپنے-بندے","بندے-اپنے-کو","بندے-میرے-کے","جیسے-میرے-بندے","سے-بندے-اپنے-","میرے-بندے","میرے-بندے-سے","میرے-بندے-کے","میرے-خادم-کے-خلاف"]
Gen 26:24, Num 12:8, Num 14:24, 2 Sam 3:18, 2 Sam 7:8, 1 Kgs 5:6, 1 Kgs 14:8, 1 Chr 17:7, Job 42:7, Job 42:8, Isa 37:35, Isa 43:10 (+5 more)
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
I. עֶ֫בֶד799 n.m. slave, servant (on format. LagBN 77);—ע׳ Gn 9:25 +, עָ֑בֶד 44:10 +; sf. עַבְדִּי 26:24 +; עַבְדְּךָ 19:19 +; עַבְדֶּ֫ךָ 18:3 +; pl. עֲבָדִים 9:25 +, עַבְדֵי 21:25 +; sf. עֲבָדַי Lv 25:42 +, עַבְדֵיכֶם Jos 9:11 +, etc.;— 1. slave, servant of household Gn 39:17, 19; 41:12; 50:2; Ex 21:2 +; man-servant, ‖ אמה Ex 20:10 Lv 25:6; Dt 5:14; Jb 31:13 +; ‖ שׁפחה Gn 12:16; 32:6; Je 34:11;…