H5673 H5673
Work, service, or administrative duty; an Aramaic noun for labor on temple construction or governmental administration (Daniel, Ezra).
The Aramaic feminine noun עֲבִידָה (avidah) denotes work, service, or administrative function, cognate with Hebrew עֲבֹדָה. Found exclusively in the Aramaic sections of Ezra and Daniel, it covers both physical labor — specifically the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple (Ezra 4:24; 5:8; 6:7) — and governmental administration under Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 2:49; 3:12). Its final occurrence designates the ritual service of God organized by priestly divisions (Ezra 6:18). Multilingual glosses confirm this range: Spanish 'servicio/obra,' French 'travail/service,' all pointing to purposeful, organized labor.
Senses
1. work, service, administration (Aramaic) — Work, service, or administrative duty in an official or sacred context. In Ezra, the term refers to the physical construction work on the temple (Ezra 4:24; 5:8; 6:7) and the organized ritual service of God (Ezra 6:18). In Daniel, it designates provincial administration — the affairs of state delegated by the king (Dan 2:49; 3:12). The multilingual evidence — Spanish 'servicio/obra,' French 'travail/service,' English 'administration/work/service' — reflects the word's breadth from manual labor to governmental oversight, unified by the concept of assigned, purposeful duty. 6×
AR["أَعْمَالِ", "عَمَل", "عَمَل-", "عَمَلُ", "وَ-العَمَل-"]·ben["আর-কাজ", "কাজ", "কাজের"]·DE["[ועבידתא]", "[לעבידת]", "[עבידת]", "[עבידתא]"]·EN["administration-of", "and-work", "the-service-of", "the-work-of", "work-of"]·FR["et-travail", "service", "travail"]·heb["ו-עבידתא", "ל-עבידת", "עבודת", "עבידת"]·HI["और-काम", "काम", "काम-को", "कार्यों", "सेवा"]·ID["dan-pekerjaan", "pekerjaan", "pelayanan", "urusan"]·IT["[עבידת]", "[עבידתא]", "e-lavoro", "lavoro"]·jav["kangge-pedamelan", "pakaryan", "pedamelan", "peladosan", "punika"]·KO["그-일", "그리고-그-일", "에-그-일", "일", "일들의"]·PT["a-obra-de", "e-a-obra", "o-serviço-de", "obra-de"]·RU["-делами", "и-работа", "работа", "работу", "службу"]·ES["el-servicio-de", "la-obra-de", "los-asuntos-de", "obra-de", "y-obra"]·SW["huduma", "kazi", "kazi-ya", "kazi-za", "na-kazi"]·TR["isi", "isine", "isini", "işlerinin", "ve-is"]·urd["اور-کام", "لے-کام", "کام", "کاموں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)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×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [עֲבִידָה] n.f. work, service (BH עֲבֹדָה);—emph. עֲבִידְתָּא Ezr 5:8; Dn 2:49, cstr. עֲבִידַת Ezr 4:24 +;— 1. work, of building temple, Ezr 4:24; 5:8; 6:7; = administration Dn 2:49; 3:12. 2. ritual, service, of God Ezr 6:18.