H8120 H8120
to serve, minister; Aramaic verb describing angelic or courtly service rendered to a superior
This Aramaic verb appears in the Piel stem, describing the act of ministering or serving in a formal, courtly context. In Daniel 7:10, it depicts the countless heavenly beings who serve before God's throne—a vision of celestial worship and divine majesty. The verb conveys respectful, reverent service rather than menial labor, appropriate to the cosmic courtroom scene where the Ancient of Days sits in judgment. The cognate forms across Aramaic dialects and into Rabbinic Hebrew consistently denote ritual or formal ministry.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Describes angelic or heavenly service rendered to God in Daniel's vision of the divine throne room. The form ישמשונה (yeshamme-shuneh) is a Piel imperfect 3rd masculine plural with pronominal suffix 'him,' literally 'they were ministering to him.' English 'served Him' and Spanish 'le servían' capture the ongoing action of celestial attendance. The context in Daniel 7:10 emphasizes the vast number of servants ('thousand thousands ministered to him') attending the divine presence, reflecting ancient Near Eastern court protocol elevated to cosmic scale. 1×
AR["يَخْدُمُونَهُ"]·ben["তাঁকে-সেবা-করছিল"]·DE["[ישמשונה]"]·EN["served-Him"]·FR["servir"]·heb["ישרתוהו"]·HI["सेवा-करते-थे-उसकी"]·ID["melayani-Nya"]·IT["[ישמשונה]"]·jav["sami-ngladosi-Panjenenganipun"]·KO["섬기고있었다-그를"]·PT["o-serviam"]·RU["служили-Ему"]·ES["le-servían"]·SW["walimhudumia"]·TR["hizmet-ediyordu-ona"]·urd["خدمت-کرتے-تھے-اُس-کی"]
Related Senses
H8104 1. Qal: keep, observe (law/covenant) (399×)G3101 1. disciple, learner (263×)H5826 1. Qal: to help, aid (53×)H8334 1. to minister, serve (52×)H8334 2. minister, servant, attendant (46×)G5083 1. observe or obey commands (41×)H8104 2. Niphal: beware, take heed (34×)G1247 1. to serve or minister to (32×)H3256 1. discipline, chastise (Piel active) (27×)H5833 1. help, aid, assistance (26×)H8104 3. Qal: watch, look out (26×)H5341 1. keep, observe (commandments) (24×)G5083 2. guard or protect someone (23×)H5647 2. serve, minister to (a person) (21×)H5826 2. Qal participle: helper (21×)G5219 1. obey, be obedient to (20×)H5341 2. guard, protect, preserve (a person) (20×)G1398 1. serve, render service to (19×)H5828 1. help, assistance (19×)H5411 1. Nethinim, temple servants (18×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. [שְׁמַשׁ] vb. Pa. minister (𝔗 Pa. id., תַּשְׁמִישׁ use; Palm. שמש, תשמיש, SAC 114, cf. 122 Lzb 379; Syriac ܫܰܡܶܫ, ܬܶܫܡܶܫܬܳܐ; Chr-Pal. ܫܡܫ Pa, ܬܫܡܫ; NH שִׁמֵּשׁ, תַּשְׁמ��ישׁ; Egyptian šms, servant, Kopt. šemše, cf. WMM in Buhl 14);—Impf. 3 mpl. sf. יְשַׁמְּשׁוּנֵּהּ Dn 7:10 were ministering to him.