# servant, serve, slave, young man, young women

## Definition:

A “servant” or “slave” refers to a person who works for (or obeys) another person, either by choice or by force. A servant was under his master's control. In the Bible, “servant” and “slave” are mostly interchangable terms.
The term “serve” generally means to do work for someone, and the concept can be applied in a wide variety of contexts.

* A slave was a kind of servant who was the property of the person he worked for. The person who bought a slave was called his “owner” or “master.” Some masters treated their slaves cruelly. Other masters treated their slaves well, like a valued member of the household. The term “slavery” means the state of being a slave.
* A person could be a slave temporarily, for instance while working to repay a debt to his owner.
* The words “young man” or “young woman” often mean “servant” or “slave.” This meaning will be discerned from context. One indicator of this situation is if the possessive is used, eg. “her young women” could be translated as “her servants” or “her slaves.”
* The term “enslave” means “to cause to be a slave” (usually by force).
* The New Testament speaks of human beings as “slaves of sin” until Jesus frees them from its control and power. When a person receives new life in Christ, he stops being a slave to sin and becomes a slave to righteousness.

## Translation Suggestions

* The term “serve” can also be translated as “minister to” or “work for” or “take care of” or “obey,” depending on the context.
* The term “enslave” could be translated as “cause to not be free” or “force to serve others” or “put under the control of others.”
* The phrase “enslaved to” or “in bondage to” could be translated as “forced to be a slave of” or “forced to serve” or “under the control of.”
* To “serve God” can be translated as to “worship and obey God” or to “do the work that God has commanded.”
* In the Old Testament, God’s prophets and other people who worshiped God were often called his “servants.”
* In the New Testament, people who obeyed God through faith in Christ were often called his “servants.”
* To “serve tables” means to bring food to people who are sitting at tables, or more generally, to “distribute food.”
* In the context of a person serving guests, this term means “care for” or “serve food to” or “provide food for.” When Jesus told the disciples to “serve” the fish to the people, this could be translated as, “distribute” or “hand out” or “give.”
* People who teach others about God are said to serve both God and the ones they are teaching.
* The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians about how they used to “serve” the old covenant. This refers to obeying the laws of Moses. Now they “serve” the new covenant. That is, because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, believers in Jesus are enabled by the Holy Spirit to please God and live holy lives.
* Paul talks about their actions in terms of their “service” to either the old or new covenant. This could be translated as “serving” or “obeying” or “devotion to.”
* Often, when a person referred to himself as “your servant” he was showing respect to the person addressed. That person may have had higher social status, or the speaker may be showing humility. It did not mean that the person speaking was an actual servant.

(See also: [bondage](../kt/bond.md), [works](../kt/works.md), [obey](../other/obey.md), [house](../other/house.md), [lord](../kt/lord.md))

## Bible References:

* [Genesis 15:13](rc://en/tn/help/gen/15/13)
* [Genesis 21:10-11](rc://en/tn/help/gen/21/10)
* [Genesis 25:23](rc://en/tn/help/gen/25/23)
* [Deuteronomy 24:7](rc://en/tn/help/deu/24/7)
* [Jeremiah 30:8-9](rc://en/tn/help/jer/30/08)
* [Matthew 4:10-11](rc://en/tn/help/mat/04/10)
* [Matthew 6:24](rc://en/tn/help/mat/06/24)
* [Matthew 10:24-25](rc://en/tn/help/mat/10/24)
* [Matthew 13:27-28](rc://en/tn/help/mat/13/27)
* [Mark 8:7-10](rc://en/tn/help/mrk/08/07)
* [Mark 9:33-35](rc://en/tn/help/mrk/09/33)
* [Luke 4:8](rc://en/tn/help/luk/04/08)
* [Luke 12:37-38](rc://en/tn/help/luk/12/37)
* [Luke 12:47-48](rc://en/tn/help/luk/12/47)
* [Luke 22:26-27](rc://en/tn/help/luk/22/26)
* [Acts 4:29-31](rc://en/tn/help/act/04/29)
* [Acts 6:2-4](rc://en/tn/help/act/06/02)
* [Acts 10:7-8](rc://en/tn/help/act/10/07)
* [Galatians 4:3](rc://en/tn/help/gal/04/03)
* [Galatians 4:24-25](rc://en/tn/help/gal/04/24)
* [Colossians 1:7-8](rc://en/tn/help/col/01/07)
* [Colossians 3:22-25](rc://en/tn/help/col/03/22)
* [2 Timothy 2:3-5](rc://en/tn/help/2ti/02/03)

## Examples from the Bible stories:

* __[6:1](rc://en/tn/help/obs/06/01)__ When Abraham was very old and his son, Isaac, had grown to be a man, Abraham sent one of his __servants__ back to the land where his relatives lived to find a wife for his son, Isaac.
* __[8:4](rc://en/tn/help/obs/08/04)__ The __slave__ traders sold Joseph as a __slave__ to a wealthy government official.
* __[9:13](rc://en/tn/help/obs/09/13)__ “I (God) will send you (Moses) to Pharaoh so that you can bring the Israelites out of their __slavery__ in Egypt.”
* __[19:10](rc://en/tn/help/obs/19/10)__ Then Elijah prayed, “O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, show us today that you are the God of Israel and that I am your __servant__.”
* __[29:3](rc://en/tn/help/obs/29/03)__ “Since the __servant__ could not pay the debt, the king said, ‘Sell this man and his family as __slaves__ to make payment on his debt.’”
* __[35:6](rc://en/tn/help/obs/35/06)__ “All my father’s __servants__ have plenty to eat, and yet here I am starving.”
* __[47:4](rc://en/tn/help/obs/47/04)__ The __slave__ girl kept yelling as they walked, “These men are servants of the Most High God.”
* __[50:4](rc://en/tn/help/obs/50/04)__ Jesus also said, “A __servant__ is not greater than his master.”

## Word Data:

* (Servant) Strong’s: H0519, H5288, H5647, H5649, H5650, H5657, H7916, H8198, H8334, G12490, G14010, G14020, G23240, G34070, G34110, G36100, G38160, G49830, G52570
* (Serve) H3547, H4929, H4931, H5647, H5656, H5673, H5975, H6213, H6399, H6402, H6440, H6633, H6635, H7272, H8104, H8120, H8199, H8278, H8334, G12470, G12480, G13980, G14020, G14380, G19830, G20640, G22120, G23230, G29990, G30000, G30090, G43370, G43420, G47540, G50870, G52560
* (Enslave) H3533, G26150
