en_tw/bible/other/servant.md

servant

Related Ideas:

assistant, attendant, hired worker, maidservant, office, serve, service

Definition:

The word "servant" refers to a person who works for another person, either by choice or by force. Some servants were slaves, and the surrounding text usually makes it clear whether or not a particular servant was a slave. In Bible times, there was less of a difference between a servant and a slave than there is today. Both servants and slaves were an important part of their master's household and many were treated almost like members of the family. Sometimes a servant would choose to become a lifetime servant to his master.

• 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 very cruelly, while other masters treated their slaves very well, as a servant who was a valued member of the household.
• In ancient times, some people became slaves to a person they owed money to in order to pay off their debt to that person.
• In the Bible, the phrase "I am your servant" was used as a sign of respect and service to a person of higher rank, such as a king. It did not mean that the person speaking was an actual servant.
• In the Old Testament, God's prophets and other people who worshiped God were often referred to as his "servants."
• In the New Testament, people who obeyed God through faith in Christ were often called his "servants."
• Christians are also called "slaves to righteousness," which is a metaphor that compares the commitment to obey God to a slave's commitment to obey his master.

The word "serve" means to do things to help other people. It can also mean to "worship."

• 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."
• To "serve God" can be translated as to "worship and obey God" or to "do the work that God has commanded."
• 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.

The word "service" refers to the work that a servant does. It may also refer to worship.

The word "office" refers to the position or job that a servant has.

(See also: commit, enslave, household, lord, obey, righteous, covenant, law)

Picture of Serving:

Bible References

• Acts 04:29-31
• Acts 10:7-8
• Colossians 01:7-8
• Colossians 03:22-25
• Genesis 21:10-11
• Luke 12:47-48
• Mark 09:33-35
• Matthew 10:24-25
• Matthew 13:27-28
• 2 Timothy 02:3-5
• Acts 06:2-4
• Genesis 25:23
• Luke 04:8
• Luke 12:37-38
• Luke 22:26-27
• Mark 08:7-10
• Matthew 04:10-11
• Matthew 06:24

Examples from the Bible stories:

• 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.
• 08:04 The slave traders sold Joseph as a slave to a wealthy government official.
• 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 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."
• 29:03 "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.'"
• 35:06 "All my father's servants have plenty to eat, and yet here I am starving."
• 47:04 The slave girl kept yelling as they walked, "These men are servants of the Most High God.
• 50:04 Jesus also said, "A servant is not greater than his master."

Word Data:

• Strong's: H327, H519, H519, H4931, H5288, H5647, H5649, H5650, H5656, H5657, H5659, H5673, H6402, H6635, H7916, H8120, H8198, H8278, H8334, H8335, G1199, G1247, G1248, G1249, G1397, G1398, G1401, G1402, G2038, G2322, G2324, G2615, G2999, G3000, G3008, G3009, G3010, G3011, G3407, G3411, G3610, G3814, G3816, G4342, G5256, G5257

Forms Found in the English ULB:

female servant, female servants, hired servant, hired servants, hired worker, maidservants, male servant, male servants, office, offices, one who serves, servant, servant girl, servant girls, servant's, servants, servants', serve, served, serves, service, services, serving