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עֶבֶד

𐤏𐤁𐤃

Eved

H5651 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עבד to serve, work, be a servant

Definition

Proper name signifying 'servant.' Refers to individuals bearing the name 'Ebed' in the Hebrew Bible. The term עֶבֶד as a name almost certainly derives from its common noun sense, designating a person's status or intended role, but here serves as a personal or ancestral name. In biblical genealogies and narratives, it identifies two separate figures: one associated with the return from exile, and another as a forebear in a Judahite genealogy. The name may reflect either the parents' aspirations regarding humility or piety, or a familial association with service (potentially to a deity or notable personage), but the precise motivation for the name in each context is not specified in the biblical texts.

Semantic Range

proper name (Ebed); servant (if interpreted as a title or descriptor); could imply subordinate status, religious devotion, or social role, depending on context

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root עבד ('avad), meaning 'to serve, work'. The form עֶבֶד is the nominal derivative, literally 'servant, slave, attendant'. As a personal name, it likely carries the connotation 'Servant (of God/to someone)'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, עֶבֶד as a personal name appears in two principal genealogical contexts: (1) Ebed, the father of Gaal (Judges 9:26), likely an Israelite of Shechem during the era of the Judges, and (2) Ebed, a descendant among the returnees from the Babylonian exile (Ezra 8:6), possibly of southern Israelite or Judahite lineage. The use of common-noun occupational or social status terms as personal names is attested elsewhere in ancient Israel/Levantine onomastics, indicating the complex relationship between name and identity. English translations transliterate the name as 'Ebed', though the sense 'servant' could underlie theological or moral associations that are not explicit in the name's original usage. It is distinct from contextual appellations like 'servant of YHWH', in which the term designates status rather than functioning as a personal name.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as עֶבֶד; Ebed, the name of two Israelites; Ebed.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עבד (ʿ-b-d) — to serve, work, be a servant

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4566 מַעְבָּד their deeds
H4567 מַעְבָד his deeds
H5647 עָבַד he served
H5648 עֲבַד you did
H5649 עֲבַד servant

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5651-02 עֶ֨בֶד֙ eved HNp Ebed servant of 5
H5651-01 עָ֑בֶד aved HNp of Ebed Servant 1

Occurrences in Scripture

6 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5651-02 Judges 9:26 עֶ֨בֶד֙ eved HNp Ebed servant of
H5651-02 Judges 9:28 עֶ֗בֶד eved HNp Ebed servant of
H5651-01 Judges 9:30 עָ֑בֶד aved HNp of Ebed Servant
H5651-02 Judges 9:31 עֶ֤בֶד eved HNp Ebed servant of
H5651-02 Judges 9:35 עֶ֔בֶד eved HNp Ebed servant of
H5651-02 Ezra 8:6 עֶ֖בֶד eved HNp Ebed servant of
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