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עֲבֻדָּה

𐤏𐤁𐤃𐤄

ʻăbuddâh

H5657 noun

SILEX Entry

Root עבד to work, serve, labor, be enslaved

Definition

A state or activity of working, laboring, or performing service, especially manual or servile work; the condition or product of being worked or enslaved, often as an institutionalized role or social status in household or temple. In some cases, refers to the collective body of work performed, or to a group of servants or laborers regarded collectively.

Semantic Range

work, labor (especially servile), service, duties (ritual or domestic), enslavement, labor force, collective workers or servants, compulsory service

Root / Etymology

From the root עבד (ʿ-b-d), which fundamentally means 'to work, serve, labor.' The noun עֲבֻדָּה is formed by a nominal pattern indicating 'that which is worked' or 'act of serving,' capturing both the action and its condition. Root and actual word meaning closely align here: root connotes exerting effort or being in bondage, the noun signals the resulting state or activity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, עֲבֻדָּה often appears in contexts relating to the performance of work, whether agricultural, domestic, or religious. It can describe the labor of household members, enslaved individuals, or those performing cultic duties in the sanctuary. In priestly literature (Pentateuch), the term is used for the ritual service carried out by Levites or priests, but elsewhere (especially in the monarchy and prophetic periods), it commonly refers to the forced labor of subjects or the general labor responsibilities within a household estate. Unlike עַבֶד (ʿeved, 'servant, slave'), which focuses on the person, עֲבֻדָּה denotes the work or service itself. Over time, the word's use to indicate an enslaved labor force or domestic workforce is more pronounced in post-exilic and Second Temple literature. English translations often render it narrowly as 'service,' but this may obscure its association with forced labor, enslavement, or ritual duty. It does not refer to voluntary, dignified work so much as assigned or expected service, often in a context of subordination.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

passive participle of עָבַד; something wrought, i.e. (concretely) service; household, store of servants.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

עבד (ʿ-b-d) — to work, serve, labor, be enslaved

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

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5657-01 וַ/עֲבֻדָּ֖ה vaavudah HC/Ncfsa and a great and servile labor 2

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5657-01 Genesis 26:14 וַ/עֲבֻדָּ֖ה vaavudah HC/Ncfsa and a great and servile labor
H5657-01 Job 1:3 וַ/עֲבֻדָּ֖ה vaavudah HC/Ncfsa and a household and servile labor
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