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Col. 4:1; 1 Tim. 6:1; frequently in the four Gospels; (b) metaphorically of spiritual, moral
and ethical conditions: “servants” (1) of God, e.g., Acts 16:17; Titus 1:1; 1 Pet. 2:16;
Rev. 7:3; 15:3; the perfect example being Christ Himself, Phil. 2:7; (2) of Christ, e.g.,
Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 7:22 (2nd part); Gal. 1:10; Eph. 6:6; Phil. 1:1; Col. 4:12; Jas. 1:1; 2 Pet.
1:1; Jude 1; (3) of sin, John 8:34 (
RV
, “bondservants”); Rom. 6:17, 20; (4) of corruption,
2 Pet. 2:19 (
RV
, “bondservants”); cf. the verb
$
(see B). See
BONDMAN
.
2.
(
1
, 1249), for which see
DEACON
and
Note
there on synonymous
words, is translated “servant” or “servants” in Matt. 22:13 (
RV
marg., “ministers”); 23:11
(
RV
marg., ditto); Mark 9:35,
KJV
(
RV
, “minister”); John 2:5, 9; 12:26; Rom. 16:1.
3.
(
, 3816), for which see
CHILD
, No. 4, also denotes “an attendant”; it is
translated “servant” (a) of natural conditions, in Matt. 8:6, 8, 13; 14:2; Luke 7:7
(“menservants” in 12:45); 15:26; (b) of spiritual relation to God, (1) of Israel, Luke 1:54;
(2) of David, Luke 1:69; Acts 4:25; (3) of Christ, so declared by God the Father, Matt.
12:18; spoken of in prayer, Acts 4:27, 30,
RV
(
KJV
, “child”); the argument advanced by
Dalman for the rendering “Child” in these passages, is not sufficiently valid as against the
RV
, “Servant” in Acts 4, and the
KJV
and
RV
in Matt. 12 (cf, e.g., the use of
in the
Sept. of Gen. 41:38; Jer. 36:24). The Matt. 12 passage by direct quotation, and the Acts 4
passages by implication, refer to the ideal “Servant of Jehovah” (Sept.,
$ $
), of
Isa. 42:1 and following passages, thus identifying the Servant with the Lord Jesus; for the
same identification, cf. Acts 8:35.
4.
(
*
!
, 3610), “a house servant” (
, “to dwell,”
, “a house”), is
translated “servant” in Luke 16:13 (
RV
marg., “household servant”); so Rom. 14:4 and 1
Pet. 2:18; in Acts 10:7,
KJV
and
RV
, “household servants.”¶
5.
$
(
% $!
, 5257), for which see
MINISTER
, No. 3, and
OFFICER
, is
translated “servants” in the
KJV
of Matt. 26:58; Mark 14:65 (
RV
, “officers”); in John
18:36,
KJV
and
RV
(
RV
, marg., “officers”).
6.
(
$1
, 2324), akin to
$
, “to serve, to heal, an attendant,
servant,” is a term of dignity and freedom, used of Moses in Heb. 3:5.¶
7.
$ $
(
"
, 4889), “a fellow servant,” is used (a) of natural conditions,
Matt. 18:28, 29, 31, 33; 24:49; (b) of “servants” of the same divine Lord, Col. 1:7; 4:7;
Rev. 6:11; of angels, Rev. 19:10; 22:9.¶
Note:
For
and
, see
HIRED SERVANT
.
B. Verb.
$
(
, 1402), “to enslave, to bring into bondage” (akin to A, No. 1), e.g., 1
Cor. 9:19,
RV
, “I brought (myself) under bondage (to all),”
KJV
, “I made myself servant,”
denotes in the passive voice, “to be brought into bondage, to become a slave or servant,”
rendered “ye became servants (of righteousness)” in Rom. 6:18; “being … become
servants (to God),” v. 22. See
BONDAGE
, B, No. 2.
SERVE