Lexical Summary
abad: done, made, carried
Original Word:עֲבַד
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:`abad
Pronunciation:ah-vad'
Phonetic Spelling:(ab-bad')
KJV: X cut, do, execute, go on, make, move, work
NASB:done, made, carried, do, torn, carrying, celebrated
Word Origin:[(Aramaic) corresponding toH5647 (עָבַד - serve)]
1. to do, make, prepare, keep, etc
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
cut, do, execute, go on, make, move, work
(Aramaic) corresponding toabad; to do, make, prepare, keep, etc. -- X cut, do, execute, go on, make, move, work.
see HEBREWabad
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin(Aramaic) corresponding to
abadDefinitionto make, do
NASB Translationcarried (2), carrying (1), celebrated (1), committed (1), do (2), does (1), doing (1), done (4), executed (1), going (1), held (1), incited (1), made (4), make (1), observe (1), performs (1), torn (2), waging (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(, Syriac, Old Aramaic, Nabataean, Palmyrene, Egyptian Aramaic (S-C
Pap.; compare ); = Biblical Hebrew , q. v., but in meaning "" ); —
Perfect3masculine singularDaniel 3:1 +, 2 masculine singular (K§ 13, 2)Daniel 4:32; 1singularDaniel 3:15;Daniel 6:23, 3masculine pluralEzra 6:13 +;Imperfect2masculine plural (Baer K§ 38. 1. b); Gi Str)Ezra 6:8;Ezra 7:18;Infinitive (K§ 15, a) 2))Ezra 4:22;Ezra 7:18 ();Participle activeEzra 7:26 +, feminine singularDaniel 7:21; masculine pluralEzra 4:15; —
make, accusative of thingDaniel 3:1,15 and (of creation)Jeremiah 10:11;make a feastDaniel 5:1, warDaniel 7:21 ( person). ded. of templeEzra 6:16.
do, accusative of deed,Daniel 4:32 (of God),Daniel 6:23;Ezra 4:15,22;do, act, ,thus,Ezra 6:13, ,according to,Daniel 7:18 and (of God)Daniel 4:32, absoluteDaniel 6:11; accusative + of thingEzra 7:18do somethingwith, + personEzra 6:8;do, perform, accusative of God's lawEzra 7:26, accusative of signs, etc. (subject God)Daniel 6:28 and (+ person)Daniel 3:32.
Imperfect3masculine singularEzra 6:11 +,Ezra 6:12;Ezra 7:21; 2masculine pluralDaniel 2:5;ParticipleEzra 7:26, -Ezra 4:19, feminine singular -Ezra 5:3; —
be made into, with noun predicate,Daniel 2:5;Daniel 3:29;Ezra 6:11.
be done, wrought,Ezra 4:19;Ezra 5:8 (subject );be performed, executed, of commandEzra 6:12;Ezra 7:21,23, judgmentEzra 7:26.
Topical Lexicon
Frequency and Distributionעֲבַד appears twenty-eight times, all within the Aramaic portions of Ezra (4–7) and Daniel (2–6). Every occurrence functions as a noun meaning “servant” or “bond-servant,” whether of earthly kings or of the God of heaven. Its limited, exile-era setting gives the word a concentrated theological weight, illustrating how God’s people understood their identity in foreign courts.
Servants of Earthly Kings
1. Administrative function. InDaniel 2:25, Arioch calls Daniel “one of the exiles from Judah” yet presents him as a royal servant, showing how the Babylonian bureaucracy classified the Judeans.
2. Courtly rank. Daniel and his friends are repeatedly numbered among “the king’s servants” (Daniel 2:49; 3:26), highlighting both their lowly station and their strategic influence.
3. Political accusation. Persian officials warn Artaxerxes that Jerusalem is a threat because “they have finished the walls and repaired the foundations, and they will not pay tribute, duty, or toll, and it will damage the revenue of the king” (Ezra 4:13). Here עֲבַד is the complainants’ self-designation as “your servants” (Ezra 4:11, 4:16), a diplomatic posture meant to curry royal favor.
Servants of the Most High God
1. Confession of identity. When interrogated, the returned exiles reply, “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth” (Ezra 5:11). Despite political vulnerability, their primary allegiance is vertical, not horizontal.
2. Deliverance motif. Nebuchadnezzar proclaims, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of the Most High God, come out!” (Daniel 3:26). The title “servants” signals divine protection over those who refuse idolatry.
3. Eschatological hope. Darius laments at the lions’ den, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?” (Daniel 6:20). The narrative answers with a living witness to God’s sovereign rule.
Covenant Continuity
Although Aramaic supplants Hebrew in court records, the servant concept bridges languages. The Hebrew עֶבֶד (Strong 5650) permeates the Torah and the Prophets, designating Abraham, Moses, David, and ultimately the Suffering Servant. The Aramaic עֲבַד keeps that covenant thread alive in exile, assuring the remnant that linguistic displacement cannot cancel divine calling.
Theological Themes
• Lordship: Kings wield temporal authority, yet they themselves must acknowledge God’s higher throne (Daniel 4:34).
• Identity in exile: Servanthood to God defines the faithful even when political systems label them differently.
• Mission: God positions His servants in secular structures to bear witness, interpret revelation, and preserve His people.
Christological and New Testament Resonance
The Aramaic servant scenes foreshadow the incarnate Son, who “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). Daniel’s vindication prefigures Christ’s resurrection, and the exiles’ loyalty anticipates the apostles’ declaration, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). The LXX often translates עֲבַד with δοῦλος, the term Paul joyfully adopts: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus” (Romans 1:1).
Ministry Application
1. Vocational Integrity: Like Daniel, believers can labor excellently in secular spheres while maintaining uncompromised devotion.
2. Prayerful Dependence: The servants in Ezra appeal to divine authority when civil powers oppose God’s work; modern ministry likewise advances on its knees.
3. Corporate Identity: Congregations are not consumers but servants, called to reflect the self-giving character of their Lord.
Summary
עֲבַד in Ezra and Daniel captures a profound paradox: God’s people are simultaneously the servants of foreign kings and the servants of the living God. Exile settings showcase how true servanthood transcends circumstance, anchoring identity, guiding conduct, and heralding the ultimate Servant-King who reigns forever.
Forms and Transliterations
וְעָבֵד֙ וַעֲבַ֣דוּ ועבד ועבדו יִתְעֲבִֽד׃ יִתְעֲבֵ֔ד יִתְעֲבֵ֖ד יִתְעֲבֵד֙ יתעבד יתעבד׃ לְמֶעְבַּ֑ד לְמֶעְבַּ֣ד למעבד מִתְעֲבֵ֖ד מִתְעֲבֶד־ מִתְעַבְדָ֖א מתעבד מתעבד־ מתעבדא עֲבַ֑דוּ עֲבַ֣ד עֲבַֽדְתְּ׃ עֲבַֽדוּ׃ עֲבַד֙ עַבְדֵֽת׃ עַבְדֵת֒ עָבְדִ֣ין עָבְדָ֥ה עָבֵ֔ד עָבֵ֜ד עָבֵד֙ עבד עבדה עבדו עבדו׃ עבדין עבדת עבדת׃ תִּתְעַבְד֔וּן תַּעַבְדֽוּן׃ תַֽעַבְד֗וּן תעבדון תעבדון׃ תתעבדון ‘ă·ḇa·ḏū ‘ă·ḇaḏ ‘ă·ḇaḏt ‘ā·ḇə·ḏāh ‘ā·ḇə·ḏîn ‘ā·ḇêḏ ‘aḇ·ḏêṯ ‘ăḇaḏ ‘ăḇaḏt ‘ăḇaḏū ‘aḇḏêṯ ‘āḇêḏ ‘āḇəḏāh ‘āḇəḏîn aVad aVadt aVadu avDet aVed aveDah aveDin lə·me‘·baḏ ləme‘baḏ lemeBad miṯ‘aḇḏā miṯ‘ăḇêḏ miṯ‘ăḇeḏ- miṯ·‘ă·ḇêḏ miṯ·‘ă·ḇeḏ- miṯ·‘aḇ·ḏā mitavDa mitaved ta‘aḇḏūn ṯa‘aḇḏūn ta·‘aḇ·ḏūn ṯa·‘aḇ·ḏūn taavDun tiṯ‘aḇḏūn tiṯ·‘aḇ·ḏūn titavDun vaaVadu veaVed wa‘ăḇaḏū wa·‘ă·ḇa·ḏū wə‘āḇêḏ wə·‘ā·ḇêḏ yiṯ‘ăḇêḏ yiṯ‘ăḇiḏ yiṯ·‘ă·ḇêḏ yiṯ·‘ă·ḇiḏ yitaVed yitaVid
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