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עֲבֹדָה ‘abōdāh – work, service, servitude

Semantic Fields: Servitude   More?   
Author(s): Haposan Cornelius Sinaga
First published: 2026-01-06
Citation: Haposan Cornelius Sinaga, עֲבֹדָה ‘abōdāh – work, service, servitude,
               Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database (sahd-online.com), 2026 (WORK IN PROGRESS)

Introduction

Grammatical type: noun fem.
Occurrences: 145 HB (83/9/53).

  • Torah: Gen 29:27; 30:26; Exod 1:14 (3x); 2:23 (2x); 5:9, 11; 6:6, 9; 12:25, 26; 13:5; 27:19; 30:16; 35:21, 24; 36:1, 3, 5; 38:21; 39:32, 40, 42; Lev 23:7, 8, 21, 25, 35, 36; 25:39; Num 3:7, 8, 26, 31, 36; 4:4, 19, 23, 24, 26, 27 (2x), 28, 30, 31, 32, 33 (2x), 35, 39, 43, 47 (3x), 49; 7:5 (2x), 7, 8, 9; 8:11, 19, 22, 24, 25, 26; 16:9; 18:4, 6, 7, 21 (2x), 23, 31; 28:18, 25, 26; 29:1, 12, 35; Deut 26:6;

  • Nebiim: Josh 22:27; 1 Kgs 12:4; Isa 14:3; 28:21 (2x); 32:17; Ezek 29:18 (2x); 44:14;

  • Ketubim: Pss 104:14, 23; Lam 1:3; Ezra 8:20; Neh 3:5; 5:18; 10:33, 38; 1 Chron 4:21; 6:17, 33; 9:13, 19, 28; 23:24, 26, 28 (2x), 32; 24:3, 19; 25:1 (2x), 6; 26:8, 30; 27:26; 28:13 (2x), 14 (4x), 15, 20, 21 (2x); 29:7; 2 Chron 8:14; 10:4; 12:8 (2x); 24:12; 29:35; 31:2, 16, 21; 34:13 (2x); 35:2, 10, 15, 16.

4. Ancient Versions

Septuagint (LXX) and other Greek versions11

  • ἀποσκευή, ‘baggage’ (1x): Exod 39:42;
  • δουλεία, ‘slavery, bondage’, ‘service’ (17x, but see also A.1): Gen 30:26; Exod 6:6; Lev 25:39; 1 Kgs 12:4; Isa 14:3; Ezek 29:18 (2x); Ps 104:14; Lam 1:3; Ezra 8:20; Neh 3:5; 5:18; 10:33, 38; 2 Chron 10:4; 12:8 (2x);
  • ἐνεργέω, ‘to execute a task’ (1x): Num 8:24;
  • ἐργάζομαι, ‘to work, labour’ (1x): 1 Chron 27:26;
  • ἐργαλεῖον, ‘tool, instrument: used for cultic purposes’, pl. (2x): Exod 27:19; 39:40;
  • ἐργασία, ‘labour’, ‘workmanship’ (8x): Gen 29:27; Ps 104:23; 1 Chron 26:8, 30; 2 Chron 24:12; 31:21; 34:13 (2x);
  • ἐργασία λειτουργίας, ‘labour of service’ (1x): 1 Chron 6:33;
  • ἔργον, ‘action’, ‘manual labour’, ‘all the outdoor works’, ‘one’s daily labour’, ‘cultic activity’, pl. unless marked with ‘sg.’ (36x): Exod 1:14 (3x); 2:23 (2x); 5:9; 6:9; 36:1 (MT מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדַת), 3 (MT מְלֶאכֶת עֲבֹדַת), 5 (MT הָעֲבֹדָה לַמְּלָאכָה); Num 3:7, 8, 26, 31, 36; 4:4, 23, 30, 31, 33 (2nd), 39 (ποιεῖν τὰ ἔργα), 43, 47 (3x, 1st sg.), 49; 8:11, 19, 26; Deut 26:6; Ezek 44:14; 1 Chron 25:1 (2x); 29:7; 2 Chron 29:35 (sg.); 35:2;
  • εφραθ/εβδαθ, transliteration of Hebrew (1x): 1 Chron 4:21 (LXXAnt PN: Ωβὴθ/Ιωβὴδ);
  • θυμὸς, ‘anger, fury’ (1x): Isa 28:21 (1st)?;
  • κατασκευή, ‘constructing, fabricating’ (1x): Exod 35:24;
  • κάτεργον, ‘operating costs’ (2x): Exod 30:16 (sg.); 35:21 (pl.);
  • κρατέω, ‘to acquire’ (1x): Isa 32:17;
  • λατρεία, ‘religious rite’ (5x): Exod 12:25, 26; 13:5; Josh 22:27; 1 Chron 28:13 (2nd);
  • λατρευτός, ‘servile’ (12x): Lev 23:7, 8, 21, 25, 35, 36; Num 28:18, 25, 26; 29:1, 12, 35;
  • λειτουργέω, ‘to render service’ (2x): 1 Chron 23:28 (1st), 32;
  • λειτούργημα, ‘performance of religious, cultic ritual’, pl. (2x): Num 4:32; 7:9;
  • λειτουργία, ‘service: cultic’ (37x): Exod 38:21 (sg.); Num 4:24 (sg.), 27 (2x, 1st sg., 2nd pl.), 28 (sg.), 33 (1st, sg.); 7:5 (2nd, sg.), 7 (pl.), 8 (pl.); 8:22 (sg.), 25 (sg., MT מִצְּבָא הָעֲבֹדָה); 16:9 (pl.); 18:4 (pl.), 6 (pl.), 7 (pl.), 21 (2x, 1st pl., 2nd sg.), 23 (sg.), 31 (pl.); 1 Chron 6:17 (pl.); 9:13 (sg.), 19 (sg.), 28 (sg.); 23:24 (sg.), 26 (sg.), 28 (2nd, sg.); 24:3 (sg.), 19 (sg.); 28:13 (1st, sg.), 20 (sg.); 28:21 (1st, sg.); 2 Chron 8:14 (pl.); 31:2 (sg.), 16 (sg.); 35:10 (sg.), 15 (sg.), 16 (sg.);
  • λειτουργικός, ‘pertaining to religious service’ (2x): Num 4:26; 7:5 (1st);
  • πικρία, ‘harshness, cruelty (of character)’ (1x): Isa 28:21 (2nd)?;
  • ποιέω, ‘to perform actions’ (1x): Num 4:35;
  • σύνταξις, ‘assigned amount of work, quota’ (1x): Exod 5:11;
  • τέχνη, ‘body of knowledge and skills needed to execute work’ (1x): 1 Chron 28:21 (2nd);
  • no translation (8x): Exod 39:32; Num 4:19; 1 Chron 25:6; 28:14 (4x), 15.

A.1 In 1 Chron, LXXAnt sometimes reads a form of δουλεία where LXXB has a different rendering or no rendering of עֲבֹדָה in MT, namely in 6:33 (instead of ἐργασία λειτουργίας), 9:13, 9:19 (both instead of λειτουργία), 25:1 (2nd, instead of ἔργον pl.), and 25:6 and 28:14 (5x no translation in LXXB). In 1 Chron 28:20 LXXAnt reads λειτουργίαν ἐργασίας instead of ἐργασίαν λειτουργίας (LXXB) for מְלֶאכֶת עֲבוֹדַת (MT).2

Bibliography

For the abbreviations see the List of Abbreviations.

Fernández Marcos & Busto Saiz 1996
Natalio Fernández Marcos, José Ramón Busto Saiz, El texto antioqueno de la Biblia griega, III: 1-2 Crónicas (TECC 60), Madrid: Instituto de Filología, C.S.I.C.

Notes

  1. See Fernández Marcos & Busto Saiz 1996. ↩

  2. The translations of the Greek are based on GELS. ↩

  3. The translations of the Syriac are based on Sokoloff, SLB. ↩

Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database