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 to H5647 (עָבַד - serve)]

1. to do, make, prepare, keep, etc

cut, do, execute, go on, make, move, work

(Aramaic) corresponding to abad; to do, make, prepare, keep, etc. -- X cut, do, execute, go on, make, move, work.

see HEBREW abad

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to abad
Definition
to make, do
NASB Translation
carried (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).

עֲבַד verb make, do (ᵑ7, Syriac, Old Aramaic, Nabataean, Palmyrene, Egyptian Aramaic (S-C^Pap.; compare אַזְדָּא); = Biblical Hebrew עָבַד, q. v., but in meaning "" עשׂה); —

Pe`al Perfect3masculine singular ׳ע Daniel 3:1 +, 2 masculine singular עֲבַ֑דְתְּ (K^{§ 13, 2}) Daniel 4:32; 1singular עַבְדֵֿת Daniel 3:15; Daniel 6:23, 3masculine plural עֲבַ֫דוּ Ezra 6:13 +; Imperfect2masculine plural תַּעְבְּדוּן (Baer K^{§ 38. 1. b}); תַּעַבְדוּן Gi Str) Ezra 6:8; Ezra 7:18; Infinitive מֶעְבַּד (K^{§ 15, a}) 2)) Ezra 4:22; Ezra 7:18 (מֶעְבַּ֑ד); Participle active עָבֵד Ezra 7:26 +, feminine singular עָֽבְדָא Daniel 7:21; masculine plural עָֽבְדִין Ezra 4:15; —

1 make, accusative of thing Daniel 3:1,15 and (of creation) Jeremiah 10:11; make a feast Daniel 5:1, war Daniel 7:21 (עם person). ded. of temple Ezra 6:16.

2 do, accusative of deed, Daniel 4:32 (of God), Daniel 6:23; Ezra 4:15,22; do, act, כְּנֵמָא, thus, Ezra 6:13, כ, according to, Daniel 7:18 and (of God) Daniel 4:32, absolute Daniel 6:11; accusative +ב of thing Ezra 7:18 do something with, +עִם person Ezra 6:8; do, perform, accusative of God's law Ezra 7:26, accusative of signs, etc. (subject God) Daniel 6:28 and (+עִם person) Daniel 3:32.

Hithpe`el Imperfect3masculine singular יִתְעֲבֵד Ezra 6:11 +, דִ֑֯ Ezra 6:12; Ezra 7:21; 2masculine plural תִּתְעַבְדוּן Daniel 2:5; Participle מִתְעֲבֵד Ezra 7:26, בֶדֿ- Ezra 4:19, feminine singular עַבְדָא- Ezra 5:3; —

1 be made into, with noun predicate, Daniel 2:5; Daniel 3:29; Ezra 6:11.

2 be done, wrought, Ezra 4:19; Ezra 5:8 (subject עֲבִידְתָּא); be performed, executed, of command Ezra 6:12; Ezra 7:21,23, judgment Ezra 7:26.

Frequency and Distribution

עֲבַד 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. In Daniel 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.

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