Lexical Summary
douleuó: To serve, to be a slave to, to be in bondage
Original Word: δουλεύω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: douleuó
Pronunciation: doo-lyoo'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (dool-yoo'-o)
KJV: be in bondage, (do) serve(-ice)
NASB: serve, serving, enslaved, slaves, bondage, render service, served
Word Origin: [from G1401 (δοῦλος - slave)]
1. to be a slave to
2. to be enslaved
3. (figuratively) to be subservient to
{literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntary}
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
be in bondage, do service.
From doulos; to be a slave to (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntary) -- be in bondage, (do) serve(-ice).
see GREEK doulos
HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 1398 douleúō (from 1401 /doúlos) – properly, to serve as a slave, having all personal ownership-rights assigned to the owner; (figuratively) to willingly give over the prerogative to be self-governing. See 1401 (doulos).
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
doulosDefinitionto be a slave, to serve
NASB Translationbondage (1), enslaved (3), render service (1), serve (10), served (1), serves (1), serving (4), slavery (1), slaves (3).
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 1398: δουλεύωδουλεύω; future
δουλεύσω; 1 aorist
ἐδούλευσα; perfect
δεδούλευκά; (
δοῦλος); the
Sept. for
עָבַד;
1. properly, to be a slave, serve, do service: absolutely, Ephesians 6:7; 1 Timothy 6:2; τίνι Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13; Romans 9:12; said of nations in subjection to other nations, John 8:33; Acts 7:7; men are said δουλεύειν who bear the yoke of the Mosaic law, Galatians 4:25 (see δουλεία).
2. metaphorically, to obey, submit to;
a. in a good sense: absolutely, to yield obedience, Romans 7:6; τίνι, to obey one's commands and render to him the services due, Luke 15:29; God: Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; κυρίῳ and τῷ κυρίῳ, Acts 20:19; Romans 12:11 (not Rec.st, see below); Ephesians 6:7; Christ: Romans 14:18; Colossians 3:24; νόμῳ Θεοῦ, according to the context, feel myself bound to, Romans 7:25; τοῖς θεοῖς, to worship gods, Galatians 4:8; τῷ καιρῷ (Anth. 9, 441, 6), wisely adapt oneself to, Romans 12:11 Rec.st (see above), cf. Fritzsche at the passage; perform services of kindness and Christian love: ἀλλήλοις, Galatians 5:13; used of those who zealously advance the interests of anything: ὡς πατρί τέκνον σύν ἐμοί ἐδούλευσεν εἰς τό εὐαγγέλιον equivalent to ὡς πατρί τέκνον δουλεύει, ἐμοί ἐδούλευσεν καί οὕτω σύν ἐμοί ἐδούλευσεν, etc. Philippians 2:22 (Winers Grammar, 422 (393); 577 (537)).
b. in a bad sense, of those who become slaves to some base power, to yield to, give oneself up to: τῇ ἁμαρτία, Romans 6:6; νόμῳ ἁμαρτίας, Romans 7:25; ἐπιθυμίαις καί ἡδοναῖς, Titus 3:3, (Xenophon, mem. 1, 5, 5; Apology Socrates 16; Plato, Phaedrus, p. 238 e.; Polybius 17, 15, 16; Herodian, 1, 17, 22 (9, Bekker edition)); τῇ κοιλία, Romans 16:18, (γαστρί, Anthol. 11, 410, 4; Xenophon, mem. 1, 6, 8;abdomini servire, Seneca, de benef. 7, 26, 4;ventri obedire, Sall. (Cat. 1:1)); μαμωνᾷ, to devote oneself to getting wealth: Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13. τοῖς στοιχειοις τοῦ κόσμου, Galatians 4:9.
Topical Lexicon
The Motif of Bondservice in Scripture Strong’s 1398 occurs twenty-five times, always carrying the idea of binding obligation. Whether positive or negative, the verb presents service that is exhaustive, unshared, and shaped by the character of the master who is served. Scripture therefore uses it to expose false allegiance, describe the misery of sin, and exalt wholehearted devotion to the Lord.
Occurrences and Thematic Spread
1. Gospels: Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13; Luke 15:29; John 8:33.
2. Acts: Acts 7:7; Acts 20:19.
3. Pauline letters: Romans 6:6; 7:6; 7:25; 9:12; 12:11; 14:18; 16:18; 1 Corinthians none; Galatians 4:8-9, 4:25; 5:13; Ephesians 6:7; Philippians 2:22; Colossians 3:24; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Timothy 6:2; Titus 3:3.
4. Peter, James, Hebrews, Revelation no occurrences.
The distribution highlights Christ’s own teaching and Paul’s extensive theological development of the concept.
Jesus’ Teaching on Exclusive Allegiance
In Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13 Jesus warns: “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money”. The verb underscores the impossibility of divided service; one master inevitably claims the heart. Luke 15:29 shows the elder son complaining that he has “served” his father—revealing a legalistic spirit rather than filial affection. John 8:33 records Israel’s protest, “We have never been enslaved to anyone,” only for Jesus to unveil a deeper bondage to sin (John 8:34). The Gospel witness thus sets the stage for the epistles: outward religion cannot mask internal servitude.
Pauline Contrast: Slavery to Sin versus Slavery to Righteousness
Romans 6:6 announces the crucifixion of the old self “so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.” Paul’s argument pivots on ownership: believers have been transferred from tyranny (Romans 7:14, 25) to liberating service under grace (Romans 6:18). Romans 12:11 exhorts saints to be “serving the Lord,” while Romans 14:18 affirms that “whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God.” Conversely, Romans 16:18 warns that false teachers “are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites.” Galatians 4 uses the verb four times to expose legalism as a return to slavery—whether to “those who by nature are not gods” (4:8) or to the “elemental principles” of the law (4:9, 25). Galatians 5:13 redirects liberty toward loving service: “through love serve one another.”
Servanthood as the Christian’s Identity
The Thessalonian converts “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9), making service the evidence of conversion. Colossians 3:24 links such labor to future reward: “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Ephesians 6:7 extends the call to every workplace: “Serve with goodwill, as to the Lord and not to men.” Philippians 2:22 commends Timothy, who “has served with me in the work of the gospel.” The vocabulary of slavery thus becomes a badge of honor, not shame, when the master is Christ.
Transition from Slavery to Sonship
Galatians 4 contrasts Hagar’s children who “serve” in slavery (4:25) with Sarah’s free offspring. Adoption does not abolish service; it transforms its nature. Sons delight to obey. Romans 8 will call this “the glorious freedom of the children of God,” but the verb 1398 reminds readers that freedom in Christ never means autonomy.
Historical Background of First-Century Slavery
Greco-Roman slavery ranged from brutal mines to household stewardship. A doulos lacked legal personhood and existed for another’s profit. When New Testament writers choose 1398, they tap into this social reality to communicate total dependence. Yet the message is subversive: earthly masters are relativized, and the true Master redeems, values, and rewards His servants (Colossians 3:22-25; 1 Timothy 6:2).
Pastoral Implications for Ministry
• Worship: Believers gather as bondservants proclaiming, “You bought us with a price” (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:20).
• Discipleship: Freedom from sin equips saints to serve each other self-sacrificially (Galatians 5:13).
• Missions: Acts 20:19 portrays Paul “serving the Lord with all humility,” establishing the pattern for gospel workers.
• Ethics: The marketplace is a venue for Christ-centered service (Ephesians 6:5-8), dignifying every vocation.
• Warning: Those who claim Christ yet serve idols or self stand condemned by the very verb that defines authentic faith (Romans 16:18).
Intertextual Connections
The verb echoes Exodus language (e.g., Exodus 3:12) where the redeemed nation is liberated to “serve God on this mountain.” The Old Testament anticipates the New: freedom is for worshipful obedience. Revelation will consummate the theme when “His servants will serve Him” (Revelation 22:3, using a cognate), showing that 1398’s theology stretches from redemption to eternity.
Summary
Strong’s 1398 charts the human experience of mastery. The New Testament reveals only two options: enslavement to sin and idols, or joyful bondservice to the Lord Jesus Christ. Redemption transfers ownership, reshapes identity, and commissions the believer to lifelong, wholehearted service that is both duty and delight.
Forms and Transliterations
δεδούλευκα δεδούλευκά δεδουλευκαμεν δεδουλεύκαμεν δούλευε δουλευει δουλεύει δουλευειν δουλεύειν δουλευετε δουλεύετε δουλευετωσαν δουλευέτωσαν δουλεύητε δουλεύοντα δουλευοντες δουλεύοντες δουλεύοντές δουλεύοντος δουλεύοντός δουλεύουσί δουλευουσιν δουλεύουσιν δουλεύσαι δουλεύσατε δουλευσάτωσάν δουλευσει δουλεύσει δουλεύσεις δουλεύσετε δουλεύσης δουλεύσητε δουλεύσομεν δουλεύσομέν δούλευσον δουλεύσουσι δουλεύσουσί δουλευσουσιν δουλεύσουσιν δουλεύσω δουλεύσωμεν δουλεύσωσι δουλευω δουλεύω δουλευων δουλεύων εδούλευον εδούλευσα εδούλευσά εδουλεύσαμεν εδούλευσαν εδούλευσάν εδούλευσας εδουλευσατε εδουλεύσατε ἐδουλεύσατε εδούλευσε εδούλευσέ εδουλευσεν εδούλευσεν ἐδούλευσεν dedouleukamen dedouleúkamen douleuei douleúei douleuein douleúein douleuete douleúete douleuetosan douleuetōsan douleuétosan douleuétōsan douleuo douleuō douleúo douleúō douleuon douleuōn douleúon douleúōn douleuontes douleúontes douleuousin douleúousin douleusei douleúsei douleusousin douleúsousin edouleusate edouleúsate edouleusen edoúleusen
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