LESSON IV.
Some of the lexicons say that this root עֶבֶדʿebed ebed means also worship, to worship God, or idols, &c., without any connection with the idea of slavery. In Gen. xxii. 5: “And I and the lad will go yonder and worship;” here, worship is from וְנִ֥שְׁתַּֽחֲוֶ֖הwĕništaḥăweh, from the root שׁחהšḥh shahah, which means to bow down. xxiii. 12: “And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the Lord,” bowed down himself וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ֙wayyištaḥû. xlvii. 31: “And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head,” וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּwayyištaḥû. Exod. iv. 31: “Then they bowed their heads and worshipped,” וַיִּ֥שְׁתַּ֥חֲוֽוּwayyištaḥăwû. This root, like all others, takes upon itself a change of shape, according to the condition in which it is used. We will present a few instances of its application in Hebrew. Exod. xi. 8: “And bow down themselves unto me,” וְהִשְׁתַּ֥חֲווּwĕhištaḥăwû. xx. 5: “Thou shalt not bow down thyself תִּשְׁתַּ֥חֲוֶ֥֣הtištaḥăwe unto them.” xxxiii. 10: “And the people rose up and worshipped,” וְהִ֥שְׁתַּֽחֲו֔וּwĕhištaḥăwû. Deut. xxvi. 10: “And worship וְיִִּֽשְׁתַּֽחֲוִ֔יתָwĕyiišĕttaḥăwîtā before the Lord thy God.” Josh. v. 14: “And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship,” וַיִּשְׁתָּ֔ח֗וּwayyištāḥû. 1 Sam. xv. 30: “That I may worship וִהִשְׁתַּ֥חֲוֵ֖יתִיwihištaḥăwêtî the Lord thy God.” 31: “And Saul worshipped וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּwayyištaḥû the Lord.” 2 Sam. i. 2: “That he fell to the earth and did obeisance,” וַיִּשְׁתָּ֥חוּwayyištāḥû. xiv. 33: “And bowed himself וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּwayyištaḥû on his face to the ground before the king.” 1 Kings i. 23: “He bowed himself וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּwayyištaḥû before the king with his face to the ground.” 2 Kings v. 18: “When my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship לְהִשְׁתַּֽחֲ֙וֹתlĕhištaḥăwōt there, * * * and I bow myself וְהִֽשְׁתַּ֥חֲוֵיתִיwĕhišĕttaḥăwêtî in the house of Rimmon, * * * when I bow myself down בְּהִשְׁתַּֽחֲוָיָתִיbĕhištaḥăwāyātî in the house of Rimmon.” xviii. 22: “Ye shall worship תִּשְׁתַּ֥חֲו֖וּtištaḥăwû before the altar of Jerusalem.” xix. 37: “And it came to pass as he was worshipping מִשְׁתַּ֥חֲוֶהmištaḥăwe in the house of Nishrosh, his God.” Job i. 20: “Then Job arose and fell down upon the ground and worshipped,” וַיִּשְׁהָֽחוּwayyišhāḥû. Ezek. viii. 16: “And they worshipped מִשְׁהֲוִיהֶ֥םmišhăwîhem the sun towards the east.”
Before we close our examples, let us notice how the Hebrews applied this word in poetry. Ps. xlv. 12 (11 of the English text): “Worship וְהִשְׁתַּ֥חֲוִיwĕhištaḥăwî thou him,” xcix. 5: “Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship וְ֭הִשְׁתַּ֥חֲווּwĕhištaḥăwû at his footstool.” cvi. 19: “They made a calf in Horeb and worshipped הִ֥שְׁתַּ֖חֲווּhištaḥăwû the molten image.” xcvii. 7: “Confounded be all they that serve (עֹבְדֵיʿōbĕdê slave themselves to) graven images; that boast themselves of idols: worship הִֽשְׁתַּֽחֲווּhišĕttaḥăwû him, all ye gods.” In this instance, the word serve associates with the idea of slavery, as does the original; but the worship with that of reverence. Both words occurring in the same sentence, will give us some idea of their different uses; yet some think this word in such instances synonymous with the word worship, notwithstanding the Hebrew writers thought differently; yet true it is, this word is sometimes used (as it were by figure) to express humility, subserviency, and devotedness of the true worshipper. In the same manner, St. Paul expresses the idea, when he says, that he is the doulos (δοῦλος, slave) of Jesus Christ. In an analogous sense, the Arabic words [هَلَّhal] hel and [هَلّلَhallal] hallel, Hebrew הַלֵּלhallēl hallal, are used to mean worship, &c. Ps. cl.: “Praise ye the Lord, praise God in his sanctuary,” &c., where this word is in frequent use, and from which our word hallelujah has arisen. Also the Arabic word [هَوْدٌhawdun] hōd, Hebrew הוֹדhôd hōd, is in somewhat similar use: Ps. cxxxvi. 1, 2, 3, all commencing, “O give thanks to the Lord,” meaning glory, majesty, or dignity to the Lord, as the worship of the Almighty. We trust no one has ever found the word ebed used in such a sense.
But it is said that עֲבֹדָתʿăbōdāt avoda means implements, utensils, appurtenances, (see Gessenius,) and Num. iii. 26, 31, and 36, is quoted in proof: “And the hangings of the court and the curtains for the door of the court, which is by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it, for all the service thereof.” Service is translated from עֲבֹֽדָתוֹʿăbōdātô avodatho. The word, as here used, means slave-labour, and might well have been translated, “For all the slave-labour thereof,” i. e. of the tabernacle. We cannot perceive that it means the hanging of the court, or the curtains, or cords. The other instances quoted are of the same character, and we dismiss their consideration, asking the passages to be read.
But it is said, to minister, to minister unto, is sometimes translated to the word ebed. 1 Kings xix. 21: “Then he arose and went unto Elijah, and ministered וַֽיְשָׁרְתֵֽהוּwayšortēhû unto him.” The word is from the root שֵׁרֵתšērēt shereth, and means to wait upon, to attend to, &c., distinct from the idea of slavery. In Matt. iv. 11: “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered (διηκονουν, diekonoun) unto him.” This Greek word, we deem, would be a good translation of this word from Hebrew into Greek. This word is used in Num. iii. 6: “That they may minister unto him.” 31: “Wherewith they may minister וְשֵֽׁרְת֖וּwĕšērĕtû unto it.” iv. 12: “And they shall take all the instruments of ministry וְשֵֽׁרְתוּwĕšērĕtû wherewith they minister.” 14: “Wherewith they minister about it.” xviii. 2: “That they may be joined unto thee and minister וִֽישָֽׁרְת֑וּךָ֩wîšārĕtûkā unto thee.” 1 Kings i. 4: “And the damsel was very fair, and cherished the king and ministered וַתְּשָׁ֣רְתֵ֔הוּwattĕšārĕtēhû to him.” 15: “The Shunammite ministered מְשָׁרַ֖תmĕšārat unto the king.” If the word ebed had been used, it would have shown that she was a slave. The same word is continued to be used to mean minister. In 1 Sam. ii. 11: “And the child did minister unto the Lord before Eli.” 18: “But Samuel ministered מְשָׁרֵתmĕšārēt before the Lord, being a child.” iii. 1: “And the child Samuel ministered מְשָׁ֣רֵ֥תmĕšārēt unto the Lord before Eli.” 2 Sam. xiii. 17: “Then he called his servant (נַֽעֲרוֹnaʿărô his young man) that ministered מְשָׁ֣רְת֔וֹmĕšārĕtô unto him.” Now, had the ebed been here used instead of this word, as a verb, in the required mood and tense, &c., it would have been proof that the young man was a slave. But, in case the word ebed, as a noun, had been used, instead of נערnʿr nar, then this word might have been used as it is, without affecting the slave character of the servant. 1 Kings x. 5: “And the sitting of his servants, (עֲבָדָיו֩ʿăbādāyw slaves,) and the attendance of his ministers,” מְשָׁרְתָי֜וmĕšortāyw.
This passage shows with great distinctness the different use and meaning of the words ebed and shereth, between those who ministered unto him, and those who did slave-labour, between the minister and the slave and so we ever find the distinct uses and meanings of these words. See Exod. xxviii. 43: “Or when they come near unto the altar to minister לְשָׁרֵ֣תlĕšārēt in the holy place.” Deut. x. 8: “To stand before the Lord to minister לְשָֽׁרְתוֹ֙lĕšārĕtô unto him.” xviii. 5: “For the Lord thy God hath chosen him out of all thy tribes to stand to minister לְשָׁרֵתlĕšārēt in the name of the Lord, him and his sons for ever.” 1 Kings viii. 11: “So that the priests could not stand to minister לְשָׁרֵ֖תlĕšārēt because of the cloud.” 2 Kings xxv. 14: “And all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, יְשָֽׁרְתוּyĕšārĕtû, took they away.” 2 Chron. xxiv. 14: “ Even vessels to minister,” שָׁרֵתšārēt. Neh. x. 36 (the 27th of the Hebrew text): “Unto the priests that minister in the house of God.” 39 (the 40th of the Hebrew text): “And the priests that minister,” הַ֥מְשָׁ֣רְתִ֔יםhamšārĕtîm. Isa. lx. 7: “The rams of Nebaioth shall minister יְשָֽׁרְת֑וּנֶךְyĕšārĕtûnek unto thee.” Let it be noticed that the word strangers is translated from the word נֵכָרnēkār nechar. The word is of Arabic derivation from eker, and has a privative sense, as nescivit, abrogavit, improbavit. Hence, the Hebrews used it to mean strange, foreign, and sometimes false, as in Deut. xxxii. 12: “No strange (false) God with him.” Mal. ii. 11: “The daughter of a strange (false) God.” And this word was used to mean the strangers, idolaters, and rejected people, out of whom the Hebrews were allowed to make slaves, and therefore it was used in Gen. xvii. 12: “Or bought with thy money of any stranger (נֵכָ֔רnēkār neker) which is not of thy seed.” And therefore the propriety of the use of this word in the description of those who should be their drudges and slates, is beautifully expressed by the idea of building up their walls, as here expressed by the prophet. But the idea of the kings ministering, is as before, from the root, shereth. Many more examples of the use of this word might be quoted; but we trust the foregoing are sufficient to establish its meaning to be altogether different and distinct from any use of the word ebed. Yet, there are in the received translation of the holy books, a few instances where this word is translated erroneously, as though it were a synonyme of the word ebed.
In Num. xi. 28, “And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses,” the word servant is translated from מְשָׁרֵ֥תmĕšārēt, and should have been the minister of Moses. In Exod. xxiv. 13: “Moses rose up and Joshua his minister” מְשָֽׁרְת֑וֹmĕšārĕtô. In this last quotation, minister is correctly translated from the word as above, proving the error in Numbers. A similar error occurs also in Ezek. xx. 32; it reads thus: “And that which cometh into your mind shall not be at all that ye say, We will be as the heathen, as the families of the country to serve לְשָׁרֵ֖תlĕšārēt wood and stone.” Serve is translated from as above, and should have been to minister unto wood and stone. A like error occurs in Exod. xxxiii. 11: “But his servant וּמְשָֽׁרְתוֹûmĕšārĕtô Joshua,” should have been rendered, “his minister Joshua.” So, also, in Num. iv. 47, the word ebed is translated as a synonyme of sherath. The passage reads thus: “From thirty years old and upward, even unto fifty years old, every one that comes to do the service of the ministry, and the service of the burden in the tabernacle of the congregation.” In this passage, the word ebed, with affixes, is used four times consecutively, and immediately followed by the word massa, which we have before seen means labour, with the idea of the burden of labour altogether predominating.
In the translation, it is plain to see that one of these words is totally left out, which, we suppose, no one will pretend is not an error. The translation made of these five words at the Theological College at Andover, is far more correct than the received version. It is thus: “to perform the business of the service and the business of the burden,” &c. Yet this is not the language of the original, which reads thus: לַֽעֲבֹ֨ד עֲבֹדַ֧ת עֲבֹדָ֛ה וַֽעֲבֹדַ֥ת מַשָּׂ֖אlaʿăbōd ʿăbōdat ʿăbōdâ waʿăbōdat maśśāʾ.
If our proposition is correct, that the word ebed is never used in Hebrew expression unassociated with the idea of slavery, then this passage from Numbers should read: “From thirty years old and upwards, even to fifty years old, every one that comes to slave in the slavery of the slave labour, and in the slavery of the burdens of the tabernacle of the congregation.” We agree that the passage is somewhat difficult to render into English but because we may find some difficulty in making good English, we are not to translate from other words of different meaning from the ones used. The holy penmen said what they meant, and surely meant what they said: there was no double dealing in the spirit of Jehovah, who dictated to them. But that translators should have, in some few instances, mistaken or confounded the use of one word, is not to be thought strange. Taking into view the volume of the holy books, it is truly wonderful that greater errors were not committed. And we take occasion here to remark, that, of all the ideas, qualities, and actions, given in definition of the word ebed, unassociated with the idea of slavery, upon examination of the language, we shall find graphic symbols representing their phonetic signs, distinct from the idea of slavery, as we have these already examined.