A person under obligation to serve a master, who in turn would provide a measure of protection. Some servants were slaves under legal bondage. Others were servants voluntarily. It is not always possible to distinguish between “servant,” “slave,” “bondman,” and “bondwoman.” Several words in both Hebrew and Greek have been translated as “servant,” although newer translations sometimes prefer other words.
The Hebrew word for “lad,” “youth,” or “boy” often means servant (Exodus 33:11; Numbers 22:22; 2 Kings 4:12). A word meaning “free-born servant” referred to the servants of the Lord, like the Levites (Ezra 8:17; Isaiah 61:6; Ezra 44:11) or priests (Exodus 28:35; Joel 1:9; 2:17). Sometimes ministers of the king are called servants (1 Chronicles 27:1; Proverbs 29:12), as are angels who minister before the Lord (Psalms 103:21; 104:4). The hired servant or hireling was also considered a free person (Exodus 12:45; Job 7:1; Malachi 3:5).
The most common Hebrew term, occurring nearly 800 times in the Old Testament, stands for a slave held in bondage (Genesis 9:25; 12:16; Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:15; 15:17). Yet the same word is used for people of noble rank, such as ministers and advisers to the king (2 Kings 22:12; 2 Chronicles 34:20; Nehemiah 2:10) or a servant of God (Genesis 24:14; Numbers 12:7; Joshua 1:7; 2 Kings 21:8), in such expressions as “Moses my servant” [or also David, Isaiah, Israel, Job, and so on]. One of the noblest expressions is “the servant of Yahweh [the Lord]” (Deuteronomy 34:5; Joshua 1:13; 8:31–33; Isaiah 49:1–6; 50:4–9; 52:13–53:12). The proper name Obadiah means “servant of Yahweh.”
The New Testament variously defines servant as a hired servant or hireling (Mark 1:20; Luke 15:17–19; John 10:12–14), more widely as a slave (Matthew 8:9; 10:24–25; 13:27–28; Mark 10:44; 12:2–4; Luke 7:2–3, 8–10; John 4:51; 8:34; 13:16; Ephesians 6:5; Colossians 1:7), and also as a domestic servant (Luke 16:13).