עֲבֻדָּה

From the study of Genesis 26:14

Range of meaning

A collective noun from ʿavad, "to work, serve." It can mean a body of servants or household dependents (a "household" in the old sense of everyone who works for the head of the house), or it can mean the work or service itself, including farm labour. The word occurs only twice: here and Job 1:3.

Against the English

KJV has "great store of servants"; BSB, NIV and ESV have "servants"; WEB and NASB have "a great household"; YLT has "an abundant service." "Household" reflects the collective sense best. "Servants" is fine as long as readers do not picture paid domestic staff.

How it drifted

Modern "servants" calls up paid employees or Victorian domestic help. In the ancient Near East an ʿeved could be a bondservant, a slave bought with money, someone born into the household, or a dependent client. All of them were part of the patriarch's household and under his authority (compare Gen 14:14; 17:12–13, 27).

Used elsewhere in the period

Job 1:3: Job's holdings end with ʿavuddah rabbah meʾod, "a very great household." The phrase is almost the same as here, which suggests a stock way of describing a great man's wealth. The Septuagint translates our verse as geōrgia polla, "much farmland / many farming works," taking the word as agricultural labour. Job 1:3 is translated as hypēresia, "service, attendants."

From the study of Job 1:3

Range of meaning

From 'avad, 'to work, serve'. It is a collective noun for a body of servants or workers, the dependent staff of an estate. It is rare, found only here and in Genesis 26:14. It differs from the more common 'avodah, 'work, service'.

Against the English

KJV and WEB say 'household'. A modern reader takes this as family, but it meant the servants. BSB, NIV and ESV ('servants') are accurate. YLT's 'a service very abundant' is literal but hard to follow.

How it drifted

In early modern English 'household' covered everyone under the master's roof, servants included. Now it suggests only parents and children.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 26:14 uses the identical phrase 'avuddah rabbah for Isaac. The LXX has hypēresia pollē sphodra, 'a very large staff of attendants'. The Vulgate has familia multa nimis, where Latin familia means the slaves of a house.