Servant
194 passages listed in Nave’s Topical Bible and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook. Verse text: Berean Standard Bible; links open in your translation.
80 sections
- Bond by Paul
- Bond by the Roman Centurion
- Bond used As Soldiers by Abraham
- Bond: An Abandoned Sick Man
- Bond: Bond Service Threatened, As a National Punishment, for the Disobedience of Israel
- Bond: Bought and Sold
- Bond: Captive Bondservants Shared by Priests and Levites
- Bond: Captives of War Became Slaves
- Bond: Children of Defaulting Debtors Sold As
- Bond: David Erroneously Supposed to be a Fugitive Slave
- Bond: Defaulting Debtors Made
- Bond: Degrading Influences of Bondage Exemplified by Cowardice
- Bond: Emancipation of
- Bond: Equal Status of, with Other Disciples of Jesus
- Bond: Freedmen Called “Libertines”
- Bond: Fugitive, not to be Returned to his Master
- Bond: Given As Dowry
- Bond: Hagar, Commanded by an Angel to Return to Sarah (Sarai), Her Owner
- Bond: Kidnapping Forbidden
- Bond: Kindness To, Commanded
- Bond: Laws of Moses Concerning
- Bond: Must be Circumcised
- Bond: Must Enjoy Religious Privileges with the Master's Household
- Bond: Must Have Rest on the Sabbath
- Bond: Onesimus Interceded For, by Paul
- Bond: Owned by Priests
- Bond: Rights of Those Born to a Master
- Bond: Slaves Owned Slaves
- Bond: Sought by Shimei
- Bond: Taken in Concubinage
- Bond: The Israelites
- Bond: The Master Could Marry, or Give in Marriage
- Bond: Thieves Punished by Being Made
- Bond: Voluntary Servitude of
- Canaanites
- Emancipation of
- Figurative
- Gibeonites
- Good of Abigail
- Good of Abraham
- Good of Boaz
- Good of Cornelius
- Good of David
- Good of Jonathan
- Good of Naaman
- Good of Nehemiah
- Good of the Roman Centurion
- Good of Ziba
- Good: Elisha
- Good: Joseph
- Good: Onesimus
- Good: Servants in the Parable of the Pounds and the Parable of the Talents
- Hired in Kind
- Hired in Money
- Hired: Await Employment in the Marketplace
- Hired: Jacob
- Hired: Re-Employed
- Hired: The Father of the Prodigal Son
- Hired: The Laborers of a Vineyard
- Hired: The Rebellious Son
- Hired: Treatment of, More Considerate than That of Slaves
- Hired: Unclassified Scriptures Relating To
- Israelites
- Joseph
- The Jews in Babylon
- Unclassified Scriptures Relating To
- Wicked and Unfaithful in the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of the Pounds
- Wicked and Unfaithful in the Parable of the Vineyard
- Wicked and Unfaithful of Abimelech
- Wicked and Unfaithful of Abraham and Lot
- Wicked and Unfaithful of Absalom
- Wicked and Unfaithful of Amon
- Wicked and Unfaithful of Joash
- Wicked and Unfaithful of Job
- Wicked and Unfaithful of Shimei
- Wicked and Unfaithful of Ziba
- Wicked and Unfaithful: Gehazi
- Wicked and Unfaithful: Jeroboam
- Wicked and Unfaithful: Onesimus
- Wicked and Unfaithful: Zimri
Bond by Paul
- Philemon 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
Bond by the Roman Centurion
- Matthew 8:8–13 The centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. …
- Luke 7:2–10 There a highly valued servant of a centurion was sick and about to die. …
Bond used As Soldiers by Abraham
- Genesis 14:14 And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.
Bond: An Abandoned Sick Man
- 1 Samuel 30:13 Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong, and where are you from?” “I am an Egyptian,” he replied, “the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me three days ago when I fell ill.
Bond: Bond Service Threatened, As a National Punishment, for the Disobedience of Israel
- Deuteronomy 28:68 The LORD will return you to Egypt in ships by a route that I said you should never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”
- Joel 3:7–8 Behold, I will rouse them from the places to which you sold them; I will return your recompense upon your heads. …
Bond: Bought and Sold
- Genesis 17:13 Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.
- Genesis 17:27 And all the men of Abraham’s household— both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners— were circumcised with him.
- Genesis 37:28 So when the Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
- Genesis 37:36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
- Genesis 39:17 Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me,
- Deuteronomy 28:68 The LORD will return you to Egypt in ships by a route that I said you should never see again. There you will sell yourselves to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”
- Esther 7:4 For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the king.”
- Ezekiel 27:13 Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your merchandise.
- Joel 3:6 You sold the people of Judah and Jerusalem to the Greeks, to send them far from their homeland.
- Amos 8:6 Let us buy the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the chaff with the wheat!”
- Revelation 18:13 of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of slaves.
Bond: Captive Bondservants Shared by Priests and Levites
- Numbers 31:28–47 Set aside a tribute for the LORD from what belongs to the soldiers who went into battle: one out of every five hundred, whether persons, cattle, donkeys, or sheep. …
Bond: Captives of War Became Slaves
- Deuteronomy 20:14 But the women, children, livestock, and whatever else is in the city— all its spoil— you may take as plunder, and you shall use the spoil of your enemies that the LORD your God gives you.
- Deuteronomy 21:10–14 When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand and you take them captive, …
- 2 Kings 5:2 At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife.
- 2 Chronicles 28:8 Then the Israelites took 200,000 captives from their kinsmen— women, sons, and daughters. They also carried off a great deal of plunder and brought it to Samaria.
- 2 Chronicles 28:10 And now you intend to reduce to slavery the men and women of Judah and Jerusalem. But are you not also guilty before the LORD your God?
- Lamentations 5:13 Young men toil at millstones; boys stagger under loads of wood.
Bond: Children of Defaulting Debtors Sold As
- 2 Kings 4:1–7 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!” …
Bond: David Erroneously Supposed to be a Fugitive Slave
- 1 Samuel 25:10 But Nabal asked them, “Who is David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants these days are breaking away from their masters.
Bond: Defaulting Debtors Made
- Leviticus 25:39 If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor.
- Matthew 18:25 Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned.
Bond: Degrading Influences of Bondage Exemplified by Cowardice
- Exodus 14:11–12 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? …
- Exodus 16:3 “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt!” they said. “There we sat by pots of meat and ate our fill of bread, but you have brought us into this desert to starve this whole assembly to death!”
- Judges 5:16–18 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the whistling for the flocks? In the clans of Reuben there was great indecision. …
- Judges 5:23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’
Bond: Emancipation of
- Ezra 1:1–4 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows: …
- Jeremiah 34:8–22 After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD …
- 1 Corinthians 7:21 Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let it concern you— but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity.
Bond: Equal Status of, with Other Disciples of Jesus
- 1 Corinthians 7:21–22 Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let it concern you— but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity. …
- 1 Corinthians 12:13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink.
- Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
- Ephesians 6:8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Bond: Freedmen Called “Libertines”
- Acts 6:9 But resistance arose from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and men from the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. They disputed with Stephen,
Bond: Fugitive, not to be Returned to his Master
- Deuteronomy 23:15–16 Do not return a slave to his master if he has taken refuge with you. …
Bond: Given As Dowry
- Genesis 29:24 And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant.
- Genesis 29:29 Laban also gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant.
Bond: Hagar, Commanded by an Angel to Return to Sarah (Sarai), Her Owner
- Genesis 16:9 So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.”
Bond: Kidnapping Forbidden
- Deuteronomy 21:10–14 When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand and you take them captive, …
- Deuteronomy 24:7 If a man is caught kidnapping one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. So you must purge the evil from among you.
- 1 Timothy 1:10 for the sexually immoral, for homosexuals, for slave traders and liars and perjurers, and for anyone else who is averse to sound teaching
- Revelation 18:13 of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of slaves.
Bond: Kindness To, Commanded
- Leviticus 25:43 You are not to rule over them harshly, but you shall fear your God.
- Ephesians 6:9 And masters, do the same for your slaves. Give up your use of threats, because you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.
Bond: Laws of Moses Concerning
- Exodus 21:1–11 “These are the ordinances that you are to set before them: …
- Exodus 21:20–21 If a man strikes his manservant or maidservant with a rod, and the servant dies by his hand, he shall surely be punished. …
- Exodus 21:26–27 If a man strikes and blinds the eye of his manservant or maidservant, he must let the servant go free as compensation for the eye. …
- Exodus 21:32 If the ox gores a manservant or maidservant, the owner must pay thirty shekels of silver to the master of that servant, and the ox must be stoned.
- Leviticus 19:20–22 If a man lies carnally with a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. But they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. …
- Leviticus 25:6 Whatever the land yields during the Sabbath year shall be food for you— for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, the hired hand or foreigner who stays with you,
- Leviticus 25:10 So you are to consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be your Jubilee, when each of you is to return to his property and to his clan.
- Leviticus 25:35–55 Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. …
- Deuteronomy 15:12 If a fellow Hebrew, a man or a woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you must set him free.
- Deuteronomy 15:14 You are to furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress. You shall give to him as the LORD your God has blessed you.
- Deuteronomy 15:18 Do not regard it as a hardship to set your servant free, because his six years of service were worth twice the wages of a hired hand. And the LORD your God will bless you in all you do.
- Deuteronomy 24:7 If a man is caught kidnapping one of his Israelite brothers, whether he treats him as a slave or sells him, the kidnapper must die. So you must purge the evil from among you.
Bond: Must be Circumcised
- Genesis 17:13 Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.
- Genesis 17:27 And all the men of Abraham’s household— both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners— were circumcised with him.
- Exodus 12:44 But any slave who has been purchased may eat of it, after you have circumcised him.
Bond: Must Enjoy Religious Privileges with the Master's Household
- Deuteronomy 12:12 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God— you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.
- Deuteronomy 12:18 Instead, you must eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose— you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates. Rejoice before the …
- Deuteronomy 16:11 and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God in the place He will choose as a dwelling for His Name — you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite within your gates, as well as the foreigner, …
- Deuteronomy 16:14 And you shall rejoice in your feast— you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levite, as well as the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widows among you.
- Deuteronomy 29:10–11 All of you are standing today before the LORD your God— you leaders of tribes, elders, officials, and all the men of Israel, …
Bond: Must Have Rest on the Sabbath
- Exodus 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work— neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.
- Exodus 23:12 For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.
- Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work— neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the …
Bond: Onesimus Interceded For, by Paul
- Philemon 21 Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
Bond: Owned by Priests
- Leviticus 22:11 But if a priest buys a slave with his own money, or if a slave is born in his household, that slave may eat his food.
- Mark 14:66 While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down
Bond: Rights of Those Born to a Master
- Genesis 14:14 And when Abram heard that his relative had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men born in his household, and they set out in pursuit as far as Dan.
- Genesis 17:13 Whether they are born in your household or purchased, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh will be an everlasting covenant.
- Genesis 17:27 And all the men of Abraham’s household— both servants born in his household and those purchased from foreigners— were circumcised with him.
- Exodus 21:4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the woman and her children shall belong to her master, and only the man shall go free.
- Proverbs 29:21 A servant pampered from his youth will bring grief in the end.
- Ecclesiastes 2:7 I acquired menservants and maidservants, and servants were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me,
- Jeremiah 2:14 Is Israel a slave? Was he born into slavery? Why then has he become prey?
Bond: Slaves Owned Slaves
- 2 Samuel 9:10 You and your sons and servants are to work the ground for him and bring in the harvest, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had …
Bond: Sought by Shimei
- 1 Kings 2:39–41 After three years, however, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.” …
Bond: Taken in Concubinage
- Genesis 16:1–2 Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar. …
- Genesis 16:6 “Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her.
- Genesis 30:3 Then she said, “Here is my maidservant Bilhah. Sleep with her, that she may bear children for me, so that through her I too can build a family.”
- Genesis 30:9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.
Bond: The Israelites
- Exodus 1:8–22 Then a new king, who did not know Joseph, came to power in Egypt. …
- Exodus 2:1–4 Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, …
- Acts 7:19 He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.
- Acts 7:34 I have indeed seen the oppression of My people in Egypt. I have heard their groaning and have come down to deliver them. Now come, I will send you back to Egypt.’
Bond: The Master Could Marry, or Give in Marriage
- Exodus 21:7–10 And if a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as the menservants do. …
- Deuteronomy 21:10–14 When you go to war against your enemies and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand and you take them captive, …
- 1 Chronicles 2:34–35 Sheshan had no sons, but only daughters. He also had an Egyptian servant named Jarha. …
Bond: Thieves Punished by Being Made
- Genesis 43:18 But the brothers were frightened that they had been taken to Joseph’s house. “We have been brought here because of the silver that was returned in our bags the first time,” they said. “They intend to overpower us and take us as …
- Exodus 22:3 But if it happens after sunrise, there is guilt for his bloodshed. A thief must make full restitution; if he has nothing, he himself shall be sold for his theft.
Bond: Voluntary Servitude of
- Leviticus 25:47 If a foreigner residing among you prospers, but your countryman dwelling near him becomes destitute and sells himself to the foreigner or to a member of his clan,
- Deuteronomy 15:16–17 But if your servant says to you, ‘I do not want to leave you,’ because he loves you and your household and is well off with you, …
- Joshua 9:11–21 So the elders and inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go to meet them and say to them: We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.’ …
Canaanites
- 1 Kings 9:21 their descendants who remained in the land, those whom the Israelites were unable to devote to destruction— Solomon conscripted these people to be forced laborers, as they are to this day.
Emancipation of
- 2 Chronicles 36:23 “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you belongs to His people, may …
- Ezra 1:1–4 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows: …
Figurative
- Leviticus 25:42 Because the Israelites are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt, they are not to be sold as slaves.
- Leviticus 25:55 For the Israelites are My servants. They are My servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
- Psalm 116:16 Truly, O LORD, I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have broken my bonds.
- Matthew 24:45–51 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? …
- Luke 12:35–48 Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. …
- Luke 17:7–9 Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? …
- John 8:32–35 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” …
- Romans 6:16–22 Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? …
- 1 Corinthians 4:1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
- 1 Corinthians 7:21–23 Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let it concern you— but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity. …
- Galatians 5:13 For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
- 1 Peter 2:16 Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
- 2 Peter 2:19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves to depravity. For a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.
- Revelation 7:3 “Do not harm the land or sea or trees until we have placed a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”
Gibeonites
- Joshua 9:22–27 Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, “Why did you deceive us by telling us you live far away from us, when in fact you live among us? …
Good of Abigail
- 1 Samuel 25:14–17 Meanwhile, one of Nabal’s young men informed Nabal’s wife Abigail, “Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master, but he screamed at them. …
Good of Abraham
- Genesis 24:1 By now Abraham was old and well along in years, and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
Good of Boaz
- Ruth 2:4 Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters, “The LORD be with you.” “The LORD bless you,” they replied.
Good of Cornelius
- Acts 10:7 When the angel who spoke to him had gone, Cornelius called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among his attendants.
Good of David
- 2 Samuel 12:18 On the seventh day the child died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Look, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not listen to us. So how can we tell him the …
- 2 Samuel 15:15 The king’s servants replied, “Whatever our lord the king decides, we are your servants.”
- 2 Samuel 15:21 But Ittai answered the king, “As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be!”
Good of Jonathan
- 1 Samuel 14:7 His armor-bearer replied, “Do all that is in your heart. Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”
Good of Naaman
- 2 Kings 5:2–3 At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife. …
- 2 Kings 5:13 Naaman’s servants, however, approached him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’?”
Good of Nehemiah
- Nehemiah 4:16 And from that day on, half of my servants did the work while the other half held spears, shields, bows, and armor. The officers stationed themselves behind all the people of Judah
- Nehemiah 4:23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the guards with me changed out of our clothes; each carried his weapon, even to go for water.
Good of the Roman Centurion
- Matthew 8:9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
Good of Ziba
- 2 Samuel 9:1 Then David asked, “Is there anyone left from the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for the sake of Jonathan?”
Good: Elisha
- 2 Kings 2:1–6 Shortly before the LORD took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal, …
Good: Joseph
- Genesis 39:2–20 And the LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving in the household of his Egyptian master. …
- Genesis 41:9–57 Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, “Today I recall my failures. …
- Acts 7:10 and rescued him from all his troubles. He granted Joseph favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler over Egypt and all his household.
Good: Onesimus
- Philemon 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
Good: Servants in the Parable of the Pounds and the Parable of the Talents
- Matthew 25:14–23 For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. …
- Luke 19:12–19 So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return. …
Hired in Kind
- Genesis 30:31–32 “What can I give you?” Laban asked. “You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flocks. …
- 2 Chronicles 2:10 I will pay your servants, the woodcutters, 20,000 cors of ground wheat, 20,000 cors of barley, 20,000 baths of wine, and 20,000 baths of olive oil.”
Hired in Money
- Matthew 20:2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
Hired: Await Employment in the Marketplace
- Matthew 20:1–3 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. …
Hired: Jacob
- Genesis 29:15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”
- Genesis 30:26 Give me my wives and children for whom I have served you, that I may go on my way. You know how hard I have worked for you.”
Hired: Re-Employed
- Genesis 30:27–34 But Laban replied, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you.” …
- Genesis 31:6–7 You know that I have served your father with all my strength. …
- Genesis 31:41 Thus for twenty years I have served in your household— fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks— and you have changed my wages ten times!
Hired: The Father of the Prodigal Son
- Luke 15:17 Finally he came to his senses and said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have plenty of food, but here I am, starving to death!
- Luke 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
Hired: The Laborers of a Vineyard
- Matthew 20:1–15 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. …
Hired: The Rebellious Son
- Luke 15:15–19 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. …
Hired: Treatment of, More Considerate than That of Slaves
- Leviticus 25:53 He shall be treated like a man hired from year to year, but a foreign owner must not rule over him harshly in your sight.
Hired: Unclassified Scriptures Relating To
- Leviticus 19:13 You must not defraud your neighbor or rob him. You must not withhold until morning the wages due a hired hand.
- Leviticus 25:39–41 If a countryman among you becomes destitute and sells himself to you, then you must not force him into slave labor. …
- Deuteronomy 24:14–15 Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. …
- Job 7:1–2 “Is not man consigned to labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired hand? …
- Job 14:6 look away from him and let him rest, so he can enjoy his day as a hired hand.
- Malachi 3:5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. And I will be a swift witness against sorcerers and adulterers and perjurers, against oppressors of the widowed and fatherless, and against those who defraud laborers of their wages and …
- Matthew 10:9–10 Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts. …
- Luke 10:7 Stay at the same house, eating and drinking whatever you are offered. For the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
- Romans 4:4 Now the wages of the worker are not credited as a gift, but as an obligation.
- Colossians 4:1 Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
- 1 Timothy 5:18 For the Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker is worthy of his wages.”
- James 5:4 Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
Israelites
- Exodus 1:10–22 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase even more; and if a war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.” …
- Exodus 5:7–14 “You shall no longer supply the people with straw for making bricks. They must go and gather their own straw. …
- Deuteronomy 6:12 be careful not to forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
- Deuteronomy 6:21 then you are to tell him, “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand.
Joseph
- Genesis 37:26–28 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? …
- Genesis 37:36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.
The Jews in Babylon
- 2 Chronicles 36:20 Those who escaped the sword were carried by Nebuchadnezzar into exile in Babylon, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power.
- Esther 1:1 This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.
- Esther 2:1 Some time later, when the anger of King Xerxes had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
- Esther 3:1 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him to a position above all the princes who were with him.
- Esther 4:1 When Mordecai learned of all that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly.
- Esther 5:1 On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the palace across from the king’s quarters. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom, facing the entrance.
- Esther 6:1 That night sleep escaped the king; so he ordered the Book of Records, the Chronicles, to be brought in and read to him.
- Esther 7:1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Esther the queen,
- Esther 8:1 That same day King Xerxes awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed his relation to her.
- Esther 9:1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the king’s command and edict were to be executed. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but their plan was overturned and the Jews …
- Esther 10:1 Now King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the land, even to its farthest shores.
Unclassified Scriptures Relating To
- Genesis 16:6–9 “Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her. …
- Exodus 20:10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work— neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.
- Deuteronomy 5:14 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work— neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the …
- Nehemiah 5:8 and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.
- Job 19:15–16 My guests and maidservants count me as a stranger; I am a foreigner in their sight. …
- Job 31:13–14 If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant when they made a complaint against me, …
- Psalm 123:2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes are on the LORD our God until He shows us mercy.
- Proverbs 12:9 Better to be lightly esteemed yet have a servant, than to be self-important but lack food.
- Proverbs 13:17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing.
- Proverbs 17:2 A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.
- Proverbs 19:10 Luxury is unseemly for a fool— how much worse for a slave to rule over princes!
- Proverbs 25:13 Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the soul of his masters.
- Proverbs 26:6 Like cutting off one’s own feet or drinking violence is the sending of a message by the hand of a fool.
- Proverbs 27:18 Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored.
- Proverbs 27:27 You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed you— food for your household and nourishment for your maidservants.
- Proverbs 29:19 A servant cannot be corrected by words alone; though he understands, he will not respond.
- Proverbs 29:21 A servant pampered from his youth will bring grief in the end.
- Proverbs 30:10 Do not slander a servant to his master, or he will curse you, and you will bear the guilt.
- Proverbs 30:21–23 Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: …
- Ecclesiastes 7:21 Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.
- Isaiah 52:3 For this is what the LORD says: “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.”
- Jeremiah 22:13 “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages,
- Jeremiah 34:8–17 After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD …
- Lamentations 5:8 Slaves rule over us; there is no one to deliver us from their hands.
- Zephaniah 1:9 On that day I will punish all who leap over the threshold, who fill the house of their master with violence and deceit.
- Malachi 1:6 “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of Me?” says the LORD of Hosts to you priests who despise My name. “But you ask, ‘How have we …
- Matthew 8:9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell one to go, and he goes, and another to come, and he comes. I tell my servant to do something, and he does it.”
- Matthew 10:24–25 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. …
- Matthew 24:45–51 Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time? …
- Luke 12:35–48 Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning. …
- Luke 16:1–13 Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. …
- Luke 17:7–9 Which of you whose servant comes in from plowing or shepherding in the field will say to him, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? …
- Luke 22:27 For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines? But I am among you as one who serves.
- John 13:16 Truly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
- 1 Corinthians 4:2 Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.
- 1 Corinthians 7:21–24 Were you a slave when you were called? Do not let it concern you— but if you can gain your freedom, take the opportunity. …
- Ephesians 6:5–9 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. …
- Colossians 3:22–25 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only to please them while they are watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of the Lord. …
- 1 Timothy 6:1–2 All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited. …
- Titus 2:9–10 Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, …
- 1 Peter 2:18–20 Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable. …
Wicked and Unfaithful in the Parable of the Talents and the Parable of the Pounds
- Matthew 25:24–30 Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. …
- Luke 19:20–26 Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth. …
Wicked and Unfaithful in the Parable of the Vineyard
- Matthew 21:33–41 Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. …
- Mark 12:1–9 Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. …
Wicked and Unfaithful of Abimelech
- Genesis 21:25 But when Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized,
Wicked and Unfaithful of Abraham and Lot
- Genesis 13:7 And there was discord between the herdsmen of Abram and the herdsmen of Lot. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were also living in the land.
Wicked and Unfaithful of Absalom
- 2 Samuel 13:28–29 Now Absalom had ordered his young men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!” …
- 2 Samuel 14:30 Then Absalom said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire!” And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
Wicked and Unfaithful of Amon
- 2 Kings 21:23 Then the servants of Amon conspired against him and killed the king in his palace.
Wicked and Unfaithful of Joash
- 2 Kings 12:19–21 As for the rest of the acts of Joash, along with all his accomplishments, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? …
Wicked and Unfaithful of Job
- Job 19:15–16 My guests and maidservants count me as a stranger; I am a foreigner in their sight. …
Wicked and Unfaithful of Shimei
- 1 Kings 2:39 After three years, however, two of Shimei’s slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. And Shimei was told, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.”
Wicked and Unfaithful of Ziba
- 2 Samuel 16:1–4 When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer …
- 2 Samuel 19:26–27 “My lord the king,” he replied, “because I am lame, I said, ‘I will have my donkey saddled so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ But my servant Ziba deceived me, …
Wicked and Unfaithful: Gehazi
- 2 Kings 5:20–27 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, by not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” …
Wicked and Unfaithful: Jeroboam
- 1 Kings 11:26 Now Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, but he rebelled against the king,
Wicked and Unfaithful: Onesimus
- Philemon 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
Wicked and Unfaithful: Zimri
- 1 Kings 16:9–10 However, while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunk in the house of Arza the steward of his household there, Elah’s servant Zimri, the commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. …
- 2 Kings 9:31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she asked, “Have you come in peace, O Zimri, murderer of your master?”
Related topics
ServantsEmployeeProbationMasterUnfaithfulness
Topics: Nave’s Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey’s New Topical Textbook (1897), public domain, via the Berean Bible topical index.