douleuō · be a slave

What it means

douleuō (δουλεύω) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “be a slave”.

Serve as a slave, be wholly at someone's service.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To work for a master without being free; to give oneself wholly to serving.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• serve ×12
• slaves ×7
• slave ×3
• enslaved ×2
• I have been slaving for ×1
• she is in slavery ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×2
• Luke×3
• John×1
• Acts×2
• Romans×7
• Galatians×5
• Ephesians×1
• Philippians×1
• Colossians×1
• 1 Thessalonians×1
• 1 Timothy×1
• Titus×1

• Matthew 6:24

  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold on to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

• Luke 15:29

  But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look, so many years I have been slaving for you, and I never broke your command, and to me you never gave a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends;

• Luke 16:13

  No household servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold on to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

• John 8:33

  They answered him, “We are the offspring of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?”

• Acts 7:7

  ‘And the nation to which they will be enslaved I will judge,’ God said, ‘and after these things they will come out and worship me in this place.’

• Acts 20:19

  serving the Lord as a slave with all humility and tears and trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews;

• Romans 6:6

  knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer serve as slaves to sin;

• Romans 7:6

  But now we have been released from the law, having died to that in which we were held, so that we serve as slaves in newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

• Romans 7:25

  Thanks be to God through Jesus the Messiah our Lord. So then, I myself with the mind serve as a slave to the law of God, but with the flesh, to the law of sin.

• Romans 9:12

  not by works but by the one who calls— it was said to her: The older will serve the younger.

• Romans 12:11

  in diligence, not lazy; in the spirit, fervent; being slaves to the Lord;

• Romans 14:18

  For whoever is a slave to the Messiah in this is pleasing to God and approved by people.

• Romans 16:18

  For such people are not slaves to our Lord the Messiah but to their own belly, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the innocent.

• Galatians 4:3

  So we also, when we were children, were enslaved under the elements of the world.

• Galatians 4:8

  But at that time, not knowing God, you were slaves to those that by nature are not gods.

• Galatians 4:9

  But now, having come to know God, or rather having been known by God, how is it that you are turning back again to the weak and poor elements, to which you want to be slaves all over again?

• Galatians 4:25

  Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.

• Galatians 5:13

  For you were called to freedom, brothers; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve as slaves to one another.

• Ephesians 6:7

  serving as slaves with good will as to the Lord and not to men,

• Philippians 2:22

  But you know his proven character, that as a child with a father, he served as a slave with me for the good news.

• Colossians 3:24

  knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord, the Messiah, whom you serve as slaves.

• 1 Thessalonians 1:9

  For they themselves report about us what kind of welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve as slaves a living and true God,

• 1 Timothy 6:2

  And those who have believing masters must not look down on them because they are brothers; rather, let them serve them as slaves all the more, because those who benefit from the good service are believers and beloved. Teach these things and exhort.

• Titus 3:3

  For we also were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various desires and pleasures, spending our lives in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

And 2 more times.