verb
douleuamō
Greekδουλεύω (douleuō)
Strong’sG1398
I am a slave, am subject to, obey
stem douleu-26 times in the New Testamentin 12 of 27 books14 forms occur
Translated as
What it means
δουλεύω
(< δοῦλος), [in LXX for עבד, as Ge 14:4, exc. Da TH 7:14, 27 (פְּלַח), Is 56:6 (שׁרת pi.)*;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G1398 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saiddool-yoo'-o
to be a slave to (literal or figurative, involuntary or voluntary)
Fromfrom G1401;
King Jamesbe in bondage, (do) serve(-ice).
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Forms in the New Testament
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| douleuamōδουλεύω | happening now · Ipresent active indicative 1st person singular | slaving | 2× |
| douleuatōδουλεύει | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | in slavery | 1× |
| douleualōδουλεύουσιν | happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural | serve | 1× |
| douleuatiδουλεύσει | will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular | serve | 1× |
| douleualiδουλεύσουσιν | will happen · theyfuture active indicative 3rd person plural | serve | 1× |
| douleuataἐδούλευσεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | served | 1× |
| douleuavaἐδουλεύσατε | happened · yeaorist active indicative 2nd person plural | enslaved | 1× |
| douleuanēδεδουλεύκαμεν | has happened · weperfect active indicative 1st person plural | enslaved | 1× |
| douleuavōrδουλεύετε | happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural | serve | 2× |
| douleualōrδουλευέτωσαν | happening now · theypresent active imperative 3rd person plural | serve | 1× |
| douleuarōδουλεύειν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | serve | 8× |
| douleuarōtosδουλεύων | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine | serves | 2× |
| douleuarōtoisδουλεύοντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | serve | 3× |
| douleuirētoisδεδουλωμένοι | has happened · subjectperfect passive participle nominative plural masculine | enslaved | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 172, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 9 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | douleuamō2×δουλεύω | douleuame | douleuami | douleuama | douleuamē | douleuamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | douleuasō | douleuase | douleuasi | douleuasa | douleuasē | douleuaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuatō1×δουλεύει | douleuate | douleuati1×δουλεύσει | douleuata1×ἐδούλευσεν | douleuatē | douleuatelē |
| we 1st person plural | douleuanō | douleuane | douleuani | douleuana | douleuanē1×δεδουλεύκαμεν | douleuanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuavō | douleuave | douleuavi | douleuava1×ἐδουλεύσατε | douleuavē | douleuavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | douleualō1×δουλεύουσιν | douleuale | douleuali1×δουλεύσουσιν | douleuala | douleualē | douleualelē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | douleuimō | douleuime | douleuimi | douleuima | douleuimē | douleuimelē |
| you 2nd person singular | douleuisō | douleuise | douleuisi | douleuisa | douleuisē | douleuiselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuitō | douleuite | douleuiti | douleuita | douleuitē | douleuitelē |
| we 1st person plural | douleuinō | douleuine | douleuini | douleuina | douleuinē | douleuinelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuivō | douleuive | douleuivi | douleuiva | douleuivē | douleuivelē |
| they 3rd person plural | douleuilō | douleuile | douleuili | douleuila | douleuilē | douleuilelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | douleuameiō | douleuameia | douleuameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | douleuaseiō | douleuaseia | douleuaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuateiō | douleuateia | douleuateiē |
| we 1st person plural | douleuaneiō | douleuaneia | douleuaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuaveiō | douleuaveia | douleuaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | douleualeiō | douleualeia | douleualeiē |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | douleuimeiō | douleuimeia | douleuimeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | douleuiseiō | douleuiseia | douleuiseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuiteiō | douleuiteia | douleuiteiē |
| we 1st person plural | douleuineiō | douleuineia | douleuineiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuiveiō | douleuiveia | douleuiveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | douleuileiō | douleuileia | douleuileiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 3 occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | douleuasōr | douleuasar | douleuasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuatōr | douleuatar | douleuatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuavōr2×δουλεύετε | douleuavar | douleuavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | douleualōr1×δουλευέτωσαν | douleualar | douleualēr |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | douleuisōr | douleuisar | douleuisēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuitōr | douleuitar | douleuitēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuivōr | douleuivar | douleuivēr |
| they 3rd person plural | douleuilōr | douleuilar | douleuilēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
the subject acts active voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | douleuamoiō | douleuamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | douleuasoiō | douleuasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuatoiō | douleuatoia |
| we 1st person plural | douleuanoiō | douleuanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuavoiō | douleuavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | douleualoiō | douleualoia |
acted on passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | douleuimoiō | douleuimoia |
| you 2nd person singular | douleuisoiō | douleuisoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuitoiō | douleuitoia |
| we 1st person plural | douleuinoiō | douleuinoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuivoiō | douleuivoia |
| they 3rd person plural | douleuiloiō | douleuiloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 8 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | douleuarō8×δουλεύειν | douleuari | douleuara | douleuarē |
| acted on passive voice | douleuirō | douleuiri | douleuira | douleuirē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 6 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | douleuarōtos5×δουλεύων | douleuaritos | douleuaratos | douleuarētos |
| acted on passive voice | douleuirōtos | douleuiritos | douleuiratos | douleuirētos1× |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
douleu is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
26 occurrences, every one of them listed
douleuamō“slaving”happening now · Ipresent active indicative 1st person singular2×
Luke 15:29“slaving”tos de apokriniratos legata to patēro autou; Idou tosouteim eteim douleuamō si kai oudepote entolan su parerchama, kai mi oudepote dōasa erifon hina meta toiu filoiu mu eufrainimeia;But he answered his father, ‘Look, all these years I have served you and never disobeyed a commandment of yours. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.
Romans 7:25“serving”charias to theo dia Iēsu Christou tou kuriou nu. Ara oun autos mis to men nouo douleuamō nomo theou, ta de sarxa nomo hamartau.Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.
douleuatō“in slavery”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Galatians 4:25“in slavery”tem de Hagar Sina orem atō en ta Arabia, sustoichatō de ta nun Ierousalēm, douleuatō gar meta teiu tekneiu autau;Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present-day Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children.
douleualō“serve”happening now · theypresent active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Romans 16:18“serve”tois gar toioutois to kurio nu Christo ouk douleualō alla ta heautoiu koilia, kai dia tau chrēstologiau kai eulogiau exapatalō tain kardiain toiu akakoiu.For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
douleuati“serve”will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Romans 9:12“serve”ouk ek ergeiu alla ek tou kalarōtou, legita auta hoti Tos megoteros douleuati to elassōno;not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”
douleuali“serve”will happen · theyfuture active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Acts 7:7“serve”kai tem ethnem he ean douleuali krinami mis, tos theos legata, kai meta houteim exercheli kai latreuali mi en to topo houto.‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and worship Me in this place.’
douleuata“served”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Philippians 2:22“served”tan de dokiman autou gnōskavō, hoti hōs patēro teknem sun mi douleuata eis tem euangeliem.But you know Timothy’s proven worth, that as a child with his father he has served with me to advance the gospel.
douleuava“enslaved”happened · yeaorist active indicative 2nd person plural1×
Galatians 4:8“enslaved”Alla tote men ouk oidarētois theon douleuava toi fusia mē arōtoi theoi;Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
douleuanē“enslaved”has happened · weperfect active indicative 1st person plural1×
John 8:33“enslaved”apokrinila pros auton; Spermem Abraam anō kai oudeno douleuanē pōpote; pōs sis legasō hoti Eleutherois ginevi?“We are Abraham’s descendants,” they answered. “We have never been slaves to anyone. How can You say we will be set free?”
douleuavōr“serve”happening now · yepresent active imperative 2nd person plural2×
Galatians 5:13“serve”Vis gar epi eleutheria kaliva, adelfoir; monem mē tan eleutherian eis aforman ta sarxa, alla dia tau agapau douleuavōr allēloi;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.
Colossians 3:24“serve”oidarētois hoti apo kuriou apolambevi tan antapodosian tau klēronomiau; to kurio Christo douleuavōr;because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
douleualōr“serve”happening now · theypresent active imperative 3rd person plural1×
1 Timothy 6:2“serve”tois de pistoin echarōtois despotoin mē katafronalōr, hoti adelfois alō; alla mallon douleualōr, hoti pistois alō kai agapētois tois tau euergesiau antilambanerōtois. Houteim didaskasōr kai parakalasōr.Those who have believing masters should not show disrespect because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those receiving their good service are beloved believers. Teach and encourage these principles.
douleuarō“serve”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive8×
Matthew 6:24“serve”Oudenos dunetō duo kurioi douleuarō; ē gar ton henon misati kai ton heteron agapati, ē henou antecheti kai tou heterou katafronati. ouk dunevō theo douleuarō kai mamōnao.No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Matthew 6:24“serve”Oudenos dunetō duo kurioi douleuarō; ē gar ton henon misati kai ton heteron agapati, ē henou antecheti kai tou heterou katafronati. ouk dunevō theo douleuarō kai mamōnao.No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Luke 16:13“serve”oudenos oiketos dunetō duo kurioi douleuarō; ē gar ton henon misati kai ton heteron agapati, ē henou antecheti kai tou heterou katafronati. ouk dunevō theo douleuarō kai mamōnao.No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Luke 16:13“serve”oudenos oiketos dunetō duo kurioi douleuarō; ē gar ton henon misati kai ton heteron agapati, ē henou antecheti kai tou heterou katafronati. ouk dunevō theo douleuarō kai mamōnao.No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Romans 6:6“enslaved”houtem gnōskarōtois hoti tos palaios nu anthrōpos sustaurita, hina katargiteia tem sōmem tau hamartau, teu mēketi douleuarō nin ta hamarta,We know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
Romans 7:6“serve”nuni de katargina apo tou nomou, apothnēskaratois en ho katechine, hōste douleuarō nin en kainota pneumeu kai ouk palaiota grammeu.But now, having died to what bound us, we have been released from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.
Galatians 4:9“enslaved”nun de gnōskaratois theon, mallon de gnōskiratois hupo theou, pōs epistrefavō palin epi teim astheneim kai ptōcheim stoicheieim, hei palin anōthen douleuarō thelavō?But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
1 Thessalonians 1:9“serve”autois gar peri nu apangellalō hopoian eisodan echana pros vin, kai pōs epistrefava pros ton theon apo teiu eidōleiu douleuarō theo zōarōto kai alēthino,For they themselves report what kind of welcome you gave us, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
douleuarōtos“serves”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine2×
Acts 20:19“serving”douleuarōtos to kurio meta pantau tapeinofrosunau kai dakrueiu kai peirasmoiu toiu sumbainaratoiu mi en tai epiboulai toiu Ioudaioiu;I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, especially in the trials that came upon me through the plots of the Jews.
Romans 14:18“serves”tos gar en houte douleuarōtos to Christo euarestos to theo kai dokimos toi anthrōpoi.For whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.
douleuarōtois“serve”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine3×
Romans 12:11“serving”ta spouda mē oknērois, te pneume zesarōtois, to kurio douleuarōtois,Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Ephesians 6:7“serve”meta eunoiau douleuarōtois, hōs to kurio kai ouk anthrōpoi,Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men,
Titus 3:3“enslaved”ane gar pote kai nis anoētois, apeithois, planirōtois, douleuarōtois epithumiai kai hēdonai poikilai, en kakia kai fthono diagarōtois, stugētois, misarōtois allēloin.For at one time we too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and pleasures — living in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
douleuirētois“enslaved”has happened · subjectperfect passive participle nominative plural masculine1×
Galatians 4:3“enslaved”houtōs kai nis, hote ane nēpiois, hupo teim stoicheieim tou kosmou ene douleuirētois;So also, when we were children, we were enslaved under the basic principles of the world.