verb
douleuamō
Strong’sG1398
I am a slave, am subject to, obey
stem douleu-26 times in the New Testamentin 12 of 27 books14 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
δουλεύω means to be a slave, to be in bondage, or to serve and be subject to someone or something — used of both literal and figurative slavery, whether involuntary or willingly taken on 24. It can stand alone or take a person or thing in the dative as the one served: someone may be a slave to God, to the Lord, or to Christ 1; a nation may serve another nation 1; and a person may be enslaved to sin, to the law of sin, to evil desires and pleasures, to one's own appetite, or to money 1. It is also used of people serving one another 1. In wider Greek usage the same idea covers being subject to a yoke, to sleep, to lust, or to accommodating oneself to circumstance or occasion 3.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
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.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
(δοῦλος) to be a slave, Refs 5th c.BC+
2 serve, be subject, τό τ᾽ ἄρχειν καὶ τὸ δ. δίχα Refs 4th c.BC+; δ. ζεύγλαιςRefs 5th c.BC+; δ. γαστρί, ὕπνῳ, λαγνείᾳ, Refs 5th c.BC+; τῇ γῇ δ. make oneself a slave to one's land, i. e. give up rights that one may keep it, Refs 5th c.BC+; δ. τῷ καιρῷ accommodate oneself to the occasion, Refs 2nd c.AD+
3 render a service, τινά Refs 6th c.AD+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| 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× |
| douleuarōntosδουλεύων | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine | serves | 2× |
| douleuarōntoisδουλεύοντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | serve | 3× |
| douleuorēntoisδεδουλωμένοι | has happened · subjectperfect middle or 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 140, 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 |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | douleuomō | douleuome | douleuomē | douleuomelē |
| you 2nd person singular | douleuosō | douleuose | douleuosē | douleuoselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuotō | douleuote | douleuotē | douleuotelē |
| we 1st person plural | douleuonō | douleuone | douleuonē | douleuonelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuovō | douleuove | douleuovē | douleuovelē |
| they 3rd person plural | douleuolō | douleuole | douleuolē | douleuolelē |
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 |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | douleuomeiō | douleuomeiē |
| you 2nd person singular | douleuoseiō | douleuoseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuoteiō | douleuoteiē |
| we 1st person plural | douleuoneiō | douleuoneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuoveiō | douleuoveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | douleuoleiō | douleuoleiē |
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 |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | douleuosōr | douleuosēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuotōr | douleuotēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuovōr | douleuovēr |
| they 3rd person plural | douleuolōr | douleuolēr |
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 |
acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice
| Who person | happening now present |
|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | douleuomoiō |
| you 2nd person singular | douleuosoiō |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | douleuotoiō |
| we 1st person plural | douleuonoiō |
| ye 2nd person plural | douleuovoiō |
| they 3rd person plural | douleuoloiō |
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 |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | douleuorō | douleuorē |
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 | douleuarōntos5×δουλεύων | douleuarintos | douleuarantos | douleuarēntos |
| acts on itself, or is acted on middle or passive voice | douleuorōntos | douleuorēntos1× |
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
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
26 occurrences, every one of them listed
douleuamō“slaving”happening now · Ipresent active indicative 1st person singular2×
Luke 15:29“slaving”… to patro autou; Idou tosouteim eteim douleuamō si kai oudepote entolan su parerchama, …… he answered his father, ‘Look, all these years I have served you and never disobeyed a commandment …
Romans 7:25“serving”… oun autos mis to men nouo douleuamō nomo theou, ta de sarka nomo …… 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… Arabia, sustoichatō de ta nun Ierousalēm, douleuatō gar meta teiu tekneiu autau;… 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”… toioutois to kurio nu Christo ouk douleualō alla ta heautoiu koilia, kai dia …For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of …
douleuati“serve”will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Romans 9:12… kalarōntou, legita auta hoti Tos megoteros douleuati to elassōno;… 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 …‘But I will punish the nation that enslaves them,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come forth and worship Me …
douleuata“served”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Philippians 2:22… hoti hōs patro teknem sun mi douleuata eis tem euangeliem.… 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 oidarēntois theon douleuava toi fusia mē arōntoi theoi;… 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”… auton; Spermem Abraam anō kai oudeno douleuanē pōpote; pōs sis legasō hoti Eleutherois …“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… ta sarka, alla dia tau agapau douleuavōr allēloi;… an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
Colossians 3:24“serve”… antapodosian tau klēronomiau; to kurio Christo douleuavōr;… receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are …
douleualōr“serve”happening now · theypresent active imperative 3rd person plural1×
1 Timothy 6:2… katafronalōr, hoti adelfois alō; alla mallon douleualōr, hoti pistois alō kai agapētois tois …… because they are brothers, but should serve them all the more, since those …
douleuarō“serve”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive8×
Matthew 6:24Oudenos dunotō duo kurioi douleuarō; ē gar ton henon misati kai …No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate …
Matthew 6:24… tou heterou katafronati. ouk dunovō theo douleuarō kai mamōno.… and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Luke 16:13oudenos oiketos dunotō duo kurioi douleuarō; ē gar ton henon misati kai …No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate …
Luke 16:13… tou heterou katafronati. ouk dunovō theo douleuarō kai mamōno.… and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
Romans 6:6“enslaved”… tem sōmem tau hamartau, teu mēketi douleuarō nin ta hamarta,… so that the body of sin might be rendered powerless, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.
Romans 7:6… nomou, apothnēskarantois en ho katechone, hōste douleuarō nin en kainota pneumeu kai ouk …… from the law, so that we serve in the new way of the …
Galatians 4:9… kai ptōcheim stoicheieim, hei palin anōthen douleuarō thelavō?… principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again?
1 Thessalonians 1:9… pros ton theon apo teiu eidōleiu douleuarō theo zōarōnto kai alēthino,… turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God
douleuarōntos“serves”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular masculine2×
Acts 20:19“serving”douleuarōntos to kurio meta pantau tapeinofrosunau kai …I served the Lord with great humility and with tears …
Romans 14:18tos gar en houte douleuarōntos to Christo euarestos to theo kai …For whoever serves Christ in this way is pleasing …
douleuarōntois“serve”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine3×
Romans 12:11… oknērois, te pneume zesarōntois, to kurio douleuarōntois,… zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Ephesians 6:7meta eunoiau douleuarōntois, hōs to kurio kai ouk anthrōpoi,Serve with good will, as to the …
Titus 3:3… pote kai nis anoētois, apeithois, planorōntois, douleuarōntois epithumiai kai hēdonai poikilai, en kakia …… too were foolish, disobedient, misled, and enslaved to all sorts of desires and …
douleuorēntois“enslaved”has happened · subjectperfect middle or passive participle nominative plural masculine1×
Galatians 4:3… hupo teim stoicheieim tou kosmou one douleuorēntois;… when we were children, we were enslaved under the basic principles of the …