שָׁרַת
to minister
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Piel
- An intensive or resultative active stem. Here: ‘of ministerial service’
Form
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
State
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
Grammatical forms 12 distinct
- Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct 32 times (33%)
- Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Construct 17 times (17%)
- Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute 16 times (16%)
- Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural 12 times (12%)
- Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Construct 9 times (9%)
- Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 3 times (3%)
- Verb, Piel, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 3 times (3%)
- Verb, Piel, Sequential Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 2 times (2%)
+4 more forms (4 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 98 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H8334 appears — 92 distinct verses across 20 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Genesis 2 verses
- Genesis 39:4 וַ/יְשָׁ֣רֶת conj + Piel wimpf 3ms Joseph found favor in his sight. He ministered to him, and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
- Genesis 40:4 וַ/יְשָׁ֣רֶת conj + Piel wimpf 3ms The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he took care of them. They stayed in prison many days.
Exodus 10 verses
- Exodus 24:13 מְשָׁרְת֑/וֹ Piel ptcp.act ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Moses rose up with Joshua, his servant, and Moses went up onto God's Mountain.
- Exodus 28:35 לְ/שָׁרֵ֑ת prep + Piel inf.cs It shall be on Aaron to minister: and the sound of it shall be heard when he goes in to the holy place before Yahweh, and when he comes out, that he not die.
- Exodus 28:43 לְ/שָׁרֵ֣ת prep + Piel inf.cs They shall be on Aaron, and on his sons, when they go in to the tent of meeting, or when they come near to the altar to minister in the holy place; that they don't bear iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him.
- Exodus 29:30 לְ/שָׁרֵ֥ת prep + Piel inf.cs Seven days shall the son who is priest in his place put them on, when he comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.
- Exodus 30:20 לְ/שָׁרֵ֔ת prep + Piel inf.cs When they go into the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water, that they not die; or when they come near to the altar to minister, to burn an offering made by fire to Yahweh.
- Exodus 33:11 וּ/מְשָׁ֨רְת֜/וֹ conj + Piel ptcp.act ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, didn't depart out of the Tent.
- Exodus 35:19 לְ/שָׁרֵ֣ת prep + Piel inf.cs the finely worked garments, for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.'"
- Exodus 39:1 לְ/שָׁרֵ֣ת prep + Piel inf.cs Of the blue, purple, and scarlet, they made finely worked garments, for ministering in the holy place, and made the holy garments for Aaron; as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Exodus 39:26 לְ/שָׁרֵ֕ת prep + Piel inf.cs a bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, around the skirts of the robe, to minister in, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Exodus 39:41 לְ/שָׁרֵ֣ת prep + Piel inf.cs the finely worked garments for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office.
Numbers 10 verses
- Numbers 1:50 יְשָׁרְתֻ֑/הוּ Piel impf 3mp + sfx pers 3ms but appoint the Levites over the Tabernacle of the Testimony, and over all its furnishings, and over all that belongs to it. They shall carry the tabernacle, and all its furnishings; and they shall take care of it, and shall encamp around it.
- Numbers 3:6 וְ/שֵׁרְת֖וּ conj + Piel wpf 3cp "Bring the tribe of Levi near, and set them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister to him.
- Numbers 3:31 יְשָׁרְת֖וּ Piel impf 3mp Their charge shall be the ark, the table, the lamp stand, the altars, the vessels of the sanctuary with which they minister, and the screen, and all its service.
- Numbers 4:9 יְשָׁרְתוּ Piel impf 3mp They shall take a blue cloth, and cover the lampstand of the light, and its lamps, and its snuffers, and its snuff dishes, and all its oil vessels, with which they minister to it.
- Numbers 4:12 יְשָֽׁרְתוּ Piel impf 3mp They shall take all the vessels of ministry, with which they minister in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of sealskin, and shall put them on the frame.
- Numbers 4:14 יְֽשָׁרְת֧וּ Piel impf 3mp They shall put on it all its vessels, with which they minister about it, the fire pans, the flesh hooks, the shovels, and the basins; all the vessels of the altar; and they shall spread on it a covering of sealskin, and put in its poles.
- Numbers 8:26 וְ/שֵׁרֵ֨ת conj + Piel wpf 3ms but shall minister with their brothers in the Tent of Meeting, to keep the charge, and shall do no service. Thus shall you do to the Levites concerning their duties."
- Numbers 11:28 מְשָׁרֵ֥ת Piel ptcp.act ms cs Joshua the son of Nun, the minister of Moses, one of his chosen men, answered, My lord Moses, forbid them.
- Numbers 16:9 לְ/שָׁרְתָֽ/ם prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3mp [seems it but] a small thing to you, that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do the service of the tent of Yahweh, and to stand before the congregation to minister to them;
- Numbers 18:2 וִֽ/ישָׁרְת֑וּ/ךָ conj + Piel impf 3mp + sfx pers 2ms Your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, bring you near with you, that they may be joined to you, and minister to you: but you and your sons with you shall be before the tent of the testimony.
Deuteronomy 5 verses
- Deuteronomy 10:8 לְ/שָֽׁרְת/וֹ֙ prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms At that time Yahweh set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, to stand before Yahweh to minister to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.
- Deuteronomy 17:12 לְ/שָׁ֤רֶת prep + Piel inf.cs The man who does presumptuously, in not listening to the priest who stands to minister there before Yahweh your God, or to the judge, even that man shall die: and you shall put away the evil from Israel.
- Deuteronomy 18:5 לְ/שָׁרֵ֧ת prep + Piel inf.cs For Yahweh your God has chosen him out of all your tribes, to stand to minister in the name of Yahweh, him and his sons for ever.
- Deuteronomy 18:7 וְ/שֵׁרֵ֕ת conj + Piel wpf 3ms then he shall minister in the name of Yahweh his God, as all his brothers the Levites do, who stand there before Yahweh.
- Deuteronomy 21:5 לְ/שָׁ֣רְת֔/וֹ prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms The priests the sons of Levi shall come near; for them Yahweh your God has chosen to minister to him, and to bless in the name of Yahweh; and according to their word shall every controversy and every stroke be.
Joshua 1 verse
1 Samuel 3 verses
- 1 Samuel 2:11 מְשָׁרֵת֙ Piel ptcp.act ms Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. The child did minister to Yahweh before Eli the priest.
- 1 Samuel 2:18 מְשָׁרֵ֖ת Piel ptcp.act ms But Samuel ministered before Yahweh, being a child, girded with a linen ephod.
- 1 Samuel 3:1 מְשָׁרֵ֥ת Piel ptcp.act ms The child Samuel ministered to Yahweh before Eli. The word of Yahweh was precious in those days; there was no frequent vision.
2 Samuel 2 verses
- 2 Samuel 13:17 מְשָׁ֣רְת֔/וֹ Piel ptcp.act ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Then he called his servant who ministered to him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her.
- 2 Samuel 13:18 מְשָֽׁרְת/וֹ֙ Piel ptcp.act ms cs + sfx pers 3ms She had a garment of various colors on her; for with such robes were the king's daughters who were virgins dressed. Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her.
1 Kings 5 verses
- 1 Kings 1:4 וַ/תְּשָׁ֣רְתֵ֔/הוּ conj + Piel wimpf 3fs + sfx pers 3ms The young lady was very beautiful; and she cherished the king, and ministered to him; but the king didn't know her intimately.
- 1 Kings 1:15 מְשָׁרַ֖ת Piel ptcp.act fs Bathsheba went in to the king into the chamber: and the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king.
- 1 Kings 8:11 לְ/שָׁרֵ֖ת prep + Piel inf.cs so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud; for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of Yahweh.
- 1 Kings 10:5 משרת/ו מְשָׁרְתָ֜י/ו Piel ptcp.act ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Piel ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 3ms and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their clothing, and his cup bearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of Yahweh; there was no more spirit in her.
- 1 Kings 19:21 וַ/יְשָׁרְתֵֽ/הוּ conj + Piel wimpf 3ms + sfx pers 3ms He returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and killed them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered to him.
2 Kings 3 verses
- 2 Kings 4:43 מְשָׁ֣רְת֔/וֹ Piel ptcp.act ms cs + sfx pers 3ms His servant said, What, should I set this before a hundred men? But he said, Give the people, that they may eat; for thus says Yahweh, They shall eat, and shall leave of it.
- 2 Kings 6:15 מְשָׁרֵ֨ת Piel ptcp.act ms cs When the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host with horses and chariots was round about the city. His servant said to him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?
- 2 Kings 25:14 יְשָֽׁרְתוּ Piel impf 3mp The pots, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, took they away.
1 Chronicles 8 verses
- 1 Chronicles 6:32 מְשָׁרְתִ֜ים Piel ptcp.act mp They ministered with song before the tent of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem: and they waited on their office according to their order.
- 1 Chronicles 15:2 וּֽ/לְ/שָׁרְת֖/וֹ conj + prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them has Yahweh chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister to him forever.
- 1 Chronicles 16:4 מְשָׁרְתִ֑ים Piel ptcp.act mp He appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of Yahweh, and to celebrate and to thank and praise Yahweh, the God of Israel:
- 1 Chronicles 16:37 לְ/שָׁרֵ֞ת prep + Piel inf.cs So he left there, before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, Asaph and his brothers, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required;
- 1 Chronicles 23:13 לְ/שָׁרְת֛/וֹ prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons, forever, to burn incense before Yahweh, to minister to him, and to bless in his name, forever.
- 1 Chronicles 26:12 לְ/שָׁרֵ֖ת prep + Piel inf.cs Of these were the divisions of the doorkeepers, even of the chief men, having offices like their brothers, to minister in the house of Yahweh.
- 1 Chronicles 27:1 הַ/מְשָׁרְתִ֨ים ptcl def.art + Piel ptcp.act mp Now the children of Israel after their number, the heads of fathers' [houses] and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king, in any matter of the divisions which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year--of every division were twenty-four thousand.
- 1 Chronicles 28:1 הַ/מְשָׁרְתִ֪ים ptcl def.art + Piel ptcp.act mp David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, and the captains of the companies who served the king by division, and the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, and the rulers over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officers, and the mighty men, even all the mighty men of valor, to Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 9 verses
- 2 Chronicles 5:14 לְ/שָׁרֵ֖ת prep + Piel inf.cs so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of Yahweh filled the house of God.
- 2 Chronicles 8:14 וּ/לְ/שָׁרֵ֜ת conj + prep + Piel inf.cs He appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise, and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the doorkeepers also by their divisions at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.
- 2 Chronicles 9:4 מְשָׁרְתָ֜י/ו Piel ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 3ms and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their clothing, his cup bearers also, and their clothing, and his ascent by which he went up to the house of Yahweh; there was no more spirit in her.
- 2 Chronicles 13:10 מְשָׁרְתִ֤ים Piel ptcp.act mp But as for us, Yahweh is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and [we have] priests ministering to Yahweh, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites in their work:
- 2 Chronicles 17:19 הַ/מְשָׁרְתִ֣ים ptcl def.art + Piel ptcp.act mp These were those who waited on the king, besides those whom the king put in the fortified cities throughout all Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 22:8 מְשָׁרְתִ֥ים Piel ptcp.act mp It happened, when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, that he found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brothers of Ahaziah, ministering to Ahaziah, and killed them.
- 2 Chronicles 23:6 וְ/הַ/מְשָׁרְתִ֣ים conj + ptcl def.art + Piel ptcp.act mp But let none come into the house of Yahweh, save the priests, and those who minister of the Levites; they shall come in, for they are holy: but all the people shall keep the charge of Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 29:11 לְ/שָׁ֣רְת֔/וֹ מְשָׁרְתִ֥ים prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Piel ptcp.act mp My sons, don't be negligent now; for Yahweh has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his ministers, and burn incense.
- 2 Chronicles 31:2 לְ/שָׁרֵת֙ prep + Piel inf.cs Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites after their divisions, every man according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and for peace-offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of Yahweh.
Ezra 1 verse
Nehemiah 2 verses
- Nehemiah 10:36 הַ/מְשָׁרְתִ֖ים ptcl def.art + Piel ptcp.act mp also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God;
- Nehemiah 10:39 הַ/מְשָׁ֣רְתִ֔ים ptcl def.art + Piel ptcp.act mp For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the heave-offering of the grain, of the new wine, and of the oil, to the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests who minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.
Esther 3 verses
- Esther 1:10 הַ/מְשָׁ֣רְתִ֔ים ptcl def.art + Piel ptcp.act mp On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcass, the seven chamberlains who ministered in the presence of Ahasuerus the king,
- Esther 2:2 מְשָׁרְתָ֑י/ו Piel ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 3ms Then said the king's servants who ministered to him, Let there be beautiful young virgins sought for the king:
- Esther 6:3 מְשָׁ֣רְתָ֔י/ו Piel ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 3ms The king said, What honor and dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this? Then the king's servants who ministered to him said, "Nothing has been done for him."
Psalms 3 verses
- Psalms 101:6 יְשָׁרְתֵֽ/נִי Piel impf 3ms + sfx pers 1cs My eyes will be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me. He who walks in a perfect way, He will serve me.
- Psalms 103:21 מְ֝שָׁרְתָ֗י/ו Piel ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 3ms Praise Yahweh, all you hosts of his, You servants of his, who do his pleasure.
- Psalms 104:4 מְ֝שָׁרְתָ֗י/ו Piel ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 3ms He makes his messengers winds; His servants flames of fire.
Proverbs 1 verse
Isaiah 4 verses
- Isaiah 56:6 לְ/שָׁ֣רְת֔/וֹ prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms Also the foreigners who join themselves to Yahweh, to minister to him, and to love the name of Yahweh, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath from profaning it, and holds fast my covenant;
- Isaiah 60:7 יְשָׁרְת֑וּ/נֶךְ Piel impf 3mp + sfx pers 2fs All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together to you, the rams of Nebaioth shall minister to you; they shall come up with acceptance on my altar; and I will glorify the house of my glory.
- Isaiah 60:10 יְשָׁרְת֑וּ/נֶךְ Piel impf 3mp + sfx pers 2fs Foreigners shall build up your walls, and their kings shall minister to you: for in my wrath I struck you, but in my favor have I had mercy on you.
- Isaiah 61:6 מְשָׁרְתֵ֣י Piel ptcp.act mp cs But you shall be named the priests of Yahweh; men shall call you the ministers of our God: you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall you boast yourselves.
Jeremiah 3 verses
- Jeremiah 33:21 מְשָׁרְתָֽ/י Piel ptcp.act mp cs + sfx pers 1cs then may also my covenant be broken with David my servant, that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne; and with the Levites the priests, my ministers.
- Jeremiah 33:22 מְשָׁרְתֵ֥י Piel ptcp.act mp cs As the host of the sky can't be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured; so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites who minister to me.
- Jeremiah 52:18 יְשָׁרְת֥וּ Piel impf 3mp The pots also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass with which they ministered, took they away.
Ezekiel 14 verses
- Ezekiel 20:32 לְ/שָׁרֵ֖ת prep + Piel inf.cs and that which comes into your mind shall not be at all, in that you say, We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
- Ezekiel 40:46 לְ/שָׁרְתֽ/וֹ prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3ms and the chamber whose prospect is toward the north is for the priests, the keepers of the charge of the altar: these are the sons of Zadok, who from among the sons of Levi come near to Yahweh to minister to him.
- Ezekiel 42:14 יְשָׁרְת֥וּ Piel impf 3mp When the priests enter in, then shall they not go out of the holy place into the outer court, but there they shall lay their garments in which they minister; for they are holy: and they shall put on other garments, and shall approach to that which pertains to the people.
- Ezekiel 43:19 לְ/שָֽׁרְתֵ֑/נִי prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 1cs You shall give to the priests the Levites who are of the seed of Zadok, who are near to me, to minister to me, says the Lord Yahweh, a young bull for a sin-offering.
- Ezekiel 44:11 מְשָׁ֣רְתִ֔ים וּֽ/מְשָׁרְתִ֖ים לְ/שָֽׁרְתָֽ/ם Piel ptcp.act mp conj + Piel ptcp.act mp prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3mp Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having oversight at the gates of the house, and ministering in the house: they shall kill the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them.
- Ezekiel 44:12 יְשָׁרְת֤וּ Piel impf 3mp Because they ministered to them before their idols, and became a stumbling block of iniquity to the house of Israel; therefore have I lifted up my hand against them, says the Lord Yahweh, and they shall bear their iniquity.
- Ezekiel 44:15 לְ/שָֽׁרְתֵ֑/נִי prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 1cs But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister to me; and they shall stand before me to offer to me the fat and the blood, says the Lord Yahweh:
- Ezekiel 44:16 לְ/שָׁרְתֵ֑/נִי prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 1cs they shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister to me, and they shall keep my charge.
- Ezekiel 44:17 בְּ/שָֽׁרְתָ֗/ם prep + Piel inf.cs + sfx pers 3mp It shall be that, when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come on them, while they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within.
- Ezekiel 44:19 מְשָׁרְתִ֣ם Piel ptcp.act mp When they go forth into the outer court, even into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they minister, and lay them in the holy chambers; and they shall put on other garments, that they not sanctify the people with their garments.
- Ezekiel 44:27 לְ/שָׁרֵ֣ת prep + Piel inf.cs In the day that he goes into the sanctuary, into the inner court, to minister in the sanctuary, he shall offer his sin-offering, says the Lord Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 45:4 מְשָׁרְתֵ֤י לְ/שָׁרֵ֣ת Piel ptcp.act mp cs prep + Piel inf.cs It is a holy portion of the land; it shall be for the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to Yahweh; and it shall be a place for their houses, and a holy place for the sanctuary.
- Ezekiel 45:5 מְשָׁרְתֵ֨י Piel ptcp.act mp cs Twenty-five thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth, shall be to the Levites, the ministers of the house, for a possession to themselves, [for] twenty chambers.
- Ezekiel 46:24 מְשָׁרְתֵ֥י Piel ptcp.act mp cs Then said he to me, These are the boiling-houses, where the ministers of the house shall boil the sacrifice of the people.
Joel 3 verses
- Joel 1:9 מְשָׁרְתֵ֖י Piel ptcp.act mp cs The meal offering and the drink offering are cut off from Yahweh's house. The priests, Yahweh's ministers, mourn.
- Joel 1:13 מְשָׁרְתֵ֣י מְשָׁרְתֵ֖י Piel ptcp.act mp cs Piel ptcp.act mp cs Put on sackcloth and mourn, you priests! Wail, you ministers of the altar. Come, lie all night in sackcloth, you ministers of my God, For the meal offering and the drink offering are withheld from your God's house.
- Joel 2:17 מְשָׁרְתֵ֖י Piel ptcp.act mp cs Let the priests, the ministers of Yahweh, weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say, "Spare your people, Yahweh, And don't give your heritage to reproach, That the nations should rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, שרת (shârath) means “to minister.” Its English rendering has broadened — “minister” classically, “serve” (unfoldingWord Literal Text) in modern versions; see the renderings breakdown. Spanning 92 verses in 20 books, it ranks among the moderately common words of the Hebrew Bible. It first appears in Genesis 39:4. Sharing its root, it stands alongside שרת. Dig into 92-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H8334 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 92
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 92 distinct verses.
- 20 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 20 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #429
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 429 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 92 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 92 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 38 verses · 41%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 27 verses · 29%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 27 verses · 29%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Minister 33×, Ministered 10×, Ministers 10×
- American Standard Version: Minister 28×, Ministers 9×, Ministered 7×
- Berean Standard Bible: Minister 20×, Ministers 6×, Ministering 5×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Serve 8×, Minister 7×, Serving 7×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H8334 across 97 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 16 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H8334 across 96 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 20 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H8334 across 93 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 28 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 4 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H8334 across 94 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 35 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
13 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 13 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
Piel
- Pf. 3 ms. שֵׁרֵת Nu 8:26; Dt 18:7; 3 mpl. שֵׁרְתוּ Nu 3:6; Impf. 3 ms. וַיְשָׁ֫רֶת Gn 39:4, 3 mpl. יְשָֽׁרְתוּ Nu 3:31 +, etc.; Inf. cstr. לְשָׁרֵת Ex 28:35 +, לְשָׁ֫רֶת שָׁם Dt 17:12, etc.; Pt. מְשָׁרֵת Nu 11:28 + (2 S 13:9 v. מַשְׂרֵת, p. 602a), f. מְשָׁרַת 1 K 1:15; etc.;—serve: e.g. Numbers 8:26
- 1. of ministerial service (opp. menial, עבד):
- a. higher domestic service: Joseph Gn 39:4; 40:4 (JE), Elisha’s chief servant 2 K 4:43; 6:15, royal domestics 2 S 13:17, 18 1 K 10:5; 2 Ch 9:4; Est 2:2; 6:3, Abishag 1 K 1:4, 15. e.g. Genesis 39:4
- b. of royal officers (late) 1 Ch 27:1; 28:1; 2 Ch 17:19; 22:8; Est 1:10; Pr 29:12. e.g. 1 Chronicles 27:1
- c. Joshua as chief assistant to Moses Ex 24:13; 13:11 (E), Nu 11:28 (J), Jos 1:1 (D), Elisha to Elijah 1 K 19:21, e.g. Exodus 24:13
- d. of angels to י׳ ψ 103:21, cf. 104:4. e.g. Psalms 103:21
- e. of kings of nations in proph. Is 60:10. e.g. Isaiah 60:10
- 2. usually of special service in worship:
- a. of Levit. priests, abs. 1 K 8:11 = 2 Ch 5:14; c. acc. י׳ Dt 10:8; 17:12; 21:5; Je 33:21 + (strangely) מְשָֽׁרְתֵי אֹתִי v 22; also Is 60:7 of animals put fig. for those sacrificing them; of foreigners admitted to priesthood Is 61:6, cf. 56:6; so prob. Samuel conceived as priest 1 S 2:11; 3:1, את פני י׳ 2:18 (פני prob. acc., cf. 𝔊 τῷ προσώπῳ v 11), שׁ׳ בְּשֵׁם י׳ Dt 18:5, 7. e.g. 1 Kings 8:11
- b. Levites (P, and late); c. acc. of Aaronic priests Nu 3:6; 8:26; 18:2, c. acc. of י׳ 1 Ch 15:2; 2 Ch 29:11a; prob. also in ref. to Lev. singer ψ 101:6; c. acc. tabern. Nu 1:50 (P), congregation 16:9 (P), people Ez 44:11 + v 12 (of idolatry); abs. 1 Ch 16:4; 2 Ch 23:6; 29:11b; 31:2 Ezr 8:17 (pt. as subst., ministers); שׁ׳ לִפְנֵי אֲרוֹן בְּרִית י׳ 1 Ch 16:37, שׁ׳ נֶגֶד הַכֹּהֲנִים 2 Ch 8:14; שׁ׳ c. ב loc. 1 Ch 26:12; especially c. בְּ, of sacred vessels Nu 3:31; 4:9, 12, 14; 2 K 25:14 = Je 52:18; בַּשִּׁיר 1 Ch 6:17. e.g. Numbers 3:6
- c. Zadokite priests (Ez), abs. Ez 42:14; 44:17, 19, 27, c. acc. י׳ 40:46; 43:19; 44:15, 16; 45:4, cstr. מְשָׁרֲתֵי before place 45:4, 5; 46:24. e.g. Ezekiel 42:14
- d. Aaronic priests, abs. Ex 28:35 + 4 times P; c. acc. י׳ 1 Ch 23:13; לי׳ 2 Ch 13:10; מְשָֽׁרְתֵי י׳ Jo 1:9, 13; 2:17, מְשָֽׁרְתֵי מזבח Jo 1:13, c. בַּקֹּדֶשׁ Ex 28:43 + 4 times P. e.g. Exodus 28:35
- e. of idolatry, c. acc. עץ ואבן Ez 20:32. e.g. Ezekiel 20:32
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
vb. Pi. minister, serve (cf. NH שֵׁרוּת (temple-) ministry, Ph. משרת ministry, and perhaps vb. שרת minister);—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
שָׁרַת
- , Pi. שֵׁרֵת (b. h.; [to dwell with,] to serve, minister, attend. Y. Erub. V, beg. 22ᵇ (ref. to I Sam. III, 1) והלא לא מְשָׁרֵת אלא לפני עלי but did not he minister before Eli only? ללמדך שכל שירות שש׳ וכ׳ to teach thee that all the ministrations that he rendered to Eli were accounted to him as if he had ministered before the Lord; (Midr. Sam. ch. VIII היה עומד). Ber. 63ᵇ הושע … משרת תחתיך Hoshea … shall serve in thy stead; a. e. e.g. 1 Samuel 3:1
שָׁרֵת
- (infin. Pi., preced.) service, ministration. Sot. II, 1, a. fr. כלי ש׳ vessels dedicated to the Temple service, sacred vessels.—מלאכי הש׳ ministering angels, v. מַלְאָךְ.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 72 distinct written forms H8334 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| לְ/שָׁרֵ֣ת | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Exodus 28:43 | 6 |
| לְ/שָׁרֵ֖ת | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Ezekiel 20:32 | 4 |
| מְשָׁרֵ֥ת | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Construct | Joshua 1:1 | 3 |
| לְ/שָׁ֣רְת֔/וֹ | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Deuteronomy 21:5 | 3 |
| מְשָׁרְתֵ֖י | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Construct | Joel 1:9 | 3 |
| הַ/מְשָׁ֣רְתִ֔ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Esther 1:10 | 2 |
| וַ/יְשָׁ֣רֶת | Verb, Piel, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | Genesis 39:4 | 2 |
| יְשָֽׁרְתוּ | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | 2 Kings 25:14 | 2 |
| יְשָׁרְת֑וּ/נֶךְ | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Isaiah 60:7 | 2 |
| יְשָׁרְת֥וּ | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Ezekiel 42:14 | 2 |
| לְ/שָֽׁרְתֵ֑/נִי | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Ezekiel 43:19 | 2 |
| מְ֝שָׁרְתָ֗י/ו | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Construct | Psalms 103:21 | 2 |
| מְשָׁ֣רְת֔/וֹ | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Construct | 2 Kings 4:43 | 2 |
| מְשָׁרְתִ֥ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | 2 Chronicles 22:8 | 2 |
| מְשָׁרְתֵ֣י | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Construct | Isaiah 61:6 | 2 |
| מְשָׁרְתֵ֥י | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Construct | Ezekiel 46:24 | 2 |
| מְשָׁרְתָ֜י/ו | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Construct | 1 Kings 10:5 | 2 |
| בְּ/שָֽׁרְתָ֗/ם | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Ezekiel 44:17 | 1 |
| הַ/מְשָׁרְתִ֖ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Nehemiah 10:36 | 1 |
| הַ/מְשָׁרְתִ֣ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | 2 Chronicles 17:19 | 1 |
| הַ/מְשָׁרְתִ֨ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | 1 Chronicles 27:1 | 1 |
| הַ/מְשָׁרְתִ֪ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | 1 Chronicles 28:1 | 1 |
| וְ/הַ/מְשָׁרְתִ֣ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | 2 Chronicles 23:6 | 1 |
| וְ/שֵׁרְת֖וּ | Verb, Piel, Sequential Perfect, 3rd Person, Common, Plural | Numbers 3:6 | 1 |
| וְ/שֵׁרֵ֕ת | Verb, Piel, Sequential Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | Deuteronomy 18:7 | 1 |
| וְ/שֵׁרֵ֨ת | Verb, Piel, Sequential Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | Numbers 8:26 | 1 |
| וִֽ/ישָׁרְת֑וּ/ךָ | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Numbers 18:2 | 1 |
| וַ/יְשָׁרְתֵֽ/הוּ | Verb, Piel, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | 1 Kings 19:21 | 1 |
| וַ/תְּשָׁ֣רְתֵ֔/הוּ | Verb, Piel, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Feminine, Singular | 1 Kings 1:4 | 1 |
| וּ/לְ/שָׁרֵ֜ת | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | 2 Chronicles 8:14 | 1 |
| וּ/מְשָׁ֨רְת֜/וֹ | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Construct | Exodus 33:11 | 1 |
| וּֽ/לְ/שָׁרְת֖/וֹ | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | 1 Chronicles 15:2 | 1 |
| וּֽ/מְשָׁרְתִ֖ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Ezekiel 44:11 | 1 |
| יְֽשָׁרְת֧וּ | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Numbers 4:14 | 1 |
| יְשָׁרְת֖וּ | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Numbers 3:31 | 1 |
| יְשָׁרְת֤וּ | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Ezekiel 44:12 | 1 |
| יְשָׁרְתֵֽ/נִי | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular | Psalms 101:6 | 1 |
| יְשָׁרְתֻ֑/הוּ | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Numbers 1:50 | 1 |
| יְשָׁרְתוּ | Verb, Piel, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural | Numbers 4:9 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁ֤רֶת | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Deuteronomy 17:12 | 1 |
| לְ/שָֽׁרְת/וֹ֙ | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Deuteronomy 10:8 | 1 |
| לְ/שָֽׁרְתָֽ/ם | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Ezekiel 44:11 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרְת֛/וֹ | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | 1 Chronicles 23:13 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרְתֵ֑/נִי | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Ezekiel 44:16 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרְתָֽ/ם | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Numbers 16:9 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרְתֽ/וֹ | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Ezekiel 40:46 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרֵ֑ת | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Exodus 28:35 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרֵ֔ת | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Exodus 30:20 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרֵ֕ת | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Exodus 39:26 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרֵ֞ת | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | 1 Chronicles 16:37 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרֵ֥ת | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Exodus 29:30 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרֵ֧ת | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | Deuteronomy 18:5 | 1 |
| לְ/שָׁרֵת֙ | Verb, Piel, Infinitive Construct | 2 Chronicles 31:2 | 1 |
| מְשָׁ֣רְתִ֔ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Ezekiel 44:11 | 1 |
| מְשָׁ֣רְתָ֔י/ו | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Construct | Esther 6:3 | 1 |
| מְשָֽׁרְת/וֹ֙ | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Construct | 2 Samuel 13:18 | 1 |
| מְשָׁרְת֑/וֹ | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Singular, Construct | Exodus 24:13 | 1 |
| מְשָׁרְתִ֑ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | 1 Chronicles 16:4 | 1 |
| מְשָׁרְתִ֖ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | Ezra 8:17 | 1 |
| מְשָׁרְתִ֜ים | Verb, Piel, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute | 1 Chronicles 6:32 | 1 |
The 60 most common forms are shown; 12 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H8334, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 88 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 92 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 39:4
- Exodus 24:13
- Numbers 1:50
- Deuteronomy 10:8
- Joshua 1:1
- 1 Samuel 2:11
- 2 Samuel 13:17
- 1 Kings 1:4
- 2 Kings 4:43
- 1 Chronicles 6:32
- 2 Chronicles 5:14
- Ezra 8:17
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
