Slave

1396 DOULAGOGEO (1): doulos = slave + ago = bring; to bring into slavery.

ENSLAVE 1Co.9.27.

1399 DOULE: a female slave (Lk.1.38,48, Act.2.18). See "male slave" (1401 doulos) for discussion.

1397 DOULEIA (5): the circumstance of being enslaved. For example Gal.5.1: "For freedom the Anointed One freed us. So then, stand firm and do not again be entangled with a yoke of slavery (douleia)."

SLAVERY Rom.8.15,21. Gal.4.24; 5.1. Heb.2.15.

1398 DOULEUO (25): to slave for someone or something, or to be enslaved. For example Rom.7.25: "...So then I myself, in one way slave for God's law with the mind, in another way slave for the law of wrongdoing with the flesh."

BE ENSLAVED (1) Jn.8.33.

SLAVE FOR (24) Mt.6.24,24. Lk.15.29; 16.13,13. Act.7.7; 20.19. Rom.6.6; 7.6,25; 9.12; 12.11; 14.18; 16.18. Gal.4.8,9,25; 5.13. Eph.6.7. Php.2.22. Col.3.24. 1Th.1.9. 1Ti.6.2. Tit.3.3.

1400 DOULON (2): nominative, adjective form of "slave" (1401 doulos) in Rom.6.19: "For as you+ presented your+ members as slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness unto lawlessness, so now present your+ members as slaves to uprightness and purity."

SLAVE Rom.6.19,19.

1402 DOULO'O (8): to enslave. Opposite of being freed in Rom.6.18: "And having been freed from wrongdoing, you+ were self-enslaved to uprightness."

SELF-ENSLAVE Act.7.6. Rom.6.18,22. 1Co.7.15; 9.19. Gal.4.3. Tit.2.3. 2Pe.2.19.

1401 DOULOS (125) a male slave and 1399 DOULE a female slave (3): a person owned by someone (or figuratively, by something else); a slave. Some of the older translations introduce confusion by translating doulos as some kind of "servant." But the Greek word in God's FCM (NT) for a "servant" who is not a slave is (1249) diakonos.

In Jn.8.31-36 Jesus compares being a slave to being free (1658 eleutheros ): "...Jesus said to the Jews having trusted him, 'If you+ remain in my message, you+ are truly my learners; and you will know the truth and the truth will free you+.' They answered him, 'We are Abraham's seed, and we have never been enslaved (douleuo) to anyone. How can you say, "You+ will become free?"' Jesus answered them, 'Truly truly I say to you+: Everyone who is doing wrong is a self-enslaved one (doulos) of wrongdoing. But the self-enslaved one (doulos) does not stay in the house forever; the Son stays forever. So then, if the Son frees you+, you+ will really be free.'"

A slave (doulos) is the opposite of "a free person" (eleutheros ) in Gal.3.28, 1Co.7.21, 12.13, Eph.6.8, Col.3.11, Rev.6.5, 13.16 and 19.18.

In current English usage the word "slave" brings to mind the idea of a person who is not free, but is literally owned and controlled by someone else against his will. But the FCM often uses doulos to refer to free people who voluntarily choose to obey God and Jesus rather than serve their own interests; but the English word "slave" does not include this meaning. Also, a person who is free but has enslaved himself to another person, is a slave in a much different sense. It is proposed therefore that the expression "self-enslaved one" be used to translate this usage of doulos and doule.

Such a usage is illustrated in Rom.6.16-17: "Do you+ not realize that you+ are self-enslaved ones (doulos) of whom you present yourselves in obedience? You+ are self-enslaved ones (doulos) of whom you obey, whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto uprightness. But thanks be to God that although you+ were self-enslaved ones (doulos) of sin, you+ obeyed from your heart that form of teaching to which you were delivered." Paul's discussion of self-enslavement ends in verse 23 with the "wages" a person earns for his decision.

That a person can be "free" yet have "enslaved" himself to God, can be seen in 1Pe.2.15-16: "For the desire of God is thus: Be doing good to silence the ignorance of unthinking humans, as free people, not using your+ freedom as a cover for error, but as self-enslaved ones (doulos) of God."

Another example is Mary's response to the angel Gabriel in Lk.1.38: "Look: the self-enslaved one (doule) of the Master. May it happen to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her."

Even Jesus took the form of a slave, Eph.2.5-7: "Have this attitude among you+ which was also in Jesus the Anointed One; who, existing in God's form did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a self-enslaved one (doulos), and being found in fashion as a human, he humbled himself, becoming obedient until death, yea, death on a cross."

Doulos is sometimes translated, "bond servant," perhaps to soften the implications of the word "slave." But a bond servant is a slave who has a time limit or other limit on his term of slavery.

Translation:

A HUMAN OWNING ANOTHER HUMAN, OR THE GENERAL MASTER-SLAVE RELATIONSHIP:

SLAVE (90) Mt.8.9; 10.24,25; 13.27,28; 18.23,26,27,28,32; 20.27; 21. 34,35,36; 22.3,4,6,8,10; 24.45,46,48,50; 25.14,19,21,23,26,30; 26.51. Mk.10.44; 12.2,4; 13.34; 14.47. Lk.7.2,3,8,10; 12.37,38,43,45,46,47; 14.17,21,21,22,23; 15.22; 17.7,9,10; 19.13,15,17,22; 20.10,11; 22.50. Jn.4.51; 13.16; 15.15,15,20; 18.10,10,18,26. 1Co.7.21,22a; 12.13. 2Co.4.5. Gal.3.28; 4.1,7. Eph.6.5,6,8. Col.3.11,22; 4.1. 1Ti.6.1. Tit.2.9. Phm.16,16. Rev.6.15; 13.16; 19.18.

A HUMAN WHO HAS VOLUNTARILY ENSLAVED HIMSELF TO GOD OR JESUS:

SELF-ENSLAVED ONE (30) Lk.1.38,48; 2.29. Act.2.18,18; 4.29; 16.17. Rom.1.1. 1Co.7.22b,23. Gal.1.10. Php.1.1. Col.4.12. 2Ti.2.24. Tit.1.1. Jas.1.1. 1Pe.2.16. 2Pe.1.1. Jud.1.1. Rev.1.1,1; 2.20; 7.3; 10.7; 11.18; 15.3; 19.2,5; 22.3,6.

JESUS VOLUNTARILY ENSLAVED HIMSELF:

SELF-ENSLAVED ONE (1) Php.2.7.

A PERSON WHO HAS ENSLAVED HIMSELF TO SIN, OR WHO MUST DECIDE TO WHOM HE WILL ENSLAVE HIMSELF:

SELF-ENSLAVED ONE (7) Jn.8.34,35. Rom.6.16,16,17,20. 2Pe.2.19.

 

Back to word index