תַעַבְד֔וּם

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 תַעַבְד֔וּם

   ta-av-DUM

   you shall serve them
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וְלֹ֣א תַעַבְד֔וּם

   ve-LO ta-av-DUM

   and not you shall serve them
3. clause🔊 וְלֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ לָהֶ֔ם וְלֹ֣א תַעַבְד֔וּם וְלֹ֥א תִזְבְּח֖וּ לָהֶֽם׃

   ve-lo-tish-ta-kha-VU la-HEM ve-LO ta-av-DUM ve-LO tiz-be-KHU la-HEM

   and you shall not bow yourselves down to them and not you shall serve them and not you shall sacrifice to them
4. sentence🔊 וַיִּכְרֹ֨ת יְהוָ֤ה אִתָּם֙ בְּרִ֔ית וַיְצַוֵּ֣ם לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א תִֽירְא֖וּ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וְלֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ לָהֶ֔ם וְלֹ֣א תַעַבְד֔וּם וְלֹ֥א תִזְבְּח֖וּ לָהֶֽם׃

   va-yikh-ROT ye-ho-VAH it-TAM be-RIT va-ye-tsav-VEM le-MOR LO ti-re-U e-lo-HIM a-khe-RIM ve-lo-tish-ta-kha-VU la-HEM ve-LO ta-av-DUM ve-LO tiz-be-KHU la-HEM

   and he cut or made the LORD with them a covenant and he commanded them to say not you shall fear gods other and you shall not bow yourselves down to them and not you shall serve them and not you shall sacrifice to them

Exegesis

The successive prohibitions—tira’u {תִּירְאוּ | ti-rə-ʾû} ‘fear,’ velo-tishtachavu {וְלֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲו֣וּ | wə-lō-ti-šə-ḥă-wû} ‘and shall not bow down,’ taʿavdum {תַעַבְדוּם | ta-ʿăb-dûm} ‘serve,’ tizbechu {תִזְבְּחוּ | ti-zə-bə-ḥû} ‘sacrifice’—are each negated by loʾ {לֹא | lōʾ}, creating a parallelism that underscores exclusive loyalty. This coordination from internal reverence to external worship highlights the comprehensive scope of Israel’s allegiance.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 ע־ב־דayin–bet–dalet

“to serve, work”

• 🔊 עֲבוֹדָהavodâhservice, laborExodus 23:8