וְעַבְדְּךָ֥

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וְעַבְדְּךָ֥

   ve-av-de-KHAA

   and your male slave
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וְעַבְדְּךָ֥ וַאֲמָתְךָ֖

   ve-av-de-KHAA va-a-MAHT-KHAA

   and your male slave and your female slave
3. clause🔊 וְעַבְדְּךָ֥ וַאֲמָתְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִהְיוּ־לָ֑ךְ

   ve-av-de-KHAA va-a-MAHT-KHAA a-SHER yih-yoo-LAAKH

   and your male slave and your female slave whom will be yours
4. sentence🔊 וְעַבְדְּךָ֥ וַאֲמָתְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִהְיוּ־לָ֑ךְ מֵאֵ֣ת הַגּוֹיִ֗ם אֲשֶׁר֙ סְבִיבֹ֣תֵיכֶ֔ם מֵהֶ֥ם תִּקְנ֖וּ עֶ֥בֶד וְאָמָֽה׃

   ve-av-de-KHAA va-a-MAHT-KHAA a-SHER yih-yoo-LAAKH me-ET ha-go-YIM a-SHER se-vi-vo-tee-KHEM me-HEM tik-NU E-ved ve-a-MAH

   and your male slave and your female slave whom will be yours buy male slave and female slave from among the nations which around you from them

Exegesis

The verse employs the coordinated subjects veavdekha {וְעַבְדְּךָ֥ | wə-ʿaḇ·dᵊ-kha} “and your male slave” and vaamatkha {וַאֲמָתְךָ֖ | va-ʾa·māṯ-kha} “and your female slave,” each modified by a relative clause (asher yihyulakh) marking future possession. The source expression meet hagoyim asher sevivotekhem “from the nations which surround you” precedes the imperfect tiknu, highlighting formal acquisition from outside Israel. The placement of relative clauses before and after the subject creates a definitional framing that emphasizes legal categories and ethnic distinctions.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 ע־ב־דAyin-Bet-Dalet

“to serve, work”