How to say "to worship" in Arabic
Shifted meaningMeaningto worship
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
ʿabadaעבד
عبد
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
avad (et ha'el)أَڤَاد (إِت هَائِل)
How the two words are related
Same root as a Hebrew word, but the meaning drifted over the centuries.
Arabic root
ع-ب-دHebrew root
ע-ב-דʿabada and עבד are the identical verb — but watch the drift: Arabic ʿibāda stayed pure worship, while Hebrew עבודה widened into everyday work. Temple-era Hebrew still agrees with Arabic: עבודת הקודש was the divine service, and עובדיה, 'servant of God', is built exactly like ʿAbdallāh.
Related Hebrew word:עבדavadأَڤَاد
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In a phrase
He worshipped God with devotion
The root family
ع-ب-دע-ב-ד· serving, worship
עבד and ʿabd are the identical word — but watch the drift: Hebrew עבודה became everyday work, while Arabic ʿibāda stayed pure worship. Temple-era Hebrew agrees with the Arabic: עבודה originally meant the divine service (עבודת הקודש). Even the names match — עובדיה "servant of God" is precisely ʿAbdallāh.
- عَبْد ʿabdslave; servant (of God, in names like ʿAbdallāh)עֶבֶדslave, servant
- عِبَادَة ʿibādaworshipעֲבוֹדָהwork — once the Temple service
- عَبَدَ ʿabadahe worshippedעָבַדhe worked, served
- مَعْبَد maʿbadtemple, house of worshipמַעְבָּדָהlaboratory — same place-pattern, work not worship
- عُبُودِيَّة ʿubūdiyyaslavery, servitudeעַבְדוּתslavery