How to say "servant (of God)" in Arabic
CognateMeaningservant (of God)
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
ʿabdעבד
عبد
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
evedإِڤِد
How the two words are related
Same Semitic root, same meaning — you already know this word.
Arabic root
ع-ب-دHebrew root
ע-ב-דעבד and ʿabd are letter-for-letter the same word — slave or servant, and in names like ʿAbdallāh, 'servant of God,' exactly the sense of Hebrew עֹבַדְיָה, 'servant of the Lord.'
Related Hebrew word:עבדevedإِڤِد
Learn it
In a phrase
servant of God (also the name Abdullah)
Plural
broken plural used specifically for 'servants of God' (ʿibād allāh)
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