How to say "worship" in Arabic
Shifted meaningMeaningworship
Arabic · Modern Standard Arabic
ʿibādaעבאדה
عبادة
Hebrew · Modern Hebrew
avodat elohimأَڤُودَات إِلُوهِيم
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-דעבודה and ʿibāda both come from ʿ-b-d, 'serving.' Arabic kept the religious sense — ʿibāda is strictly worship — while Hebrew's עבודה broadened to any work, keeping the sacred meaning alive only in fossils like עבודת הקודש, Temple service.
Related Hebrew word:עבודהavodaأَڤُودَا
Learn it
In a phrase
worship of God
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