The Hebrew noun _ebed_ belongs to the declension of _factitious_,
_euphonic segholate_ nouns of two syllables, with the tone on the penult
and a furtive vowel on the final:
_Singular absolute._ _Construct state._
עָ֑בֶד or עֶבֶד עֶבֶד
_With light suffix._ _Grave suffix._
עַבְדִי עַבְדְכֶם
_Plural absolute._ _Construct state._
עֲבָדִים עַבְדֵי
_With light suffix._ _Grave suffix._[1]
עֲבָדַי עַבְדֵיכֶם
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Footnote 1:
Termed grave, because they always have the tone accent.
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Declined with the personal pronoun, thus:
_Absolute_ _singular_, עֶבֶד _a slave_.
_Suff._ 1. עַבְדִי _my slave_.
2. m. עַבְדְּךָ _thy slave_.
2. f. עַבְדְךְ _thy slave_.
3. m. עַכְדְּךָ _his slave_.
3. f. עַבְדָהּ _her slave_.
1. (plur.) עַבְדֵנוּ _our slave_.
2. m. עַבְדְכֶם _your slave_.
2. f. עַבְדְכֶך _your slave_.
3. m. עַבְדָם _their slave_.
3. f. עַבְדָך _their slave_.
_Absolute_ _plural_, עֲבָדִים _slaves_.
_Suff._ 1. עֲבָדַי _my slaves_.
2. m. עֲבָדֶיךָ _thy slaves_.
2. f. עֲבָדַיִךְ _thy slaves_.
3. m. עֲבָדָיו _his slaves_.
3. f. עֲבָדֶיהָ _her slaves_.
1. (plur.) עֲבָדֵינוּ _our slaves_.
2. m. עֲבָדֵיכֶם _your slaves_.
2. f. עֲבְדֵיכֶן _your slaves_.
3. m. עַבְדֵיהֶם _their slaves_.
3. f. עַבְדֵיהֶן _their slaves_.
Prefixed by a preposition, it will stand thus: בְּעבד _in_, _at_,
_with_, &c. a slave; or with ל thus, לְעבד _to_, _at_, _in_, _towards_,
_till_, _until_, &c. a slave; or, when the word עבד is used as a verb,
it will stand in place of our infinitive mood, thus, לַֽעֲבֹ֨ד _to
slave_, as in _Num._ iv. 47. So this word עבד or any form of it may be
prefixed by מ as a contraction of ןמ, a preposition of various meanings
or applications, as _from_, _apart from_, _of_, _out of_, _by_, &c. &c.;
and so it may be prefixed by any of the letters הֶ֥אֱמַנְתִּ֖י forming
the word _heemanti_, each prefixed letter giving to the _root word_ some
shade of meaning, emphasis, or adjective quality. So, also, it may be
prefixed by כּ, used both as a preposition, and as a conjunction, thus,
כִּעָבֶד _as_, _so_, _according to_, _after_, _about_, _nearly_,
_almost_, &c. &c. _a slave_. Hebrew nouns may also be prefixed by
particles of old obsolete words, varying their form, and exceedingly so
their phonetic representation; as for example, שְׁלֹמֹה _Shelomah_ was
the son and successor of King David. Now שׁ, as the particle of some
ancient word, and followed by ל, becomes the sign of the possessive
case; but when the word begins with these two letters, they then will be
duplicated, as in _Canticles_ iii. 7, מִטָתוֹ שֶׁלִּשְׁלֹמֹה _mittatho
shellishlomoh_, _Solomon’s bed_, &c.
Prepositions, sometimes two or more, are, or seem to be, compounded, yet
used in the sense of the last in the compound, thus: מִן and עַל used
thus, מֵעַל for עַל, or לְמִן for מִן, &c. &c.
The noun עֶבֶד _ebed_ may also be prefixed by a conjunction, thus, וְעבד
_and a slave_, &c. &c.
It may also often be compounded with other nouns. Thus, עֹבַדְיָהו _the
slave of God_. In this manner the composition of significant terms, and
their conversion into proper names, is unlimited: thus, עַבְדּוֹן _the
judgment_, or _government of a slave_, and made the name of a city. See
_Josh._ ii. 30; also 1 _Chron._ i. 59, the 74th of the English text; and
hence the word _abaddon_ has been used by some to signify a place of
punishment. We can give but a mere sketch of the grammatical formations
and variations of the word _ebed_; aware that even such sketch, can be
considered of value only by a few, we refrain from even a glimpse of its
phonetic variations and peculiarities, deeming them only interesting to
the advanced and more critical of the proficients in the language; but
we cannot refrain from giving a sketch of its declension as a verb, for
the benefit of the Greek and Roman scholar.
Conjugation of the word עָבַד as a verb, _to slave_, &c.
IN KAL.
_Praet._ 3. p. m. עָבַד
3. f. עָֽבָדָהּ
2. m. עָֽבַדְתָּ
3. (plur.) עָֽבְדוּ
2. m. עָבַדְתֶּם
_Infinitive absolute_, עָבוֹד
_Construct state_, עֲבֹד
_Future_, 3. m. יַעֲבֹד
2. m. תַּעֲבד
3. (plur.) יַעַבְדוּ
3. f. תַּעֲבֹדְנָה
_Imperative_, 2. p. m. עֲבֹד
2. f. עבְדִי
_Participle_, _act._ עוֹבֵד
_pass._ עָבוּד
NIPHAL.
_Praet._ 3. m. נֶעֱבַד
2. m. נֶעֱבַ֫דְתָּ
_Infinitive_, הֵעָבֵד
_Future_, יֵעָבֵד
_Imperative_, הֵעָבֵד
_Participle_, נֶעֱבָד