Home › Glossary › Letter S

Servant

World Religion
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An individual who serves a deity or a higher cause, such as the "Suffering Servant" in Isaiah or a devoted follower in Islam (Abd).

Detailed Definition
The role of the servant is central to many religious identities, emphasizing humility, obedience, and devotion to God. In Christianity, Jesus is portrayed as the ultimate servant who came "not to be served, but to serve." In poetry, the speaker often adopts the persona of a servant to express their relationship with the divine. This stance allows for the exploration of themes of humility, willing submission, faithful service, and finding one's purpose and identity in devotion to a higher power.
Example
Example in poetry:
In biblical poetry, Servant suffers for others: “Despised, rejected—Servant bears our sickness”; In Sufi verse, Servant is lover: “Wash Beloved’s feet—Servant finds joy in service”; In contemporary poetry, Servant is caregiver: “Night shift nurse—Servant with tired eyes, steady hands”; Poets reclaim Servant leadership: “Not doormat—Servant who empowers others.”
Additional Notes
The Servant in Isaiah 42–53 suffers for others’ sake, prefiguring Christ in Christian reading; in broader terms, servants embody humility, obedience, and redemptive suffering; poets adopt servant identity to critique power, affirm solidarity with the oppressed, and model leadership as self-giving love rather than domination.
Also Known As
Servant of God Bondsman ‘Abd (Arabic) lackey servitor varlet minion
Skip to main content