עֲבוֹדָה

“Worship” in Hebrew is Avodah (עֲבוֹדָה), pronounced “a-vo-DAH.” Avodah comes from the root ע-ב-ד (ayin-bet-dalet), meaning 'to work, to serve, to worship.' The same root produces 'eved' (servant/slave), 'oved' (worker), and 'avdut' (servitude). The overlap reveals that all legitimate work is service, and all service to God is worship.

Avodah (עֲבוֹדָה) means “Worship, work, service” in Biblical Hebrew. Avodah appears approximately 145 times in the Hebrew Bible. It describes Temple worship (Numbers 4:47), agricultural labor (Genesis 2:15 — Adam was placed in Eden 'to work/worship it'), slavery in Egypt (Exodus 1:14), and devotion to God (Joshua 24:15).

Avodah is pronounced “a-vo-DAH.” The word comes from the Hebrew root ע-ב-ד.

Hebrew does not separate sacred and secular. Avodah means worship, work, and service because in God's design, all of life is meant to be an offering to Him. Adam's first task was to 'work/worship' (la'avod) the garden (Genesis 2:15). The same word used for tending soil is used for Temple worship. This means your daily work, done with integrity and devotion, is genuine worship.

Temple avodah was physically demanding: priests slaughtered animals, carried heavy offerings, maintained the fire on the altar, burned incense, and performed purification rituals — all in carefully prescribed order. The Yom Kippur avodah was the most solemn, when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies. This labor-intensive worship reminds us that true avodah costs something.

Romans 12:1 echoes avodah perfectly: 'Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (latreia/avodah).' Your entire life — work, relationships, rest, creativity — is meant to be avodah. There is no mundane activity that cannot become worship when offered to God with a devoted heart.