To attend as a menial or worshipper; figuratively, to contribute to
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שָׁרַת (sharat) is the Hebrew verb for attending upon someone in direct, personal service — the specific word for the ministry of priests and Levites before YHWH, and by extension for every act of dedicated service in the presence of a superior. Unlike עָבַד (avad, H5647), which covers all kinds of labor and service, sharat denotes the close, personal attendance of one standing in the immediate presence of the one.
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Full entry for שָׁרַת (H8334) · Open the biblical lexicon
שָׁרַת (sharat) is the Hebrew verb for attending upon someone in direct, personal service — the specific word for the ministry of priests and Levites before YHWH, and by extension for every act of dedicated service in the presence of a superior. Unlike עָבַד (avad, H5647), which covers all kinds of labor and service, sharat denotes the close, personal.
The BSB source-word alignment has 97 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include to minister (8), who minister (6), . . . (3), for ministering (3), to minister before Me (3).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 39:4. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (17), 2 Chronicles (10), Exodus (10), Numbers (10).
This entry includes 1 verse guide that explain exact original-language forms in context.
שָׁרַת (sharat) is the Hebrew verb for attending upon someone in direct, personal service — the specific word for the ministry of priests and Levites before YHWH, and by extension for every act of dedicated service in the presence of a superior. Unlike עָבַד (avad, H5647), which covers all kinds of labor and service, sharat denotes the close, personal attendance of one standing in the immediate presence of the one served. The Levitical sharat before YHWH is the OT's model for what it means to be in the service of the holy God.
Deuteronomy 10:8 gives sharat its defining covenantal context: 'At that time YHWH set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of YHWH, to stand (amad) before YHWH to minister (lesharet) to him, and to bless in his name, to this day.' The Levitical sharat is defined by three acts: bearing the ark (proximity to the presence), standing before YHWH (the amad-posture of service), and blessing in his name (mediating the divine word to the people). The sharat is not mere function — it is the vocation of closeness to YHWH.
First Kings 19:21 gives sharat its most famous personal-attendant use: Elisha, when Elijah found him, 'arose and went after Elijah and ministered (vaysharet) to him.' The sharat of Elisha to Elijah is the apprenticeship of the prophet — close personal attendance that preceded the double-portion inheritance of the spirit. The model is consistent across the OT: Joshua shatarat (ministered) to Moses (Exod 24:13), Elisha ministered to Elijah, and both received the prophetic inheritance from the one they served. The sharat-relationship is the relationship in which the servant receives the master's spirit.
Ezekiel 44:15-16 gives sharat its eschatological priestly use: 'But the Levitical priests, the sons of Zadok, who kept the charge of my sanctuary when the people of Israel went astray from me, shall come near to me to minister (lesharet) to me. And they shall stand before me to offer me the fat and the blood, declares the Lord YHWH.' The sons of Zadok who remained faithful when others went astray are the ones who receive the privilege of sharat in the restored sanctuary. The sharat is reserved for those who maintained faithfulness — faithfulness to the covenant is the qualification for the intimate sharat.
Isaiah 61:6 gives sharat its universalized application: 'but you shall be called the priests of YHWH; people shall speak of you as the ministers (meshartei) of our God.' The people of the new covenant are called priests and meshartei of God — the sharat-vocation that was Levi's alone in the Mosaic economy is extended to the whole people in the Isaianic new covenant.
For the preacher, שָׁרַת (sharat) defines Christian vocation: not abstract religious feeling but close, attending service in the presence of the living God.
שָׁרַת (sharat) appears exclusively in the Piel stem, always denoting close personal attendance. The Torah uses it for the Levitical ministry around the tabernacle and for Joshua's attendance on Moses. The historical books use it for the prophetic apprenticeship (Elisha on Elijah) and the royal courtiers who attend on kings. The Psalms use it for the angelic ministers (Ps 103:21, 104:4).
Isaiah uses it for the new-covenant priestly people (61:6). Ezekiel uses it for the Zadokite priests who will sharat in the restored temple. The word consistently denotes intimate service — the service that requires closeness, faithfulness, and personal presence.
At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to serve Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name, as they do to this day.
The definitive Levitical sharat: three acts — bearing the ark, standing before YHWH (amad), and blessing in his name. The bearing and the standing and the blessing are all expressions of sharat: physical proximity to the divine presence, maintained posture of readiness, and the mediatorial function of channeling the divine blessing to the people. The 'to this day' indicates the permanent validity of this sharat-vocation, which the NT universalizes in the priesthood of all believers.
So Elisha turned back from him, took his pair of oxen, and slaughtered them. Using the oxen’s equipment for fuel, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow and serve Elijah.
Elisha's sharat of Elijah: the burning of the plow equipment (irreversible commitment) followed by the vaysharet — 'he ministered to him.' The sharat here is the prophetic apprenticeship: close personal attendance on the master that precedes the inheritance. The same pattern — sharat-before-inheritance — appears with Joshua and Moses (Exod 24:13, Josh 1:1-2).
The servant who sharats receives the spirit of the one served. For the preacher, this is the apprenticeship model of ministry: you receive by serving, not by claiming.
Bless the Lord, all His hosts, you servants who do His will.
The angelic sharat: 'all his hosts, his ministering ones (meshartav) who do his will.' The angels who do YHWH's will — the same ones who are a flaming fire (Ps 104:4) — are called meshartav, his sharats. The language of ministry before YHWH covers both the earthly Levitical priests and the heavenly angelic host: both stand before YHWH, both attend upon him, both do his will.
Hebrews 1:14 calls the angels 'ministering spirits (leitourgoika pneumata) sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation' — the sharat of the angels is now directed toward the heirs of salvation.
But you will be called the priests of the Lord; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will feed on the wealth of nations, and you will boast in their riches.
The universalized sharat-vocation: 'you shall be called priests of YHWH; people shall speak of you as the meshartei of our God.' The OT's restricted priestly sharat (Levi only) is extended to the whole people of the new covenant. First Peter 2:9 directly inherits this: 'you are a royal priesthood, a holy nation' — the NT's application of Isaiah 61:6 to the whole church. The entire community of the new covenant is a community of sharats, ministering priests before YHWH.
But the Levitical priests, who are descended from Zadok and who kept charge of My sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from Me, are to approach Me to minister before Me. They will stand before Me to offer Me fat and blood, declares the Lord God.
The sharat reserved for the faithful: the sons of Zadok who did not go astray receive the intimate sharat in the restored sanctuary. The sharat is not automatic or institutional — it is the privilege of those who maintained faithfulness when faithfulness was costly. Ezekiel 44's eschatological sanctuary with its careful sharat-restrictions is the prophetic picture of the holiness that characterizes the renewed covenant community and their access to YHWH's presence.
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Verse-level guides showing how this original-language form works in its specific context, including grammar, verse function, and guarded interpretation.
Hebrew word. Service rooted in devotion: attending upon someone's needs with willing subordination, whether menial or sacred.
Service rooted in devotion: attending upon someone's needs with willing subordination, whether menial or sacred.
to attend as a menial or worshipper; figuratively, to contribute to BDB: minister Usage: minister (unto), (do) serve(-ant, -ice, -itor), wait on.
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 98 lexical occurrence verses.
שָׁרַת is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
שָׁרַת (sharat) is the OT's word for the vocation that belongs to those who stand in the presence of the living God. Its consistent profile — close attendance, standing posture, faithful presence — defines what ministry actually is: not primarily program management or professional competence but intimate, sustained service before YHWH. The Levitical sharat (Deut 10:8) and the prophetic sharat (Elisha on Elijah, 1 Kgs 19:21) both follow the same pattern: the servant stands close, attends carefully, and receives what the master gives.
The preacher who teaches sharat gives the congregation a theology of Christian service as sacred attendance: what we do in service to God and neighbor is sharat — and it requires the posture of one who knows whose presence they are in. Isaiah 61:6 extends the sharat-vocation to the whole people: 'you shall be called priests of YHWH, meshartei of our God.' The congregation in the pew is a community of sharats, not an audience.
The sharat-pattern also shapes ministry formation: Joshua who ministered to Moses (Exod 24:13) became Joshua who led Israel. Elisha who ministered to Elijah (1 Kgs 19:21) became the heir of his spirit. The way of sharat is the way into the spirit of the one served. The congregation forming the next generation of leaders must remember: sharat-formation precedes sharat-authority.
Deut.10.8
שָׁרַת (sharat) appears exclusively in the Piel stem, which in Hebrew typically indicates intensive or direct action. This distinguishes sharat from עָבַד (avad, H5647, to work/serve), which is the broader term for any kind of labor or service. Sharat specifically denotes personal, direct attendance — the service of a personal attendant or minister, not the service of a day-laborer.
The noun form mesharet (H8335) is the title for the personal attendant or minister. The Greek leitourgeo (G3008, to perform public/sacred service) and its related forms are the NT equivalents, used for priestly service (Luke 1:23), the ministry of angels (Heb 1:14), Paul's apostolic ministry (Rom 15:16), and the church's worship (Acts 13:2). The English word 'liturgy' derives from the same root: public, sacred, attending service.
The NT's sharat-theology runs through three streams: the priestly imagery applied to the community, the diaconal service, and Christ's own ministry. First Peter 2:9 inherits Isaiah 61:6 directly: 'you are a royal priesthood, a holy nation' — the NT community of sharats. Romans 15:16 uses leitourgos (from leitourgia, the Greek sharat-equivalent) for Paul's own apostolic ministry: 'a leitourgos of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God.'
Hebrews 8:2 calls Christ a leitourgos of the holy places and the true tent which the Lord set up — the great High Priest whose sharat is the heavenly ministry that all earthly Levitical sharat foreshadowed. Acts 13:2 — 'while they were serving (leitourgounton) the Lord and fasting' — shows the sharat-pattern in the early church: the Spirit speaks during corporate worship-service.
And Hebrews 1:14's angels as 'ministering spirits (leitourgoika pneumata)' is the direct heir of Psalm 103:21's meshartav — the same sharat-vocation now serving those who will inherit salvation.
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