Bondservant (1401) (doulos from deo = to bind) (Click additional notes on doulos) was an individual bound to another in servitude and conveys the idea of the slave’s close, binding ties with his master, belonging to him, obligated to and desiring to do his will and in a permanent relation of servitude. In sum, the will of the doulos is consumed in the will of the master.
A bondservant is one who surrendered wholly to another’s will and thus devoted to another to the disregard of his own interest. Paul and Timothy were not their own but had been bought with the price of the blood of Christ. They were now the property of our Lord Jesus Christ and were His slaves exclusively. No man can serve two masters (Mt 6:24–note). Paul and Timothy had been slaves of Sin (see note on “the Sin“) by their birth into Adam’s likeness, but now they are slaves of Christ by their new, second birth. They had no will of their own, no business of their own, no time of their own and were acting for their Master, Christ; dependent upon Him and obedient to Him.
Doulos is used 124 times (in 117 verses) in the NT (Mt 8:9; 10:24, 25; 13:27, 28; 18:23, 26, 27, 28, 32; 20:27; 21:34, 36, 37; 22:3, 4, 6, 8, 10; 24:45, 6, 48, 50; 25:14, 19, 21, 23, 26, 30; 26:51; Mk. 10:44; 12:2, 4; 13:34; 14:47; Lk. 2:29; 7:2, 3, 8, 10; 12:37, 43, 45, 46, 47, 14:17, 21, 22, 23; 15:22; 17:7, 9, 10; 19:13, 15, 17, 22; 20:10, 11; 22:50; Jn. 4:51; 8:34, 35; 13:16; 15:15, 20; 18:10, 18, 26; Acts 2:18; 4:29; 16:17; Ro 1:1; 6:16, 17, 20; 1 Co. 7:21, 22, 23; 12:13; 2Co 4:5; Gal. 1:10; 3:28; 4:1, 7; Ep 6:5, 6, 8; Phil. 1:1; 2:7; Col. 3:11, 22; 4:1, 12; 1Ti 6:1; 2Ti 2:24; Titus 1:1; 2:9; Philemon 1:16; James 1:1; 1Pe 2:16; 2Pe 1:1; 2:19; Jude 1:1; Re 1:1; 2:20; 6:15; 7:3; 10:7; 11:18; 13:16; 15:3; 19:2, 5, 18; 22:3, 6.
There are some 294 uses of doulos in the Septuagint (LXX) (Lev 25:44; 26:13; Deut. 32:36; Jos. 9:23; 24:29; Jdg. 2:8; 6:27; 9:28; 15:18; 1Sa 2:27; 3:9, 10; 8:14, 15, 16; 12:19; 13:3; 14:21, 41; 16:16; 17:9, 32, 34, 36; 19:4; 20:7, 8; 22:8, 14, 15; 23:10, 11; 25:10, 39; 26:17, 18, 19; 27:5, 12; 28:2; 29:3, 8; 30:13; 2Sa 3:18; 6:20; 7:5, 8, 19, 20, 21, 25, 27, 28, 29; 8:2, 6, 14; 9:2, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12; 10:2, 19; 11:9, 11, 13, 17, 21, 24; 12:18; 13:24, 35; 14:19, 20, 22, 30; 15:2, 8, 21, 34; 18:29; 19:5, 7, 14, 17, 20, 26, 27, 28, 35, 36, 37; 21:22; 24:10, 21; 1Ki. 1:19, 26, 27, 33, 47, 51; 2:38, 39, 40; 3:6, 7, 8; 5:6, 9; 8:12, 23, 24, 25, 29, 30, 31, 28, 29, 30, 36, 52, 56, 59, 66; 11:11, 13, 26, 32, 34, 36, 38; 12:7, 24; 15:29; 18:9, 12, 36; 20:9, 32, 39, 40; 21:28; 2Ki 1:13, 14; 4:1; 5:6, 15, 17, 18, 25; 6:3; 8:13, 19; 9:7, 36; 10:10, 19, 21, 22, 23; 12:20, 21; 14:5, 25; 16:7; 17:3, 13, 23; 18:12, 24; 19:34; 20:6; 21:8, 10; 22:9, 12; 24:1, 2; 1Chr 17:7, 18, 26; 2Chr 2:8; 6:23, 42; 28:10; 36:20; Ezra 2:65; 4:15; 5:11; 9:9, 11; Neh 1:6, 11; 2:10, 19, 20; 5:5; 7:57, 60, 67; 9:14, 36; 10:29; 11:3; Job 41:4; Ps 19:11, 13; 27:9; 31:16; 34:22; 35:27; 36:1; 69:36; 78:70; 79:2, 10; 80:4; 86:2, 4; 89:3, 20, 39, 50; 90:13, 16; 102:14, 28; 105:6, 17, 25, 26, 42; 109:28; 116:16; 119:17, 23, 38, 49, 65, 76, 84, 91, 122, 124, 125, 135, 140, 176; 123:2; 132:10; 134:1; 135:1, 9, 14; 136:22; 143:2, 12; 144:10; Pr 9:3; Eccl 2:7; 5:12; 7:21; 10:7; Is 14:2; 42:19; 45:14; 48:20; 49:3, 5, 7; 56:6; 63:17; 65:9; Je 2:14; 3:22; 7:25; 25:4; 46:27; La 5:8; Ezek 28:25; 34:23; 37:24, 25; 38:17; Da 3:26; 6:20; 9:6, 10, 11, 17; Joel 2:29; Amos 3:7; Jon 1:9; Hag 2:23; Zech 1:6; 3:8; Mal 1:6; 4:4)
Click the convicting poem He Had No Rights written by Mabel Williamson a missionary to China.
In the Greek culture doulos usually referred to the involuntary, permanent service of a slave, but the use in the epistles of Paul and Peter elevates the meaning of doulos to the Hebrew sense which describes a servant who willingly commits himself to serve a master he loves and respects (cp Ex 21:5, 6 Dt 15:12-16 discussed below). By Roman times, slavery was so extensive that in the early Christian period one out of every two people was a slave! From at least 3000BC captives in war were the primary source of slaves.
Doulos speaks of submission to one’s master The doulos had no life of his own, no will of his own, no purpose of his own and no plan of his own. All was subject to his master. The bondservant’s every thought, breath, and effort was subject to the will of his master. In sum, the picture of a bondservant is one who is absolutely surrendered and totally devoted to his master. What a picture of Paul and Timothy’s relation to their Lord! What an example for all believers of every age to emulate!
Rev 19:7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant (4889 Sun – Doulos) and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
The Angels are all Fellowservants = Sun – Doulos together with us