work

וּמַלְאָךְ בָּא אֶל־אִיּוֹב (Iyov 1:14), a messenger came to Iyov; וַיָּשׁוּבוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים (Bereishis 32:7), the messengers returned; מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים (Bereishis 28:12), messengers of Elokim. The mem of מלאך is one of the added letters. Radak wrote all these words under this root because Rabbi Yonah wrote them so, his view being that the mem is added; but it may also be said that the mem is of the root and the words have four letters.

וְלֹֽא־יִשָּׁמַע עוֹד קוֹל מַלְאָכֵֽכֵה (Nachum 2:14), and the voice of your messengers will be heard no more. He takes it as מלאכיךָ, your messengers, a tzere standing under the kaf of the suffix in place of a kamatz, and the heh like the heh of אֲשֶׁר־צִוִּיתִי אֹתָכָה (Shemos 29:35), that I commanded you. Rabbi Yonah wrote that the heh stands in place of a yud, as though מלאככִי, your messengers, like שׁוּבִי נַפְשִׁי לִמְנוּחָיְכִי (Tehillim 116:7), return, my soul, to your rest. Rabbi Yehudah ben Balaam wrote that קול מלאככה is the sound of the teeth eating the prey, as the pasuk says וְהִכְרַתִּי מֵאֶרֶץ טַרְפֵּךְ (Nachum 2:14), I will cut off your prey from the earth; and in the Persian tongue the millstones are called מלאככה, being the grinders, and the teeth are called grinders.

The noun is בְּמַלְֽאֲכוּת י"י (Chaggai 1:13), in the mission of Hashem. The sense of them all is known: being sent, whether by men or by the Creator. The navi is called a מלאך because he is Hashem's messenger: וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאָךְ וַיֹּֽצִאֵנוּ מִמִּצְרָיִם (Bamidbar 20:16), He sent a messenger and brought us out of Mitzrayim, is Moshe Rabbeinu; likewise וַיֹּאמֶר חַגַּי מַלְאַךְ י"י (Chaggai 1:13), Chaggai the messenger of Hashem said, and וַיִּֽהְיוּ מַלְעִיבִים בְּמַלְֽאֲכֵי הָֽאֱלֹהִים (Divrei HaYamim II 36:16), they were mocking the messengers of Elokim. So too is the explanation of וַיַּעַל מַלְאַךְ ־י"י מִן־הַגִּלְגָּל (Shoftim 2:1), the messenger of Hashem went up from the Gilgal, and וַיְהִי כְּדַבֵּר מַלְאַךְ י"י אֶת־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה (Shoftim 2:4), and it was, when the messenger of Hashem spoke these words; it is said (Vayikra Rabbah 1) that this messenger was Pinchas.

Another sense in this root: מִכָּל־ מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָֽׂה (Bereishis 2:2), from all His work which He had made. It falls on a man's doing, his money and his affairs. וְהַמְּלָאכָה הָֽיְתָה דַיָּם (Shemos 36:7), the work was enough for them, means the silver and the gold they brought and the rest of the things; לְרֶגֶל הַמְּלָאכָה (Bereishis 33:14), at the pace of the work, means the cattle; and likewise וְכָל־ הַמְּלָאכָה נְמִבְזָה וְנָמֵס (Shmuel I 15:9), and all the goods that were despised and worthless.

In the construct: לִמְלֶכֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם (Yirmiyahu 7:18), filed here as to the work of the heavens, with the aleph missing, and אִם־לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ בִּמְלֶאכֶת רֵעֵהוּ (Shemos 22:7), if he has not put his hand to his fellow's goods; and likewise where it is definite, וְהַֽלְוִיִּם בַּמְלָֽאכֶת (Divrei HaYamim II 13:10), and the Leviim at the work. The plural is מְלָאכוֹת, and in the construct the aleph is sounded: כֹּל מַלְֽאֲכוֹת הַתַּבְנִֽית (Divrei HaYamim I 28:19), all the works of the pattern, and לְסַפֵּר כָּל־ מַלְֽאֲכוֹתֶֽיךָ (Tehillim 73:28), to tell all Your works. Some read לִמְלֶכֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם with the mem as a root letter, a word of kingship, that is, the great star in the heavens; and Yonasan renders it לְכוֹכְבַת שְׁמַיָא, the star of the heavens.

The plain verb is said both of the one who serves and of the one who is worked, but the one worked is joined to it with a beis, as לֹא־ תַֽעֲבֹד בּוֹ (Vayikra 25:39), you shall not work him. So of the servant you say עובד אותו, he serves him, and of the master עובד בו, he works him. Onkelos takes וַֽעֲבָדוּם וְעִנּוּ אֹתָם (Bereishis 15:13), and they shall serve them and they shall afflict them, as though it read ועבדו בם, they shall work them, and so rendered וְיִפְלְחוּן בְּהוֹן, they shall work them. It can also be read as it sounds, with the serving said of Israel and the afflicting of Egypt.

עֲבֹדַת עֲבֹדָה (Bamidbar 4:47), the service of service, is the song, which is the service of the korban.

וְעָבַדְתָּ לּוֹ אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָה (Shmuel II 9:10), you shall till the land for him, and עֹבֵד אֲדָמָֽה (Bereishis 4:2), a tiller of the ground. Because a man's need of the land is so great, and he must be busy with it always, he stands to it as a servant before his master. In וְנִֽהְיֶה אֲנַחְנוּ וְאַדְמָתֵנוּ עֲבָדִים לְפַרְעֹה (Bereishis 47:19), and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh, the land is as a servant to its owners. The land's produce is named for the work done on it, וַֽעֲבֻדָּה רַבָּה מְאֹד (Iyov 1:3), a very great yield.

מֶלֶךְ לְשָׂדֶה נֶעֱבָֽד (Koheles 5:8) is read two ways. Either the field, from the constancy of a man's work in it, is called נעבד, worked, though it is itself the one serving, as in וְנֶעֱבַדְתֶּם וְנִזְרַעְתֶּֽם (Yechezkel 36:9), you shall be tilled and sown; or the lamed of לשדה means for the sake of, and its meaning is that even the king is served only for the sake of the field, out of which comes what he gives and what feeds his armies. That second reading, Radak says, is the correct one.

וַיַּֽעֲבִדוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (Shemos 1:13), the Egyptians made the Children of Israel serve, and וְהַֽעֲבַדְתִּיךָ אֶת־אֹיְבֶיךָ (Yirmiyahu 17:4), I will make you serve your enemies. לֹא הֶעֱבַדְתִּיךָ בְּמִנְחָה (Yeshayahu 43:23) means: I did not force you to pass before Me with a meal offering.

לָכֵן יַכִּיר מַעְבָּֽדֵיהֶם (Iyov 34:25), therefore He knows their deeds: מַעְבָּֽדֵיהֶם is their deeds, as the Targum renders מעשה, a deed, by עוּבְדָא; and without the added mem, וַֽעֲבָדֵיהֶם בְּיַד הָאֱלֹהִים (Koheles 9:1), their deeds are in Hashem's hand. Likewise וְעָֽבְדוּ זֶבַח וּמִנְחָה (Yeshayahu 19:21), and they shall make sacrifice and offering; וּבֹשׁוּ עֹֽבְדֵי פִשְׁתִּים שְׂרִיקוֹת (Yeshayahu 19:9), and the makers of flax dotted with colours shall be ashamed; וְלַֽעֲבֹד עֲבֹדָתוֹ נָכְרִיָּה עֲבֹדָתֽוֹ (Yeshayahu 28:21), and to do His deed, strange is His deed; and וַֽעֲבֹדַת הַצְּדָקָה (Yeshayahu 32:17), and the work of righteousness.

וְשֵׁרֵת אֶת־אֶחָיו (Bamidbar 8:26), he shall minister with his brothers; וְשֵׁרְתוּ אֹתוֹ (Bamidbar 3:6), and they shall minister to him; וַיְשָׁרֶת אֹתָם (Bereishis 40:4), and he attended them; וּמְשָׁרְתִים אֶת־הַבָּיִת (Yechezkel 44:11), and ministering to the house; אֵילֵי נְבָיוֹת יְשָׁרְתוּנֶךְ (Yeshayahu 60:7), the rams of Nevayos shall serve you, and וּמַלְכֵיהֶם יְשָׁרְתוּנֶךְ (Yeshayahu 60:10), and their kings shall serve you, where in both the esnachta falls on the tav and the nun is therefore pointed with a segol; לְשָׁרֵת בְּשֵׁם־י"י (Devarim 18:5), to minister in the name of Hashem; לִפְנֵי הָעֵדָה לְשָׁרְתָם (Bamidbar 16:9), before the congregation to minister to them; מְשָׁרֵת מֹשֶׁה (Bamidbar 11:28), the attendant of Moshe, with וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ מְשָׁרְתוֹ (Shemos 24:13), and Yehoshua his attendant; and of a woman, מְשָׁרַת אֶת־הַמֶּלֶךְ (Melachim I 1:15), attending the king, where by rule the form should be משרתת. The noun: כְּלֵי שָׁרֵת (Divrei HaYamim II 24:14), vessels of service, and אֶת־כָּל־כְּלֵי הַשָּׁרֵת (Bamidbar 4:12), all the vessels of the service.

One line: וַתִּקַּח אֶת־הַמַּשְׂרֵת (Shmuel II 13:9), and she took the pan; the Targum of מַּֽחֲבַת (Vayikra 2:5), a pan, is מַסְרִיתָא, in the vernacular שרט"ן, sarten.