maidservant
paidiske denotes a female servant, especially a woman identified by dependent status or household service.
The term most often identifies a woman by her dependent status in contrast with a free woman, especially in the repeated mother-and-son statements of Galatians. It also names female servants encountered at gates, in courtyards, and in a household setting, including one who meets people on the way to prayer.
Senses in use
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Dependent woman contrasted with a free woman · dominant
In Galatians 4:22 and Galatians 4:23, the genitive singular form marks the mother in the clauses about Abraham's two sons, one born by her and one by the free woman. Galatians 4:30 and Galatians 4:31 continue that contrast in the statements about casting her out and not being children of her; the APB renders these clauses with “maidservant” and “free woman.”
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Female servant or attendant in narrative scenes · common
The nominative singular form introduces women who act in the scenes: Rhoda comes to answer the gate in Acts 12:13, a gatekeeper questions Peter in John 18:17, and women see or address Peter in Luke 22:56, Mark 14:69, and Matthew 26:69. In Acts 16:16, the accusative singular form identifies the woman who meets the travelers and is said to furnish work to her lords, while Luke 12:45 uses the accusative plural in a clause about beating “the children and the maidservants.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB usually presents the term as “maidservant,” while Acts 12:13 has “a servant girl.” These renderings fit the verse contexts.