servant
Huperetes denotes a person assigned to carry out service, whether as an official attendant or in service to a message and its witness.
The attested uses most often identify attendants or officials acting under religious or judicial authority, including those sent, stationed, or involved in custody. A smaller group describes persons appointed in connection with the word, proclamation, witness, and the mysteries of God.
Senses in use
-
Official or institutional attendant · dominant
Plural forms occur with personnel sent by chief priests and Pharisees: in John 7:32 the APB renders the scene as officers sent to arrest Jesus, and in John 7:45 they return without bringing him. In Acts 5:22 the nominative plural names those who go to the prison and report back, while Acts 5:26 places the dative plural with an officer who brings prisoners without force. The same group is present in scenes involving seizure, striking, or the high priest's courtyard in John 18:3 and John 18:22.
-
Person appointed for ministry or testimony · common
The accusative forms describe people appointed or regarded in relation to a message. In Acts 13:5 the APB renders John as accompanying the proclamation in the synagogues, and Acts 26:16 connects appointment as a servant and witness with what the speaker has seen and will be shown. In 1 Corinthians 4:1, the plural stands with stewards of God's mysteries; Luke 1:2 names those who became servants of the word.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB uses “servant” and “servants,” but also presents comparable scenes with “officers,” an “attendant,” and “slaves.” Because the APB translates whole verses rather than aligning individual words, these variations show its presentation of the contexts rather than fixed translations of the lemma.