a.vad denotes rendering allegiance to God or gods, serving human authorities, and performing assigned labor.

The supplied verses most often place the verb in acts of allegiance directed to the LORD or to other gods, frequently alongside fear, obedience, bowing down, or forsaking. It also describes subjects and servants under human rulers, as well as labor on land or with an animal.

1. Rendering allegiance in worship · dominant

   The Qal forms designate devotion directed to the LORD or to other gods. In 1 Chronicles 28:9 the imperative addresses Solomon after the command to acknowledge his father's God; in 1 Samuel 7:4 the sequential imperfect follows Israel's removal of Baal and the Ashtaroth; and in 1 Kings 9:9 the APB renders the clause with people clinging to other gods, bowing down to them, and "served them."

   1 Chronicles 28:91 Samuel 7:41 Kings 9:9Deuteronomy 10:12Deuteronomy 12:302 Kings 17:35
2. Serving a human ruler or master · common

   The verb can mark subjection or personal attendance under a human superior. In 1 Chronicles 19:19 the sequential imperfect follows Aram's peace with David, and the APB presents the result as becoming his subjects; in 1 Kings 12:4 the first-person plural imperfect occurs in the people's offer after asking that a harsh yoke be lightened.

   1 Chronicles 19:191 Kings 12:41 Samuel 11:12 Samuel 16:192 Samuel 22:44Deuteronomy 20:11
3. Performing labor or work · occasional

   Several clauses use the verb for work rather than devotion or political subjection. In 2 Samuel 9:10 Ziba is told to work the land and bring food for his lord's son; in Deuteronomy 15:19 the imperfect occurs in the prohibition against working a firstborn animal; and in Deuteronomy 21:3 the Pual perfect describes a heifer that had not been worked with.

   2 Samuel 9:101 Kings 9:21Deuteronomy 15:19Deuteronomy 21:3Deuteronomy 21:4
4. Requiring others to render allegiance · rare

   The Hiphil sequence in 2 Chronicles 34:33 occurs after Josiah removed abominations and before the statement that Israel did not turn aside from following the LORD. The APB renders the action as Josiah "required everyone found in Israel to serve the LORD their God," distinguishing this causative form from the Qal calls for people themselves to serve.

   2 Chronicles 34:33

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB commonly uses "serve" for devotion to the LORD, other gods, rulers, and masters; it also uses "work" where the clause concerns land or animals. These renderings confirm the clauses' broader situations rather than supplying a separate definition for each occurrence.