Scriptural Worship: A Word Study

How would we answer the questions, “What is worship? How do we worship God?” While some would say it does not matter as long as we are sincere, others would give a ritualistic system that barely, if at all, engages the human heart. Let us examine the Biblical answers to these very important questions.

Foundation of Worship

Let us realize that if God has not authorized worship, there is no basis for it, and thus the “anything goes” format of worship would be completely acceptable. However, if God has authorized worship, then it obviously must be regulated by His word. The foundation of worship is based upon the following: If God exists (and He does); and if the Bible is the inspired word of God (and it is); then one can know that whatever doctrine the Bible teaches relative to worship is true and binding upon all people to whom it applies. God has authorized worship (Jn. 4:23-24).Thus, our duty is to learn and practice what the Bible teaches about worship.

Worship Defined by Vocabulary

The Bible nowhere explicitly says, “Worship is....” However, there is plenty of inspired information contained in the sacred text to let us know what worship is and how to worship God acceptably. As is true with any subject, a good place to start in our attempt to discover the meaning of worship is to examine the meaning of the actual vocabulary words used to describe it. In English, worship may be defined as a set of ceremonies, prayers, etc. that are expressed to deity. However, in the New Testament, there are thirteen Greek words that are translated by a form of “worship” in the King James Version.1 An examination of these words and their contexts give us a much better definition of the Biblical concept of worship. This article focuses on the three most common words translated “worship” and what those words contribute to the meaning of worship.

Worship Involves Humility Centuries before the New Testament was written, the most common Greek word translated by a form of “worship” (proskuneo, προσκυνέω) meant to bow down and kiss. Pre-Christian Greeks considered this verb a technical term for “the adoration of the gods, meaning to fall down, prostrate oneself, adore on one’s knees.”2 The idea of adoration and prostration on one’s knees likely developed because in order to kiss the earth or the image of a god, one had to bow down to the ground. In some New Testament occurrences of this Greek word, the idea of bowing down to the ground is still explicitly retained (Acts 10:25; 1 Cor. 14:25; Rev. 4:10; 5:14; 7:11; 11:16; 19:4). When the New Testament uses this word, the object is considered to be divine, whether truly so or just imagined (Mt. 2:2; 4:10; Acts 7:43; 10:25; Rev. 22:8). The rebellious and presumptuous nature of the devil is seen by his coveting the worship that belongs to God alone (Mt. 4:9; Lk. 4:7). Although this Greek word in New Testament usage had for the most part lost the literal designation of the external act of prostration, “it continues to denote the inward prostration of the heart in humility.”3

Worship Involves Reverence The next most common word translated by a form of “worship” (sebomai, σέβομαι) originally meant to “step back from someone or something.”4 The reason for this maintaining a distance could range from shame, wonder, or fear that would result by being in the presence of the object. The attitude that resulted in keeping this distance was evoked by that which was either perceived to be majestic in the object or by a risk of failure in the presence of the object. From this original meaning, the word came to be used to denote an attitude of respect that was given to gods, people, or objects. When the New Testament was written, the word moved from the idea of respect to “denote religious veneration, including acts of worship.”5 In the New Testament, this word is always associated with deity (Mt. 15:9; Mk. 7:7; Acts 16:14; 18:7, 13; 19:27). Sometimes the word is used to denote the “religious,” or “devout” (NKJ) (Acts 13:43, 50; 17:4, 17).

Worship Involves Specific Acts of Service The third most common word translated by a form of “worship” (latreuo, λατρεύω) actually occurs more than the word considered above; however, it is usually translated by a form of the verb “serve” (Mt. 4:10; Lk. 1:74). This word derived from a word that literally meant “wages,” and then came to mean “work for wages.”6 By New Testament times the word was used to denote service in general, including that done in the name of religion. Therefore, this word in the New Testament means to “serve” and is used for the carrying out of religious duties by human beings. This religious service may include that rendered to false gods (Acts 7:42, ASV; Rom. 1:25), or that rendered to the true God (Mt. 4:10; 2 Tim. 1:3; Rev. 22:3). Because worship is a part of religious service, this Greek word can also be translated “worship” in some contexts (Acts 7:42; 24:14; Phil. 3:3; Heb. 10:2). There are two extremes we must avoid relative to this word. First, because in some contexts this word may be translated “worship” does not mean that all service is worship. While all of a Christian’s life should be characterized by humility and reverence toward God, this word (sebomai) points to the fact that worship involves specific acts. It does not tell us what those acts are; we must find that information elsewhere. Second, we must not think that the extent of our service to God is only what is done in our church buildings when we assemble to worship. Some think that because they have participated in “worship service” that their requirement to serve God has been fulfilled. Such, of course, is not the case. There is more to serving God than just worshiping Him!

Endnotes

1 They are listed here in the order of the most common KJV translation of some form of “worship” to the least common: “προσκυνέω” (verb) (Mt. 2:2; 4:9; Jn. 4:23-24 et al.); “σέβομαι” (verb) (Mt. 15:9; Mk. 7:7; Acts 16:14; 17:4, 17; 18:7, 13; 19:27); “λατρεύω” (verb) (Acts 7:42; 24:14; Phil. 3:3; Heb. 10:2); “ἐθελοθρησκεία” (noun) (Col. 2:23); “εὐσέβω” (verb) (Acts 17:23); “δόξα” (noun usually translated “glory” or “honour”) (Lk. 14:10); “θεοσεβής” (noun) (Jn. 9:31); “θεραπεύω” (verb usually translated “heal”) (Acts 17:25); “θρησκεία” (noun) (Col. 2:18); “νεωκόρος” (noun that literally means “temple-keeper”) (Acts 19:35); “προσκυνητής” (noun) (Jn. 4:23); “σεβάζομαι” (verb) (Rom. 1:25); and “σέβασμα” (noun) (2 Thes. 2:4).

2 Hans Schonweiss and Colin Brown, “Proskuneo,” The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 2, Colin Brown, ed. (1976; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986) 875-876.

3 Kenneth M. Chadwell, “New Testament Word Studies in Worship,” Worship in Spirit and Truth: Freed-Hardeman University Lectures, David Lipe, ed. (Henderson, TN: Freed-Hardeman University, 1994) 18.

4 Walter Gunther, “Sebomai,” The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 2, Colin Brown, ed. (1976; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986) 91.

5 Chadwell 23.

6 Klaus Hess, “Latreuo,” The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 3, Colin Brown, ed. (1978; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986) 549.