Worship

wûr ́ship (Anglo-Saxon: weorthscipe, wyrthscype, “honor,” from weorth, wurth, “worthy,” “honorable,” and scipe, “ship”):

Honor, reverence, homage, in thought, feeling, or act, paid to men, angels, or other “spiritual” beings, and figuratively to other entities, ideas, powers or qualities, but specifically and supremely to Deity.

The principal Old Testament word is שׁחה, shāḥāh, “depress,” “bow down,” “prostrate” (Hithpael), as in Exodus 4:31, “bowed their heads and worshipped”; so in 94 other places. The context determines more or less clearly whether the physical act or the volitional and emotional idea is intended. The word is applied to acts of reverence to human superiors as well as supernatural. The Revised Version renders it according to its physical aspect, as indicated by the context, “bowed himself down” (KJV “worshipped,” Genesis 24:52; compare 23:7; 27:29, etc.).

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Author: International Std. Bible Encyclopedia

Keywords: Worship, Reverence, Obeisance, Bow down, Jesus worshipped, Homage, Prostration, Bow, Bowing, honor, Prostrate

Bible reference(s): 1 Chronicles 29:20, 1 Maccabees 4:55, 1 Esdras 9:47, 1 Kings 11:33, 1 Kings 16:31, 1 Kings 22:53, 1 Kings 9:9, 1 Samuel 1:19, 1 Samuel 15:31, 2 Chronicles 25:14, 2 Chronicles 29:28, 2 Chronicles 33:3, 2 Chronicles 7:3, 2 Kings 17:16, 2 Kings 21:3, 2 Samuel 12:20, 2 Samuel 15:32, 3 Maccabees 3:4, Acts 10:25, Bel and the Dragon 1:4, Daniel 3:7, Deuteronomy 17:3, Deuteronomy 29:26, Exodus 12:27, Exodus 32:8, Exodus 34:8, Exodus 4:31, Genesis 24:48, Jeremiah 1:16, Jeremiah 16:11, Jeremiah 22:9, Jeremiah 8:2, Job 1:20, John 4:20, John 9:38, Joshua 5:14, Judges 7:15, Judith 10:8, Judith 13:17, Judith 16:18, Judith 5:8, Judith 6:18, Judith 8:18, Mark 5:6, Matthew 14:33, Matthew 2:11, Matthew 28:9, Nehemiah 8:6, Nehemiah 9:3, Psalms 106:19, Revelation 11:16, Revelation 13:4, Revelation 16:2, Revelation 19:4, Revelation 20:4, Revelation 5:14, Revelation 7:11, Romans 1:25, Wisdom of Solomon 14:16

Source: James Orr (editor), The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 5 volume set.

Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.