The Word “Worship” in Matthew 8:2

It is not often that errors are committed in reference books of recognized importance such as Young’s Analytical Concordance, yet such is the case with respect to the Greek word for “worship” used in Matthew 8:2. The curiosity of the writer was attracted by [editor] P. H. Adams’s reply to a problem on pp. 125 and 126 of The Testimony for April 1952, where the Greek verb is given as proskun exactly as printed in Youngs’ Analytical Concordance. The word puzzled the writer very much; and after due research and comparison with other recognized authorities, the inevitable conclusion pointed to a misprint on the part of the publishers of Young’s work (and which P. H. A. most probably reproduced therefrom) for proskunEO— the last two letters being unwittingly omitted.

This very word formed the basis of a most interesting correspondence some years ago with Dr. Bullinger, since the writer felt that the latter half of the word proskuneo, i.e., kuneo, most likely had some relationship with kunos “a dog.” Dr. Bullinger kindly confirmed this expectation by reference to his lexicon. Under “worship” in this work, there is the verb proskuneo meaning ” to crush, to crawl, to fawn like a dog at its master’s feet; hence, to prostrate oneself after the Eastern fashion, to do reverence or homage to anyone by kneeling.” Reference to Parkhurst’s Greek Lexicon brought further confirmation of the same aspect of “fawning like a dog at its master’s feet.” Robinson in his Lexicon provided the rendering “to kiss towards one” and, as a secondary meaning, “to prostrate oneself,” but he stresses the kissing of the hand, whether it be towards one’s superior or that of a dignitary. Liddell and Scott’s Lexicon, while giving the meaning “to prostrate oneself in token of respect” makes no reference to the “dog” aspect of the worship, but declares kuneo, the verb itself, to imply the idea of “to kiss, or of doves, to [peck with the] bill.”

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Author: Lance Reid

Keywords: Worship, Worshipped, Dog, Bowing, Worshipping before God, Bowing before God, Bowing the knee, Prostration, Prostrating oneself, Prostrating

Bible reference(s): Job 13:15, Matthew 8:2, Matt 9:18, Matthew 15:25, Mat 28:9, Mark 1:40, Luke 5:12

Source: “The Word ‘Worship’ in Matthew 8:2,” The Testimony, Vol. 22, No. 262, October 1952, pg. 293.

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