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NASB | John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 4:24 "God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." |
Bible Question (short): What is worship, according to the Bible? |
Question (full): I believe worship is being wrongly taught in the church today. It is either by not knowing what the Bible says or by deception. It begins with the definition of worship. I used a lexicon and concordance to see the occurrence of "worship". Then, I looked up the word to see what the original said. The number of verses translated worship varies, from Young's Literal Translation which has 19 verses, to The Good News Bible in Today's English Version (TEV), with 537 verses. I concluded only one word each in the original should be translated worship. - The primary Hebrew word, for "worship", shachah, is a powerful one. It describes the physical act of actually prostrating yourself on the floor before a sovereign, someone who has complete control over you. There are 171 uses of shachah in the Old Testament. It is translated bow, homage, prostrate, worship, weighs it down or a similar words. - Daniel wrote in Aramaic. The word he used, 12 times, is c@gid, pronounces segeed. It is translated to prostrate oneself, do homage, worship. It is related to the Hebrew cagad, used four times (Isa. 44:15, 17, 19, 46:6). It means to prostrate oneself (in worship). - The primary Greek word is proskuneo. It means to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence. Westerns may not under-stand this. It is not a romantic or family kiss. I doubt many of us kiss with reverence, even if we kiss the ring of the Pope. There were ancients that kissed their idols. It is better see it as falling upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence. In the New Testament it means kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication. It is used 60 times in the NAS it is translated bow, prostrated himself before, worship or similar words. There are other words translated into worship, when another word is better … including serve or service. - Each time the NAS mistranslates the word abad or latreuo worship, serve or service fits. Of the 290 times it is used in the Old Testament, abad is translated worship or worshipers only 13 times in the NAS. In Exo. 12:31, the NAS uses worship. Then the similar phase is translated 'abad as serve in Exodus (4:23; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3, 7, 8, 11, 24, 26). Also, there are several times where the Bible says "worship and serve" or "serve and worship". Worship is shachah and serve is 'abad. If I thought service is worship and worship is service, I would think it would read "worship and worship". The Hebrew verb for service is latreuo. It means to serve for hire or to serve, minister to, either to the gods or men It is to render religious service or homage … to perform sacred services, to offer gifts. It is used of priests, to officiate, to discharge the sacred office. It is used 16 times in the New Testament. It is translated worship or worshiper only 5 times, in the NAS. Latreia is the Hebrew noun form. The NAS translates latreia as worship three of the five times. Worship and service are connected. Worship is essentially of the heart and mind, expressing submission and penitence toward the Lord. Service is providing the physical symbols and actions (offering sacrifices, washing in the laver, etc) that prompt the inner worship of the soul. Don't forget that service is used in two senses in Scripture--the service of the priests before the altars, and the service of the people in giving alms to the poor and teaching the righteousness of the Lord. Two other words translated worship should be reverence (which occurs more than the words for service) or religion. If you want more, I will be happy to discuss worship. I have written a paper on the subject. I didn't just take the words; I looked at the context… - I looked at who we worship. Are all the names and attributes of God, related to worship? - I asked why we worship, what is the purpose? - I've been taught that some activities (proceedings) were worship, yet was this how we should worship? - I wondered is there a special place we worship? - Finally, when can I worship… what do I need to do to prepares to worship? Steve PS I posted this awhile ago, I do not see it. |