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One
of the most common Trinitarian arguments for the
deity of Christ is predicated on the use of the
English word "worship" in the KJV.
Standard proof texts include:
- Matthew
2
- Hebrews
1.
- Matthew
14.
- Matthew
28.
- Luke
24.
I shall address Revelation 4 separately,
because it is more complicated than these passages,
and therefore deserves special attention.
The lowest common denominator among all of these
proof texts, is their consistent use of the Greek
word proskuneo. This is significant, because
proskuneo is the only Greek word for
"worshipped" which is ever applied directly
to Christ - and it does not imply the worship
of a God. Permit me to elaborate...
Proskuneo implies reverence (as to a king
or ruler) but never worship of a god. I can provide
a comprehensive list of the times when it occurs
in the NT, if you'd like to see it, but in case
you want an example, try reading the NRSV some time.
It says that the wise men came to "pay homage"
to Christ at Bethlehem. This gives a far more accurate
rendition of proskuneo than the KJV, which
merely says "worship." Of course, "homage"
is something that you pay to a king. And Jesus was
indeed born King of the Jews. But he was not God,
and the wise men never expected him to be.
Both God and Christ receive proskuneo, but
this does not make Jesus God. Why? Because Koine
Greek has a word which is used exclusively for the
worship of gods (latreuo), and it is never
applied to Christ. It is, however, applied
to the Father. If you read Mark 11, you will
see that Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem as a
king, and you can be sure that he received proskuneo
at this time. (It is interesting, however, that
he was not welcomed into Jerusalem as God,
which is what we'd need to see if Trinitarians
were correct. Additionally, the Pharisees and Sadducees
make no comment about the reception of Jesus by
the people at this time, except to say that they
are wrong to consider him the king of the Jews.
Not one person is criticised for worshipping him
as God - because this never happened!)
In the OT, angels are often “worshipped” by the
men and women to whom they appear. This fact is
oft forgotten by Trinitarians. The” worship” that
angels receive at this time, is obeisance - not
literal religious worship. Some angels reject this,
because (from the context) they do not wish to be
confused with God Himself. However, others accept
it, on those occasions when they are representing
God.
Now let's examine an Old Testament example of
an angel accepting the worshipful prostration of
a man (for which the LXX uses the word proskuneo):
Joshua 5:14-15.
And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of
the LORD am I now come. And
Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did
worship, and
said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?
And the captain of the LORD's host said unto
Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for
the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua
did so.
How can Joshua perform proskuneo
towards an angel, without being accused of blasphemy?
The answer is simple - it is because proskuneo
simply means "to prostrate; to bow down; to
pay obeisance or homage." It does not mean
"worship", as we understand the word.
In response to the Unitarian interpretation of Joshua
5, most Trinitarians will attempt to
claim that the "captain of Yahweh's
host" is the preincarnate Christ, which is
why he is able to "accept worship" on
this occasion. But argument is a classic example
of circular reasoning, for its proponent merely
assumes that
Christ is God, and then attempts to superimpose
this idea back onto his original argument from proskuneo.
Instead, the Trinitarian must first prove his argument
from proskuneo
(which he intereprets as an unequivocal reference
to religious worship), and then
elaborate on his argument from Joshua
5.
Another word translated for "worship"
in the NT, is doxa
- though in most cases it is translated "glory",
being used in reference to God, king Solomon, and
those who receive praise at feasts (hence Luke
14:10.) It contains no inherent religious
implication, but (as with proskuneo)
can be used within a previously-established religious
context. Interestingly, the NRSV is more accurate
that most other translations, rendering proskuneo
as "homage." We would expect "homage"
to be shown to a king (as indeed it is, by the magi
who come to the stable in Bethlehem, for the purpose
of seeing the "king of the Jews") but
the word itself, does not suggest a religious act.
(Trinitarians require more than just "homage"
in order to prove the deity of Christ.)
But there are other passages where the NRSV is helpful,
too. Let's compare the KJV with the NRSV. First,
the KJV:
Matthew 8:2.
And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean.
Trinitarians like this rendering, because it says
"worshipped." However, the actual word
translated as "worshipped" in this verse,
is proskuneo
- a word which (as we have already seen) may
be used in an act of worship, but does not actually
imply worship itself. Now I would like
you to read the NRSV rendition of the same verse:
Matthew 8:2.
And there was a leper who came to him and knelt
before him, saying, "Lord, if you choose,
you can make me clean."
The difference between the two translations is striking.
By simply rendering the Greek more accurately (i.e.,
in a way that presents us with the literal sense
of the original word) we totally decimate the Trinitarian
claim. This becomes even more obvious when we consult
standard authorities.
Vine’s Expository Dictionary
defines proskuneo
thus:
to make obeisance, do reverence to.
It also says:
It is used as an act of homage or reverence.
Zondervan’s Analytical
Greek Lexicon defines proskuneo
thus:
To do reverence or homage by kissing the hand;
in N.T. to do reverence or homage by prostration;
to pay divine homage, worship, adore; to bow one’s
self in adoration.
The mere use of the word makes
no implication as to the perceived humanity or divinity
of the object. This is clearly seen from
the use of proskuneo
in Matthew 18:26
(the parable of the two debtors) where it is applied
to the debtor pleading for mercy from his human
lord:
Matthew 18:25-26.
But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded
him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and
all that he had, and payment to be made.
The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and
I will pay thee all.
Proskuneo
is the word which has been translated here as “worshipped”
in the KJV, but less archaically translated “begged”
in the NIV, “imploring” in the RSV, “prostrated
himself” in the NASB and “fell prostrate” in the
NEB. The servant clearly was not intending to imply
any divinity in his creditor. In reference to this
distinction, Vine quotes in the note of the American
Committee in the Revised Version:
At the word ‘worship’ in Matt 2:2 etc, add
the marginal note ‘The Greek word denotes an act
of reverence, whether paid to man (see chap 18:26)
or to God (see chap 4:10).
We also see that the man who comes to a banquet,
"has worship" from those around him:
Luke 14:9-11.
And he that bade thee and him come and say to
thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with
shame to take the lowest room.
But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the
lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh,
he may say unto thee,
Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have
worship in the presence of them that sit at meat
with thee.
For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased;
and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Christ says that the enemies of the members of the
church of Philadelphia will be forced
to worship at the feet of the Philadelphian
Christians. In this passage, where it is obviously
not talking about the worship of God, the NIV and
the NEB translate the phrase as “come and fall down
at your feet.” The RSV and NASB both say, “come
and bow down at your feet."
Revelation 3:8-10.
I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee
an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou
hast a little strength, and hast kept my word,
and hast not denied my name.
Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan,
which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie;
behold, I will make them to come and worship
before thy feet, and to know that I have loved
thee.
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience,
I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world, to try them
that dwell upon the earth.
So we see that where the object of proskuneo
is human,
the modern translations have been unanimous in changing
to a more modern English wording instead of “worship.”
King Herod accepted proskuneo,
and was struck dead by God. But in Herod's case,
he was clearly and unambiguously worshipped as a
god, and he accepted such worship as his due. This
was nothing short of blasphemy, and God rightly
punished him. Jesus, however, neither receives nor
accepts this form of worship.
When we bow to God, we bow with the idea of worshipping
Him in a religious fashion. But this was never offered
to Jesus. Let's look at the definition of proskuneo
(which was offered to both God and Jesus), as defined
by Thayer's Greek
Lexicon:
1) To kiss the hand to (towards) one,
in token of reverence.
2) Among the Orientals, especially the
Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch
the ground with the forehead as an expression
of profound reverence.
3) In the NT by kneeling or prostration
to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether
in order to express respect or to make supplication.
3a) Used of homage shown to men and beings
of superior rank.
3a1) To the Jewish high priests.
3a2) To God.
3a3) To Christ.
3a4) To heavenly beings.
3a5) To demons.
In the LXX, this word is used when someone bows
or prostrates to the ground, on knees or face, in
deep respect for another. Examples of this can be
seen in I Samuel (I Kings
LXX) 24:9, in which David bowed with
his face to the ground and did obeisance (prosekunesen)
to king Saul. And, again, in the case of Abigail,
"she hasted and alighted from her ass; and
she fell before David on her face, and did obeisance
to him (prosekunesen),
bowing to the ground." (I
Samuel 25:23, LXX.) It would seem clear
that in these two cases proskuneo
is not "worship" in the modern sense of
the word, but rather a deep respect common in the
Eastern world, and unknown in the Western.
In the NT, proskuneo
is used in this manner above, that is a bowing or
kneeling in deep respect. This can be seen in:
Matthew 18:26.
Therefore the slave fell down and began to proskuneo
himself to (his master)...
As Thayer's Greek
Lexicon told us, proskuneo
is also shown to Jewish high priests, heavenly beings
(such as angels) and demons. It cannot therefore
mean that Jesus is God simply because he accepts
proskuneo.
Now let's see how Thayer defines the Greek word
latreuo -
the word which is never
used of Christ:
1) To serve for hire.
2) To serve, minister to, either to the
gods or men and used alike of slaves and freemen.
2a) In the NT, to render religious service
or homage, to worship.
2b) to perform sacred services, to offer gifts,
to worship God in the observance of the rites
instituted for his worship.
2b1) Of priests, to officiate, to discharge the
sacred office.
You can see that although Thayer acknowledges that
the word was used in Greek society in reference
to the service of exalted men, in the NT it is used
only for religious
service or homage. This makes it very different
to proskuneo,
which does not contain a religious connotation.
(which is why I keep emphasising the distinction.)
Since proskuneo
is not an act of religious worship per
se, the intent
of the one who is offering it clearly
defines the response of the one who receives it.
Surely this is clear.
The NT is careful to ascribe unambiguously religious
worship to God, but never to Christ. Nowhere does
Jesus ever encourage true worship of himself. Indeed,
in the temptation account, Jesus uses proskuneo
in combination with latreuo
regarding the Lord God only. Matthew
4:10 is translated by the Amplified Version
in the following way:
Then Jesus said to him, 'Begone, Satan!
For it has been written, You shall worship [proskuneo],
the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve'
[latreuo.]
The New English Bible says:
But Jesus said, 'Begone, Satan: Scripture
says, You shall do homage [proskuneo]
to the Lord your God, and worship [latreuo.]
him alone.'
Trinitarians must explain why Jesus never receives
this form of worship - neither when he was on Earth,
nor after his resurrection.
Let us now turn our attention to Revelation
4 & 5.
I shall use Young's
Literal Translation, for clarity:
Revelation 4:1-11.
After these things I saw, and lo, a door opened
in the heaven, and the first voice that I heard
is as of a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come
up hither, and I will shew thee what it behoveth
to come to pass after these things;’
and immediately I was in the Spirit, and lo, a
throne was set in the heaven, and upon the
throne is one sitting,
and He who is sitting was in sight like a stone,
jasper and sardine: and a rainbow was round the
throne in sight like an emerald.
And around the throne are thrones twenty and four,
and upon the thrones I saw the twenty and four
elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and
they had upon their heads crowns of gold;
and out of the throne proceed do lightnings,
and thunders, and voices; and seven lamps of fire
are burning before the throne, which are the Seven
Spirits of God,
and before the throne is a sea of glass like to
crystal, and in the midst of the throne, and round
the throne, are four living creatures, full of
eyes before and behind;
and the first living creature is like a lion,
and the second living creature is like a calf,
and the third living creature hath the face as
a man, and the fourth living creature is like
an eagle flying.
And the four living creatures, each by itself
severally, had six wings, around and within are
full of eyes, and rest they have not day and night,
saying, ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty,
who was, and who is, and who is coming;’
and when the living creatures do give glory, and
honour, and thanks, to Him who is sitting upon
the throne, who is living to the ages of the ages,
fall down do the twenty and four elders before
Him who is sitting upon the throne, and bow before
Him who is living to the ages of the ages,
and they cast their crowns before the throne,
saying,
‘Worthy art Thou, O Lord, to receive the glory,
and the honour, and the power, because Thou—Thou
didst create the all things, and because of Thy
will are they, and they were created.’
Who is this? If we say that it is the Father, how
can we be sure? If we say that it is Christ, how
can we be sure?
Let us look for a parallel passage...
Isaiah 6:1-5.
In the year of the death of king Uzziah—I see
the Lord, sitting on a throne, high and lifted
up, and His train is filling the temple.
Seraphs are standing above it: six wings hath
each one; with two each covereth its face, and
with two each covereth its feet, and with two
each flieth.
And this one hath called unto that, and hath said:
‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is Jehovah of Hosts, The
fulness of all the earth is His glory.’
And the posts of the thresholds are moved by the
voice of him who is calling, and the house is
full of smoke.
And I say, ‘Woe to me, for I have been silent,
For a man—unclean of lips am I, And in midst of
a people unclean of lips I am dwelling, Because
the King, Jehovah of Hosts, have my eyes seen.’
Now let's place the two doxologies side by side:
- Revelation
4:
‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who
was, and who is, and who is coming;’
- Isaiah
6:
‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is Jehovah of Hosts, The
fulness of all the earth is His glory.’
It is clear that the individual here referred to
is the Father, not the Son. These two doxologies
are unique to the Father. They are never used in
reference to the Son.
Now let's examine Revelation
5...
Revelation 5:1-14.
And I saw upon the right hand of Him who is
sitting upon the throne a scroll, written
within and on the back, sealed with seven seals;
and I saw a strong messenger crying with a great
voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to
loose the seals of it?’
and no one was able in the heaven, nor upon the
earth, nor under the earth, to open the scroll,
nor to behold it.
And I was weeping much, because no one was found
worthy to open and to read the scroll, nor to
behold it,
and one of the elders saith to me, ‘Weep not;
lo, overcome did the Lion, who is of the tribe
of Judah, the root of David, to open the scroll,
and to loose the seven seals of it;
and I saw, and lo, in the midst of the throne,
and of the four living creatures, and in the midst
of the elders, a Lamb hath stood as it had
been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the Seven Spirits of God, which are
sent to all the earth,
and he came and took the scroll out of the
right hand of Him who is sitting upon the throne.
And when he took the scroll, the four living creatures
and the twenty-four elders fell before the
Lamb, having each one harps and golden vials
full of perfumes, which are the prayers of the
saints,
and they sing a new song, saying, ‘Worthy art
thou to take the scroll, and to open the seals
of it, because thou wast slain, and didst redeem
us to God in thy blood, out of every tribe, and
tongue, and people, and nation,
and didst make us to our God kings and priests,
and we shall reign upon the earth.’
And I saw, and I heard the voice of many messengers
round the throne, and the living creatures, and
the elders—and the number of them was myriads
of myriads, and thousands of thousands—
saying with a great voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive the power, and riches,
and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory,
and blessing!’
and every creature that is in the heaven, and
in the earth, and under the earth, and the things
that are upon the sea, and the all things in them,
heard I saying, ‘To Him who is sitting upon
the throne, and to the Lamb, is the blessing,
and the honour, and the glory, and the might—to
the ages of the ages!’
and the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’
and the twenty-four elders fell down and they
bow before Him who is living to the ages of the
ages.
The one who "sits upon the throne" is
clearly the Father, not the Son - while the Lamb
is the Son, not the Father.
You will notice that in Revelation
4, the elders "fall down and bow"
to the Father. The Greek word in question is proskuneo,
which simply means "to prostrate or bow",
as we have already seen. This is reverence (not
religious worship), and it is the same word which
occurs in Revelation
5. Notice also that latreuo
(the Greek word for religious
worship) is not used in either of these chapters.
There is nothing to indicate that the Son himself
is Almighty God.
But who is the recipient of proskuneo
in verse 14 of Revelation
5? The Father or the Son? Once again,
our answer can be found in the text itself.
Let's go back to the previous chapter, and compare
Scripture with Scripture.
...to Him who is sitting upon the throne, who
is living to the ages of the ages,
fall down do the twenty and four elders before
Him who is sitting upon the throne, and bow before
Him who is living to the ages of the ages...
It is the Father, not the Son. We can be sure of
this, because the Son comes to the Father in the
form of a lamb, and takes the book from His hand.
It is the Father Who "is living to the ages
of the ages." The Son is necessarily subordinate
to Him.
In closing, I would like to present the 21 occurrences
of latreuo
in the New Testament.
Observe the consistency of Scripture:
- Matthew
4:10.
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan:
for it is written, Thou shalt worship
[proskuneo] the Lord thy God, and him
only shalt thou serve. [latreuo]
- Luke
1:74.
That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered
out of the hand of our enemies might
serve
[latreuo] him without fear
- Luke
2:37.
And she [was] a widow of about fourscore and
four years, which departed not from the temple,
but served
[latreuo] with fastings and prayers night
and day.
- Luke
4:8.
And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee
behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt
worship
[proskuneo] the Lord thy God, and him
only shalt thou serve. [latreuo]
- Acts
7:7.
And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage
will I judge, said God: and after that shall
they come forth, and serve
[latreuo] me in this place.
- Acts
7:42.
Then God turned, and gave them up to worship
[latreuo] the host of heaven; as it is
written in the book of the prophets, O ye house
of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts
and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness?
- Acts
24:14.
But this I confess unto thee, that after the
way which they call heresy, so worship
[latreuo] I the God of my fathers, believing
all things which are written in the law and
in the prophets:
- Acts
26:7.
Unto which our twelve tribes, instantly serving
[latreuo] day and night, hope to come.
For which hope's sake, king Agrippa, I am
accused of the Jews.
- Acts
27:23.
For there stood by me this night the angel of
God, whose I am, and whom I serve
[latreuo]
- Romans
1:9.
For God is my witness, whom I serve
[latreuo] with my spirit in the gospel
of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention
of you always in my prayers;
- Romans
1:25.
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and
worshipped and served
[latreuo] the creature more than the
Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
- Philippians
3:3.
For we are the circumcision, which worship
[latreuo] God in the spirit, and rejoice
in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the
flesh.
- II
Timothy 1:3.
I thank God, whom I serve
[latreuo] from [my] forefathers with
pure conscience, that without ceasing I have
remembrance of thee in my prayers night and
day
- Hebrews
8:5.
Who serve
[latreuo] unto the example and shadow
of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished
of God when he was about to make the tabernacle:
for, See, saith he, [that] thou make all things
according to the pattern shewed to thee in the
mount.
- Hebrews
9:9.
Which [was] a figure for the time then present,
in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices,
that could not make him that did the service
[latreuo] perfect, as pertaining to the
conscience
- Hebrews
9:14.
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered himself without
spot to God, purge your conscience from dead
works to serve
[latreuo] the living God?
- Hebrews
10:2.
For then would they not have ceased to be offered?
because that the worshippers
[latreuo] once purged should have had
no more conscience of sins.
- Hebrews
12:28.
Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot
be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may
serve
[latreuo] God acceptably with reverence
and godly fear
- Hebrews
13:10.
We have an altar, whereof they have no right
to eat which serve
[latreuo] the tabernacle.
- Revelation
7:15.
Therefore are they before the throne of God,
and serve
[latreuo] him day and night in his temple:
and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell
among them.
- Revelation
22:3.
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne
of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his
servants shall serve [latreuo]
him
Notice that the final reference to religious worship
is applied to one person
only (hence the word "him.")
If the Father and
the Son were equally
worthy of this worship, then the sentence should
read "...shall serve them."
But it does not. The religious worship mentioned
here is reserved exclusively
for a single person, and the consistency
of Scripture demands that this person is the Father,
not the Son.
There is not one single passage in which the Son
is worshipped as God, but there are many
passages in which the Father is worshipped as God,
and some of these passages contrast the worship
of the Father against
the subordinate position of the Son.
Not once are we required
to worship Jesus as God, and on one occasion, men
are condemned
for worshipping created beings (such as animals;
Romans 1:25.)
The popular Trinitarian argument...
Jesus must be God because (a) we are forbidden
to worship created beings, and yet (b) he accepted
worship.
...finds absolutely no support from Scripture.
By
Athelia....
Here
is some summary information on the various words
and concepts related to “worship” in Scripture:
Types of Worship
1) Bowing down in submission: Proskuneo, Shachah,
Segad
2) Religious Service: Latruo trans worship or
serve also latria (service)
Hebr: Abad, abodah
note connection to “memorial service”
3) Glory, Praise, Honor: Doxa (trans worship only
once)
Also: Splendor, brightness, magnificence, excellence,
majesty,
4) Reverence, awe, fear, respect Sebazomai, venerate,
adore
sebasma, the object of worship
sebomai: devout religious worship
eusebeo: respect, piety (yare (H3372) ?
5) Ceremonial or ritual worship: Proskuneo, Shachah
(This is bowing in submission).
6) Healing: Therapuo G2323
Lawful to heal on the Sabbath day
Greek and Hebrew source words for “worship”
The Greek words translated as “worship” are:
· Proskuneo, tr worship (59), beseech (1), fall
down before (1)
· Doxa (usually translated glory), worship (1)
· Usebeo (used only 2 times, once of idols and
once of piety at home)
· Theosebees (“worshipper of God”, used only once,
by man born blind of those who are heard of God,
in context with statement of Jesus as a Man of
God)
· Therapuo (tr worship only once, probably not
a good translation, usually tr heal or cure)
· Threeskia (tr worship 1, and religion 3)
· Latruo (tr worship 4 and serve 17) Used by Jesus
of God: “Him only shalt thou serve. Never used
in respect to Jesus.
· Sebazomai, Sebasma, Sebomai (13 instances total
- always used of God)
Latruo (“serve”), is frequently used to express
the idea of giving reverence to Yahweh, and seems
to describe that more exclusive concept. The true
worship of God is not merely a passive bowing
down, it is active service.
The Hebrew words translated as “worship” are:
Shachah: To bow down (51), stoop (1), crouch (1),
do obeisance (5), do reverence (5), fall down
(4), beseech (1), worship (99)
Segad: To bow down, do obeisance, worship (12)
Atsab: To make an idol, grieve, worship only 1
time
Abad: To do, serve, “worshippers”(5)
Other Greek words used for bowing or falling
down
The same concept of bowing, expressed by Proskuneo,
is also expressed by several other Greek words.
Erotao G2065 request, beseech, intreat, pray
Deomai G 1189 beg, beseech, pray to make request
Gonupeteo G 1120 bow the knee, kneel
Kampto G2578 to bend, used with knee to indicate
obeisance
Pipto G4098 fall down
Prospipto G 4363 prostrate in supplication or
homage
(examples):
Mark 1:40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching
(parakaleo) him, and kneeling (gonupeteo) down
to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou
canst make me clean.
Mark 5:22 Jairus by name; and when he saw him,
he fell (pipto) at his feet, 23And besought (parakaleo)
him greatly
Luke 8:41 same as Mark 5:22
Mark 7:25 and came and fell (prospipto) at his
feet: 26The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician
by nation; and she besought (erotao) him
Luke 8:28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and
fell (prospipto) down before him, and with a loud
voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus,
thou Son of God most high? I beseech (deomai)
thee, torment me not.
Matt 27:29 And when they had platted a crown of
thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed
in his right hand: and they bowed (gonupeteo)
the knee before him,
Mark 6:51 amazed, wondered.
Matt 17:6 And when the disciples heard it, they
fell (pipto) on their face, and were sore afraid
Philippians 2:9-11 Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name: 10That at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things
in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Other Words Which Express Concepts Of Worship
Service (ceremonial)
Leitourgia (Greek - Strongs G 3009) The service
or ministry of the priests relative to the prayers
and sacrifices offered to God.
Abodah (Hebrew - Strongs H5656) Service of God.
Service of Levite singers and doorkeepers. Closest
Hebrew equivalent to the modern meaning of the
English word “worship”
Minister (ministerial service)
Sharath (Strongs H8334) to attend as a menial
or worshipper: fig. To contribute to; minister
unto, serve. Similar or synonym to Abad
Reverence, Awe, Fear
Sebas - Greek Root meaning awe or fear
This root is not used by itself, but combined
to make a number of words that express aspects
of divine or religious reverence or piety, including:
Sebomai - see above
Sebazomai - see above
Sebasma - see above
Theosebees - see above
Usebees (or Eusebees) G2152 - devout
Eusebeo G2151 - piety
Eusebos G2153 - godly, piously
Eusebeia - piety towards God, right worship, often
translated “godliness”
asebeia - ungodliness
Notice that although many of these words are translated
as “godly,” “godliness,” “ungodliness” etc, they
actually have no root for “god” in them at all,
but rather a root for piety or reverence. Paul
uses these words numerous times (eleven) in his
epistles to Timothy.
"Sebas, or Sebeia, in all its cognate forms, indicates
awe in the presence of God, reverence in the presence
of that which is majestic or divine, the feeling
of awe or reverence, and the obedience which that
should evoke. A life of active obedience. A worship
which befits that awe. True religion. Proper worship."
(from Barclay: New Testament Words)
Phobeo: Greek - (Strongs G5399) To fear, to be
in awe of, to reverence
Yar-e’ Hebrew - (Strongs H3372): fear, dread reverence.
Of all of these, only Proskuneo (bowing down)
is ever used of Jesus).
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