The English Word “Worship”
On this page, I will investigate what the English word “worship” means. In future pages, I will look at the Hebrew and Greek words that are translated in the Bible as “worship”.
Let’s start by looking at the etymology of the word “worship” in English. (Etymology is the study of the history of a word.)
Worship Terms
Worship – What is the meaning of the English word “Worship?”
Proskuneo – The primary Greek word for worship
Shachah – The primary Hebrew word for worship
Halal – A Hebrew word for crazy exuberant praise
Shabach – A Hebrew word for loud praise
Tehillah – A Hebrew word for song of praise
Zamar – A Hebrew word for making music accompanied by strings
Yadah – A Hebrew word for extending the hands in thanksgiving and praise
Towdah – A Hebrew word for a thanks offering
Barak – A Hebrew word for kneeling before God in humble submission
Hidden Meaning in Psalm 100:4 – See how understanding these words enhances the meaning of this popular praise verse.
History of the Word “Worship”
A quick look at the Online Etymology Dictionary informs us that worship comes from the Old English words worthscip, wurthscip (Anglian), and weorthscipe (West Saxon). Worth/wurth/weorth all mean “worthy”. The suffix scip/scipe eventually became the word ship and means “the state or condition of being”.
Putting this all together, we come up with “the condition or state of being worthy”. Over time, this became associated with “reverence paid to a supernatural or divine being”. When used as a verb, worship has the sense of ascribing worth to a being or object.
Application
So, what does this mean for us as we approach God in worship? Here are a few of my thoughts:
- God is the greatest possible object of worship. In the Old English sense of the word, anyone worthy of their position could be given the title “your worship” meaning “you are a worthy person”. But all humans are only relatively worthy and are always flawed. God is perfect and as such is the perfect object of worship.
- God is the most worthy of all beings. When we worship God we should recognize the fact that He is the the greatest possible being of worth. No being is worth more than God.
- We are unworthy to approach God. Recognizing the worthiness of God should help us to recognize our unworthiness to come into His presence. It is a great and awesome privilege to worship God.
Therefore, Worship is the opportunity, made possible by the cross, for us as unworthy beings to come before the most worthy being and declare His worth to us.
All of this reminds me of Psalm 96:7-9.
Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!
And Revelation 4:11
Worthy are You, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for You created all things,
and by Your will they existed and were created.
Question: What does it mean to you to ascribe worth to God? How do you ascribe worth to God?
by Jerry Wyrick