primarily means acknowledgment of "worth", wherever found.  Formerly the word

"worship" was not so restricted as it is now, e.g., Wycliffe gives a startling rendering of

John 12: 26, "If any man serve Me, My Father shall worship him"! a usage of the word

that would now not be tolerated. In our A.V., however, we still read, "Thou shalt have

worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee" (Luke 14: 10). The Church of

England marriage service contains the word, to be uttered by the husband, "With my

body I thee worship", yet, not idolatry, but recognition of the high place of honour in

which the husband holds the woman who has given herself so wholly into his keeping is

intended. We still speak of a magistrate as "Your worship", and of certain Guilds, as a

"worshipful" company, without transgressing either Bible teaching or good taste. In all

these usages the primary meaning, "worthy-ship", is retained. In every act of worship

there is either expressed or implied the sentiment, "Thou art worthy", and,

commensurately with the advancing ranks in the scale of being and holiness of those to

whom this recognition is addressed will the "worship" offered grow richer, fuller and

more exclusive.

All this however but skims the surface of meaning. The only words that can unfold

the mind of God in this, and all other matters of truth, are the inspired words of holy writ.

As we have commenced with the English, let us go back to the Hebrew by way of the

Greek of the N.T.

(1) Proskuneo.--There is a superficial resemblance in this word to the Greek kuon,

"a dog", and some have given the primary meaning of the word as "To crouch, crawl, or

fawn, like a dog at his master's feet". But there is a sense of degradation about this

figure, and it is entirely contrary to any scriptural conception of "worship" that the Father

seeks those who will crouch, crawl, or fawn to Him like a dog. There is another word,

unused in the Scriptures but used in classical Greek, namely kuneo, "to kiss", and it is

from this root that Cremer, Thayer, H. J. Rose in his footnote in the later edition of

Parkhurst, and other lexicographers derive this word for "worship". Proskuneo means

properly, "to kiss the hand (towards) one, in token of reverence", "to make a salaam"

(Thayer). Liddell and Scott give instances where kuneo, "to kiss", is used in the sense of

proskuneo, "to worship". The root kus has come through into many languages beside the

Greek. The Anglo-Saxon coss, the Danish kys, the German kuss and the English kiss,

being instances that come readily to mind.

The scriptures moreover associate kissing with worship. "And Moses went out to

meet his father-in-law, and did obeisance, and kissed him" (Exod. 18: 7). The word

translated "do obeisance" is translated "worship" ninety-nine times in the O.T.  Again,

there is no doubt about the close association of the kiss with worship in the following