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The marginal reading of Gen. 41: 40, too, is suggestive. The A.V. reads, "Thou shalt
be over my house, and according unto thy word shall my people be ruled". The word
translated "word" here is "mouth", the cause put for the effect, and "be ruled" the verb
nashaq, "kiss", as in Gen. 48: 10.
Omitting therefore the sense of the fawning of a dog, we can adopt the remainder of
the definition given in Dr. Bullinger's Lexicon:
"To prostrate oneself after the eastern custom, to do reverence or homage to any one,
by kneeling or prostrating oneself before him (LXX everywhere for shachah, to bow
down, to prostrate oneself in reverence). Used there ore as the act of worship."
(2) Sebomai, sebazomai, eusebeo.--The word just examined is used of the act of
worship, whereas, these three words are used rather for the feeling associated with it. The
meaning of sebomai is "To stand in awe". It is never used in the epistles. Sebazomai
occurs but once and that in connection with "the worship of the creature" (Rom. 1: 25). In
the Acts sebasma is used once, of the "devotions" of the Athenians, and once in "all that
is called God or worshipped" (II Thess. 2: 4). While eusebeia, `godliness", is used in the
epistles, neither eusebeia is there translated "worship". Their bearing upon the question
of present-day worship must be examined later.
(3) Latreuo, means "to serve for hire", and when related to God means "to worship".
It is used by Paul in Phil. 3: 3.
(4) Therapeuo is generally associated with medical service, and is derived from
therapeuein, "To wait on". It is from an old Sanskrit root meaning "to maintain or
support". It occurs but once, namely, in Acts 17: 25, "neither is worshipped with
men's hands" which the R.V. translates "serve".
(5) Threskeia.--This word refers rather to ceremonial and ritual than the inner
meaning of worship. It occurs in Col. 2: 18, where the word is used of "the worshipping
of angels" and, in combination with thelo, it is found in Col. 2: 23, where it is translated
"will-worship".
The O.T. uses three words, two of which need not detain us long. Segad is Chaldee,
and is used in Dan. 3: where it means "to bow down, do obeisance", and abad, which is
Hebrew, and found translated "worship" only in II Kings 10:, where it speaks of the
worship of Baal. The third word, shachah, is the equivalent of proskuneo.
Just as tubes of oil-paint do not produce on the mind the same effect as a picture, so
these words supply the material, but do not teach the meaning, of worship. It must be our
delight as well as our duty to use these materials, and under the guidance of the Spirit, to
learn something of what is meant by the worship of God.