📖 Biblical Definition
The Hebrew word usually translated worship is shachah (שָׁחָה) — literally to bow down, to prostrate oneself, to sink down. Biblical worship is bodily before it is musical or verbal: knees bent, face to the ground, body lower than head. Abraham bowed to the LORD at Mamre (Genesis 18:2); the Magi "fell down, and worshipped him" (Matthew 2:11); the disciples "came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him" (Matthew 28:9); the elders "fall down before the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever" (Revelation 4:10). The first commandment forbids bowing to other gods (Exodus 20:5) precisely because bowing is what worship physically is. Recover the body in worship. Kneel.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
The bodily prostration that biblically constitutes worship.
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Hebrew shachah, the most-frequent OT verb translated "worship," literally means to bow down, prostrate oneself. Biblical worship is bodily before it is musical or verbal: knees bent, face to ground, body lower than mind. The first commandment forbids bowing to other gods (Exod 20:5) because bowing IS worship. The Magi fell down and worshipped (Matt 2:11).
📖 Key Scripture
Psalm 95:6 — "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker."
Matthew 2:11 — "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him."
Revelation 4:10 — "The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern "worship" is often almost entirely musical; the bodily prostration that the Hebrew verb names is largely lost.
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Modern worship-services rarely involve actual bowing. Hebrew shachah is bowing; Greek proskuneō (the NT equivalent) means to fall toward and kiss the ground. The body is part of worship in Scripture — not optional.
Recover the body: kneel, prostrate, bow. The body teaches the soul. The Magi fell down; the elders fall down; the saint should fall down too.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew shachah; Greek proskuneō.
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['Hebrew', 'H7812', 'shachah', 'to bow down, worship']
['Greek', 'G4352', 'proskuneō', 'to bow toward, worship']
Usage
"Worship is bodily — bowing is the verb."
"Kneel before the LORD our maker."
"The Magi fell down; the elders fall down."