Stand and Worship - an Oxymoron

This is a much expanded version of an earlier blog, What is Worship, (https://mekong-sunrise.blogspot.com/2020/04/what-is-worship.html)

The musical, The King and I, is based loosely on a real historical event. Back in the 1800’s, King Mongkut of Siam, aka Rama IV (the fourth king of the dynasty) saw foreign nations colonizing the neighboring countries. One of the reasons those countries were colonized, he figured, was that the colonizing countries considered them uncivilized. So, in an effort to keep it from being colonized, King Mongkut brought in foreign advisors and others to help “civilize” Siam.

One of those who came was a widow named Anna Leonowens, who came with her two young children. Her role was to teach the King’s children and wives the English language and introduce them to British customs. Based on these five years that Anna spent in Siam, she wrote two memoirs, The English Governess at the Siamese Court (1870) and Romance of the Harem (1872). These books then became the basis for an historical fiction work, Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon (1944) which then provided the inspiration for The King and I, which began as a Broadway musical and later was made into a movie with Yul Brynner playing King Mongkut and Deborah Kerr playing Anna.

The movie is banned in Thailand because they believe it reflects poorly on the monarchy.

One scene in the movie highlights the importance of status in the culture. Anna is made aware of the importance of keeping her head lower than the head of the king. So, in the scene, the King keeps lowering his head, so Anna has to keep lowering hers until it is close to the floor.

While something like that humorous scene likely did not happen, the culture behind it is true.

In Thai culture, the higher up on the body something is, the higher esteem it has. The head, then, is considered very high in esteem. Therefore, one does not touch another person's head because it would mean touching it with something of lower esteem (since the hand is lower than the head). The feet, then, are the lowest in esteem—and it is considered quite rude to even point the bottom of one's feet toward someone.

We even see this reflected in one of the titles of the late king of Thailand (who died in 2016)—his short title was Phrabat Somdet Phrajao You Hua (พระบาทสมเด็จพระเจ้าอยู่หัว), which translates: "the feet of my lord, the king, are on my head." In other words, the King is in such high esteem that his feet are higher than our heads.

So when entering the King’s presence, one does bow low to the ground.

We also see this in royal court talk in the Thai Bible. When a common person talks to the king, he refers to himself as Kha Phrabat (ข้าพระบาท) which means, "the servant of your feet", and he refers to the king as Fa Phrabat (ฝ่าพระบาท) which literally means, "the soles of your feet". This isn't to insult the king, but rather to imply that the king is in such high esteem that a common person cannot address his head, but only the soles of his feet.

The idea of prostrating oneself also holds in Thai religious culture. It is a common sight to see Buddhist worshipers bowing as they offer incense or prayers to Buddha, or as the give alms to monks. Even the term that Christians usually use to translate worship in Thai, namatsakan (นมัสการ) means to prostrate oneself as a way of showing humility and respect. Yet even in Thai Christian circles, the concept of namatsakan or worship has become confused with singing.

Worshippers on their Knees Before Buddha

If the King or a monk has such high esteem, how much higher is the esteem of the King of Kings? In our egalitarian culture, we are not used to bowing before others, so it is harder for us to grasp the idea of prostrating ourselves before God.

And this brings us to the subject of worship.

Sometimes I will hear music leaders in church use the phrase “stand and worship.” But to me that is an oxymoron. (Oxymoron looks to me like it should refer to someone moronic 8 times over, but that is not the case.) I researched the term worship in the English Standard Version (ESV) translation of the bible. I chose this translation because it is a fairly literal translation, but it is a little more readable than the NASB or LSB.

In the following analysis, I use {} brackets for Strong’s numbers, with H for Hebrew and G for Greek.

The word worship or its variants are used 192 times in the ESV. Most of those occurrences are from terms that refer to bowing or prostrating oneself.

שָׁחָה (shāchāh) {H7812} is the most common Hebrew term used and it occurs 82 times. It is a verb meaning to bow down, to prostrate oneself, to crouch, to fall down, to humbly beseech, to do reverence, to worship. An Aramaic term with the same meaning, סְגִד (s̱eghiḏ) {H5457} is used 11 times in the book of Daniel. In the New Testament, the most common term used is προσκυνέω (proskunéō) {G4352}, which occurs 52 times. Technically, this term means kiss towards. It comes from the Roman customary greeting of kissing people of the same or similar status. However, if the two people were of varied status (as with us and God), the person of lower status would bow. A similar term, προσκυνητής (proskunētḗs) {G4353} is used once to refer to worshippers. Altogether, these terms for prostrating oneself account for 146 out of 192 occurrences of the term worship, or 76 percent.

So why should be bow before God? Prostrating is a way of showing humility before a superior. God is King and we are His subjects. He is Lord, and we are His servants. We shouldn’t come into His presence with the attitude that He owes us something and needs to deliver. We come grateful that He loves us and is willing to receive us as undeserving as we are. Like Esther, we come into the King’s presence knowing He is not obligated to receive us and has the power to destroy us. But unlike Esther, we know that God loves us and wants us to come.

What about the other terms translated worship in the ESV?

The second most common concept of worship in the Bible is that of serving. This is an appropriate response if Jesus is our Lord and we are His servants. We find the words עָבַד (ʿāḇaḏ) {H5647} used 11 times. It means to work or serve. עָשָׂה (ʿāśāh) {H6213} is used twice. It is a commonly occurring Hebrew term in the Bible meaning do, make or accomplish. שָׁרַת (šāraṯ) {H8334} is used once in the Old Testament and it means to minister or serve. In the New Testament we find words like λατρεύω (latreúō) {G3000} which means to serve in a religious sense. It is translated as worship 11 times in the ESV. Related terms include λατρεία (latreía) {G2999} used 3 times; and λειτουργέω (leitourgéō) {G3008} and λειτουργία (leitourgía) {G3009}, each used once. The latter two are related to the English word liturgy. All told, there are 30 instances of worship in the sense of service in the ESV, about 16 percent.

The third category of words translated as worship in the ESV are those related to a sense of awe, reverence or fear. If God is awe-inspiring or fear-invoking, then bowing before Him seems like an appropriate response.

In this category we have the Hebrew יָרֵא (yārēʾ) {H3372} in the Old Testament, where it occurs once. In the New Testament there is θεοσεβής (theosebḗs) {G2318} meaning to reverence God. It occurs once. This is related to three other terms having to do with reverence or being in awe: σεβάζομαι (sebázomai) {G4573} used once, σέβασμα (sébasma) {G4574} used twice and σέβομαι (sébomai) {G4576} used 6 times. This makes for 11 instances of words pertaining to awe/reverence/fear translated as worship in the ESV. That’s about 6 percent of the total.

There are a handful of other miscellaneous words translated as worship in the ESV. There are 4 instances of these (about 2%):

 דָּרַשׁ  (dāraš) {H1875} (2x)=to seek, inquire of

 עָתָר  (ʿāṯār) {H6282} (1x)=to seek, entreat, worship

εὐσεβέω  (eusebéō) {G2151} (1x)=to be reverent or pious
θρησκεία  (thrēskeía) {G2356} (1x)=religion, pious activities

Not one of these terms is specifically related to music, though terms related to religious service could include such activities.

So if someone makes you feel like you need to stand to worship, feel free to get on your knees in reverence to the King of kings and Lord of lords.


Here is a complete list of verses with the term worship in the ESV, sorted by Strong’s number. The word referenced will be in blue, and that will correspond to the Strong’s number on the left. If worship occurs more than once in a verse, the other instances will be in red and these will be treated in a separate row.

For a pdf containing a summary of the Hebrew and Greek terms and their meanings, click here.

Strongs	Reference	Verse
H1875	Ezra 4:2	they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers’ houses and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria who brought us here.”
H1875	Ezra 6:21	It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by every one who had joined them and separated himself from the uncleanness of the peoples of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.
H3372	Josh 22:25	For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad. You have no portion in the Lord.’ So your children might make our children cease to worship the Lord.
H5457	Dan 3:5	that when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
H5457	Dan 3:6	And whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace.”
H5457	Dan 3:7	Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
H5457	Dan 3:10	You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.
H5457	Dan 3:11	And whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into a burning fiery furnace.
H5457	Dan 3:12	There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men, O king, pay no attention to you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
H5457	Dan 3:14	Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?
H5457	Dan 3:15	Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
H5457	Dan 3:15	Now if you are ready when you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, well and good. But if you do not worship, you shall immediately be cast into a burning fiery furnace. And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?”
H5457	Dan 3:18	But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.”
H5457	Dan 3:28	Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.
H5647	2 Sam 15:8	For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the Lord.’ ”
H5647	2 Kings 10:19	Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests. Let none be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it with cunning in order to destroy the worshipers of Baal.
H5647	2 Kings 10:19	Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers and all his priests. Let none be missing, for I have a great sacrifice to offer to Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu did it with cunning in order to destroy the worshipers of Baal.
H5647	2 Kings 10:21	And Jehu sent throughout all Israel, and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. And they entered the house of Baal, and the house of Baal was filled from one end to the other.
H5647	2 Kings 10:22	He said to him who was in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out the vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So he brought out the vestments for them.
H5647	2 Kings 10:23	Then Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab, and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search, and see that there is no servant of the Lord here among you, but only the worshipers of Baal.”
H5647	2 Kings 10:23	Then Jehu went into the house of Baal with Jehonadab the son of Rechab, and he said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search, and see that there is no servant of the Lord here among you, but only the worshipers of Baal.”
H5647	Ps 97:7	All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!
H5647	Ps 102:22	when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the Lord.
H5647	Isa 19:21	And the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the Lord and perform them.
H5647	Isa 19:23	In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians.
H6213	Deut 12:4	You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way.
H6213	Deut 12:31	You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.
H6282	Zeph 3:10	From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, the daughter of my dispersed ones, shall bring my offering.
H7812	Gen 22:5	Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”
H7812	Gen 24:26	The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord
H7812	Gen 24:48	Then I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me by the right way to take the daughter of my master’s kinsman for his son.
H7812	Exod 4:31	And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
H7812	Exod 12:27	you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ ” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
H7812	Exod 24:1	Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar.
H7812	Exod 32:8	They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ”
H7812	Exod 33:10	And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent door.
H7812	Exod 34:8	And Moses quickly bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped.
H7812	Exod 34:14	(for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God),
H7812	Deut 8:19	And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.
H7812	Deut 11:16	Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;
H7812	Deut 17:3	and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden,
H7812	Deut 26:10	And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord your God and worship before the Lord your God.
H7812	Deut 29:26	and went and served other gods and worshiped them, gods whom they had not known and whom he had not allotted to them.
H7812	Deut 30:17	But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them,
H7812	Josh 5:14	And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”
H7812	Judg 7:15	As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”
H7812	1 Sam 1:3	Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord.
H7812	1 Sam 1:19	They rose early in the morning and worshiped before the Lord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her.
H7812	1 Sam 1:28	Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.
H7812	2 Sam 12:20	Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate.
H7812	2 Sam 15:32	While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head.
H7812	1 Kings 9:6	But if you turn aside from following me, you or your children, and do not keep my commandments and my statutes that I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them,
H7812	1 Kings 9:9	Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord their God who brought their fathers out of the land of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore the Lord has brought all this disaster on them.’ ”
H7812	1 Kings 11:33	because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did.
H7812	1 Kings 16:31	And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.
H7812	1 Kings 22:53	He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done.
H7812	2 Kings 5:18	In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.”
H7812	2 Kings 17:16	And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.
H7812	2 Kings 18:22	But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem”?
H7812	2 Kings 19:37	And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
H7812	2 Kings 21:3	For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
H7812	2 Kings 21:21	He walked in all the way in which his father walked and served the idols that his father served and worshiped them.
H7812	1 Chron 16:29	Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
H7812	2 Chron 7:3	When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the Lord on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”
H7812	2 Chron 7:19	“But if you turn aside and forsake my statutes and my commandments that I have set before you, and go and serve other gods and worship them,
H7812	2 Chron 7:22	Then they will say, ‘Because they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore he has brought all this disaster on them.’ ”
H7812	2 Chron 20:18	Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord.
H7812	2 Chron 25:14	After Amaziah came from striking down the Edomites, he brought the gods of the men of Seir and set them up as his gods and worshiped them, making offerings to them.
H7812	2 Chron 29:28	The whole assembly worshiped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded. All this continued until the burnt offering was finished.
H7812	2 Chron 29:29	When the offering was finished, the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped.
H7812	2 Chron 29:30	And Hezekiah the king and the officials commanded the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped.
H7812	2 Chron 32:12	Has not this same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, “Before one altar you shall worship, and on it you shall burn your sacrifices”?
H7812	2 Chron 33:3	For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had broken down, and he erected altars to the Baals, and made Asheroth, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them.
H7812	Neh 8:6	And Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. And they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
H7812	Neh 9:3	And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the Lord their God.
H7812	Neh 9:6	“You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
H7812	Job 1:20	Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.
H7812	Ps 22:27	All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.
H7812	Ps 22:29	All the prosperous of the earth eat and worship; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, even the one who could not keep himself alive.
H7812	Ps 29:2	Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
H7812	Ps 66:4	All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah
H7812	Ps 86:9	All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
H7812	Ps 95:6	Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
H7812	Ps 96:9	Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
H7812	Ps 97:7	All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!
H7812	Ps 99:5	Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!
H7812	Ps 99:9	Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!
H7812	Ps 106:19	They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image.
H7812	Ps 132:7	“Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!”
H7812	Isa 2:20	In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats,
H7812	Isa 27:13	And in that day a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were lost in the land of Assyria and those who were driven out to the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
H7812	Isa 36:7	But if you say to me, “We trust in the Lord our God,” is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, “You shall worship before this altar”?
H7812	Isa 37:38	And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword. And after they escaped into the land of Ararat, Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
H7812	Isa 44:15	Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it.
H7812	Isa 44:17	And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”
H7812	Isa 46:6	Those who lavish gold from the purse, and weigh out silver in the scales, hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; then they fall down and worship!
H7812	Isa 66:23	From new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to Sabbath, all flesh shall come to worship before me, declares the Lord.
H7812	Jer 1:16	And I will declare my judgments against them, for all their evil in forsaking me. They have made offerings to other gods and worshiped the works of their own hands.
H7812	Jer 7:2	“Stand in the gate of the Lord’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all you men of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord.
H7812	Jer 8:2	And they shall be spread before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and served, which they have gone after, and which they have sought and worshiped. And they shall not be gathered or buried. They shall be as dung on the surface of the ground.
H7812	Jer 13:10	This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart and have gone after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be like this loincloth, which is good for nothing.
H7812	Jer 16:11	then you shall say to them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares the Lord, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law,
H7812	Jer 22:9	And they will answer, “Because they have forsaken the covenant of the Lord their God and worshiped other gods and served them.” ’ ”
H7812	Jer 25:6	Do not go after other gods to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands. Then I will do you no harm.’
H7812	Jer 26:2	“Thus says the Lord: Stand in the court of the Lord’s house, and speak to all the cities of Judah that come to worship in the house of the Lord all the words that I command you to speak to them; do not hold back a word.
H7812	Ezek 8:16	And he brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord. And behold, at the entrance of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men, with their backs to the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the east, worshiping the sun toward the east.
H7812	Ezek 46:2	The prince shall enter by the vestibule of the gate from outside, and shall take his stand by the post of the gate. The priests shall offer his burnt offering and his peace offerings, and he shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening.
H7812	Ezek 46:9	“When the people of the land come before the Lord at the appointed feasts, he who enters by the north gate to worshipshall go out by the south gate, and he who enters by the south gate shall go out by the north gate: no one shall return by way of the gate by which he entered, but each shall go out straight ahead.
H7812	Zech 14:16	Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Booths.
H7812	Zech 14:17	And if any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.
H8334	Ezek 20:32	“What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worshipwood and stone.’
G2151	Acts 17:23	For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
G2318	John 9:31	We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him.
G2356	Col 2:18	Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worshipof angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
G2999	Rom 9:4	They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.
G2999	Rom 12:1	I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
G2999	Heb 9:1	Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.
G3000	Luke 2:37	and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.
G3000	Acts 7:7	‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’
G3000	Acts 7:42	But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: “ ‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
G3000	Acts 24:14	But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets,
G3000	Acts 26:7	to which our twelve tribes hope to attain, as they earnestly worship night and day. And for this hope I am accused by Jews, O king!
G3000	Acts 27:23	For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship,
G3000	Phil 3:3	For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh—
G3000	Heb 9:9	(which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper,
G3000	Heb 10:2	Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins?
G3000	Heb 12:28	Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,
G3000	Rev 22:3	No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.
G3008	Acts 13:2	While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
G3009	Heb 9:21	And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship.
G4352	Matt 2:2	saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
G4352	Matt 2:8	And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”
G4352	Matt 2:11	And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
G4352	Matt 4:9	And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.”
G4352	Matt 4:10	Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”
G4352	Matt 14:33	And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
G4352	Matt 28:9	And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.
G4352	Matt 28:17	And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
G4352	Luke 4:7	If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
G4352	Luke 4:8	And Jesus answered him, “It is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ”
G4352	Luke 24:52	And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
G4352	John 4:20	Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
G4352	John 4:20	Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”
G4352	John 4:21	Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
G4352	John 4:22	You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
G4352	John 4:22	You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
G4352	John 4:23	But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
G4352	John 4:23	But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
G4352	John 4:24	God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
G4352	John 4:24	God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
G4352	John 9:38	He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
G4352	John 12:20	Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.
G4352	Acts 7:43	You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’
G4352	Acts 8:27	And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship
G4352	Acts 10:25	When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him.
G4352	Acts 24:11	You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem,
G4352	1 Cor 14:25	the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, falling on his face, he will worship God and declare that God is really among you.
G4352	Heb 1:6	And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”
G4352	Heb 11:21	By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.
G4352	Rev 4:10	the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
G4352	Rev 5:14	And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.
G4352	Rev 7:11	And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
G4352	Rev 9:20	The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshipingdemons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,
G4352	Rev 11:1	Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there,
G4352	Rev 11:16	And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
G4352	Rev 13:4	And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
G4352	Rev 13:4	And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
G4352	Rev 13:8	and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.
G4352	Rev 13:12	It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.
G4352	Rev 13:15	And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain.
G4352	Rev 14:7	And he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”
G4352	Rev 14:9	And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand,
G4352	Rev 14:11	And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.”
G4352	Rev 15:4	Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
G4352	Rev 16:2	So the first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth, and harmful and painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
G4352	Rev 19:4	And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
G4352	Rev 19:10	Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
G4352	Rev 19:10	Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
G4352	Rev 19:20	And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.
G4352	Rev 20:4	Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
G4352	Rev 22:8	I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me,
G4352	Rev 22:9	but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
G4353	John 4:23	But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
G4573	Rom 1:25	because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
G4574	Acts 17:23	For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
G4574	2 Thess 2:4	who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
G4576	Matt 15:9	in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”
G4576	Mark 7:7	in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
G4576	Acts 16:14	One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul.
G4576	Acts 18:7	And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue.
G4576	Acts 18:13	saying, “This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law.”
G4576	Acts 19:27	And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”