WG: Worship / Prostration¶
Overview¶
The worship concept in Scripture centers on physical prostration as the external sign of inner allegiance. This group maps the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek vocabulary of bowing-down, serving, and revering — tracing how the words overlap, diverge, and define each other.
Word Group Members¶
| Strong's | Word | Transliteration | POS | Occurrences | Role in Concept | Library Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H7812 | שָׁחָה | shachah | verb | 166 | Primary OT word: prostrate in homage (before men or God) | H7812 |
| G4352 | προσκυνέω | proskynéō | verb | 54 | Primary NT word: fall down and worship | G4352 |
| G4353 | προσκυνητής | proskynētēs | noun | 1 | Worshipper (cognate noun, John 4:23) | — |
| G3000 | λατρεύω | latreúō | verb | 21 | Devoted priestly service — worship as ongoing ministry | TODO(need G3000 study) |
| G4576 | σέβομαι | sébomai | verb | 10 | Reverence/fear-piety — worship as inner stance (esp. God-fearers) | TODO(need G4576 study) |
| H5457 | סְגִד | segid | verb | 12 | Aramaic: worship (Dan 3 — commanded image-worship) | A5457 |
Relationships¶
Shared Root¶
- G4352 proskynéō + G4353 proskynētēs — same root (προσκυν-); verb + agent noun
- H7812 shachah + H5457 segid — functionally equivalent across Hebrew and Aramaic
Cross-Testament Bridge¶
- H7812 shachah → G4352 proskynéō: 155 LXX alignments (PMI 6.94, score 35.07) — the dominant mapping
- H7812 shachah → G3000 latreúō: 16 LXX alignments — secondary overlap in "worship and serve" contexts
- See TR-shachah-proskyneo.md
Co-occurrence (NT, proskyneo + related words)¶
| Word A | Word B | Shared Verses | Typical Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| G4352 proskyneo | G3000 latreuo | 2x | Mat 4:10 / Luk 4:8 — "worship... serve" — deliberately distinguished in same clause |
| G4352 proskyneo | G4576 sebomai | 0x | No direct co-occurrence — different registers |
Roles in the Concept¶
- Act: proskynéō (G4352) / shachah (H7812) — the physical act of prostrating or bowing
- Service: latreúō (G3000) — the ongoing devoted work of worship (priestly service, cultic ministry)
- Stance: sébomai (G4576) — inner reverence/piety; fear-worship; the posture of a devout person
- Agent: proskynētēs (G4353) — the worshipper (who performs proskyneo)
- Aramaic cognate: segid (H5457) — the same prostration act in Aramaic (Daniel's golden image scene)
Key Distinction: proskynéō vs. latreúō¶
Mat 4:10 deliberately uses both in the same breath: "Thou shalt worship (proskynéō) the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve (latreúō)." This is the LXX rendering of Deut 6:13. The two words are not synonyms: - proskynéō = the outward act of bowing/falling before; the gesture of submission - latreúō = the sustained commitment of service; the work of devotion over time
Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear¶
- Mat 4:9–10 — proskyneo + latreuo together: Satan's temptation vs. Deut 6:13
- Rev 13:4 — proskyneo the dragon AND proskyneo the beast: double false-worship indictment
- Rev 19:10 / 22:9 — angel refuses proskyneo; redirects to God: "worship God"
- John 4:20–24 — proskyneo ×5 in a single discourse: the word's fullest NT theological statement
Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, gather_word_data.py, search_strongs.py Last updated: 2026-04-01