Bible glossary

What Does ‘Worship’ Mean in the Bible?

Worship is honoring God for who He is: giving Him love, reverence, and adoration, not only with words but with the whole of life.

Worship in the Bible is far bigger than singing. The word points to bowing low, ascribing worth, giving God the honor due His name. It is the response of a heart that has seen how great and good God is, and cannot help but love and revere Him.

Jesus taught that true worship is a matter of spirit and truth, not merely the right place or ritual. It happens in gathered praise, yes, but also in a life laid down before God, offered as an act of loving devotion.

Key verses

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
John 4:23

“O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”
Psalm 95:6

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
Romans 12:1