Sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to Yahweh, praise His name; proclaim His salvation from day to day.
Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples.
For the Lord is great and is highly praised; He is feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name;
bring an offering and enter His courts.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness;
tremble before Him, all the earth.
Psalm 96:1-9
Praise vs. Worship
Wait, aren’t they the same thing?? There is a distinction. Simply, praise is about God, exalting Him for others to hear. We read in Psalm 66:8, “Let the sound of His praise be heard.” Praise is not a difficult concept to understand, for we praise our children when they do something well. We praise each other for accomplishments or good deeds. So we, too, praise God for all that He is and has done, either to Him or to others. This comes easily, the more we grow to recognize His absolute greatness and to see its impact in and around our lives.
It is harder to define worship, for there are few human words to adequately capture the experience. But unlike praise, worship is always a vertical, intimate communion with the heart of God, setting our spirit free to intimately and humbly respond to His Spirit. It is to God and for His ears only. Praise and worship often go hand in hand, for when we find ourselves praising the glories of our matchless God, it often prepares and compels us to bow our hearts in worship.
Original Biblical Texts
In the Old Testament we see several Hebrew words used for worship, and most of them have far more original meaning than how they are generally translated in English, so much more depth than I could convey here. Some of these are:
HALAL – the most commonly used, expresses an unbridled, exuberant worship: “My soul will make its boast in the LORD” (Psalm 34:2). Our English word “hallelujah” comes from a combination of this word and Yahweh/God.
BARAK – to kneel or bow and bless God: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, And all that is within me, bless His holy name” (Psalm 103:1).
SHACHAH – bowing down before: the Israelites “bowed low and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground” (Nehemiah 8:6) and “Come, let us worship and bow down” (Psalm 95:6).
YADAH – taken from two words that mean “to extend the hand” and “to God,” either in adoration or surrender: “My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him” (Psalm 28:7b).
ABAD – to do service or work for God: “You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him” (Deuteronomy 6:13) and “Worship the LORD with reverence” (Psalm 2:11).
SHABACH – declare the glory of God to God: “Because your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You” (Psalm 63:3).
The New Testament also uses several Greek words for worship. Two of the most commonly used are:
LATREUO – suggests rendering honor, or paying homage. “I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1).
PROSKUNEO – literally means “to bow and kiss” in humble adoration: “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).
These Hebrew and Greek definitions show us that worship truly melds outward expressions with our most intimate attitudes toward God. We see expressions of exuberance, adoration, and surrender, as well as blessing, bowing, and serving.
Warren Wiersbe said, “True worship is balanced and involves the mind, the emotions, and the will. Worship is personal and passionate, not formal and unfeeling, and it is our response to the living God, voluntarily offered to Him as He has offered Himself to us… Worship is the response of all that we are to all that God is and does” (emphasis mine).
I love that definition: “…ALL that we are to ALL that God is …” That consuming, selfless desire to give to God is the essence and the heart of worship. In the process, we are exposed to His holiness, His truth, His beauty, His love, and His purpose. We are exposed to His glory!
Worship is the response of all that we are to all that God is and does.
Ready to dig deeper? The above text is adapted from Pamela Haddix’s book Worship and the Word.
Click the image at right to earn more about Worship and the Word and how you can buy it to further study life-changing, biblical worship for yourself!
All content used with permission.
