Like the Hebrew term ʽa·vadhʹ, the Greek verb la·treuʹo (Luke 1:74; 2:37; 4:8; Acts 7:7) and the noun la·treiʹa (John 16:2; Rom. 9:4) convey the idea of service or rendering service. And the Greek word pro·sky·neʹo corresponds closely with the Hebrew term sha·hhahʹ in expressing the thought of both obeisance and worship.

The term pro·sky·neʹo is used in connection with a slave’s doing obeisance to a king (Matt. 18:26) and the act, on the condition of which, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (Matt. 4:8, 9) Had he done obeisance to the Devil, Jesus would thereby have signified submission to Satan and made himself the Devil’s servant. But Jesus refused, saying: “Go away, Satan! For it is written, ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship [form of Greek pro·sky·neʹo or, in the Deuteronomy account that Jesus was quoting, Hebrew sha·hhahʹ], and it is to him alone you must render sacred service [form of Greek la·treuʹo or Hebrew ʽa·vadhʹ].’” (Matt. 4:10; Deut. 5:9; 6:13) Similarly, worship, obeisance or bowing down to the “wild beast” and its “image” is linked with service, for the worshipers are identified as supporters of the “wild beast” and its “image” by having a mark either on the hand (with which one serves) or on the forehead (for all to see). Since the Devil gives the wild beast its authority, worshiping the wild beast means, in reality, worshiping or serving the Devil.—Rev. 13:4, 15-17; 14:9-11.

Other Greek words associated with worship are drawn from eu·se·beʹo, thre·skeuʹo and seʹbo·mai. The word eu·se·beʹo means ‘to be pious toward,’ ‘to give godly devotion to’ or ‘to venerate, worship or reverence.’ At Acts 17:23 this term is used with reference to the godly devotion or veneration that the men of Athens were giving to an “Unknown God.” (See GODLY DEVOTION.) From thre·skeuʹo comes the noun thre·skeiʹa, understood to designate a “form of worship,” whether true or false. (Acts 26:5; Col. 2:18) The true worship practiced by Christians was marked by genuine concern for the poor and complete separateness from the ungodly world. (Jas. 1:26, 27) The word seʹbo·mai (Matt. 15:9; Mark 7:7; Acts 18:7; 19:27) and the related term se·baʹzo·mai (Rom. 1:25) mean ‘to stand in awe of,’ ‘to reverence, venerate or worship.’ Objects of worship or of devotion are designated by the noun seʹba·sma. (Acts 17:23; 2 Thess. 2:4) Two other terms are from the same verb stem, with The·osʹ, God, prefixed: the·o·se·besʹ, meaning ‘God-revering,’ ‘godly’ (John 9:31), and the·o·seʹbei·a, denoting ‘reverence of God.’ (1 Tim. 2:10) These two terms correspond somewhat to the German word for “public worship,” namely, Gottesdienst (a combination of “God” and “service”).

WORSHIP THAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO GOD

Jehovah God accepts only the worship of those who comport themselves in harmony with his will. (Matt. 15:9; Mark 7:7) To a Samaritan woman Christ Jesus said: “The hour is coming when neither in this mountain [Gerizim] nor in Jerusalem will you people worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know . . . Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.”—John 4:21-24.

The words of Jesus clearly showed that true worship would not depend upon the presence or use of visible things and geographical locations. Rather than relying on sight or touch, the true worshiper exercises faith and, regardless of the place or things about him, maintains a worshipful attitude. Thus he worships, not with the aid of something that he can see or touch, but with spirit. Since he has the truth as revealed by God, his worship is in agreement with the truth. Having become acquainted with God through the Bible and the evidence of the operation of God’s spirit in his life, the one who worships in spirit and truth definitely ‘knows what he is worshiping.’

WRATH

See ANGER.

WRITING

The first man, Adam, was endowed with the ability to speak a language. Initially, however, there would have been little, if any, need for him to write. Adam was then able to handle all communication by word of mouth and, as a perfect man, did not have to depend on a written record to offset an imperfect memory. Of course, Adam would have had no difficulty in devising some means of making a written record. But the Bible provides no direct proof that he wrote either before or after his transgression.

The thought has been advanced that the words, “this is the book of Adam’s history,” may indicate that Adam was the writer of this “book.” (Gen. 5:1) Commenting on the phrase “this is the history” (or, “these are the origins”), occurring frequently throughout Genesis, P. J. Wiseman notes: “It is the concluding sentence of each section, and therefore points backward to a narrative already recorded. . . . It normally refers to the writer of the history, or the owner of the tablet containing it.”—New Discoveries in Babylonia About Genesis, p. 53.

Brief reference to this view was made earlier in