priorities. Praise, meaning “value” or “price,” is the proclamation of
God’s importance or worth.
Many of the praise and worship expressions in the
Scriptures were exhibited around David’s tabernacle and are still
culturally functional for today. As defined in Strong’s Exhaustive
Concordance, some of these Hebrew and Greek words are “ingredients” for
the posture of worship and service to God.
Towdah is an extension of the hand. It implies a choir of worshipers lifting their hands (see Ps. 100:4).
Shabach is to lift the voice in a way that addresses someone of importance (see Ps. 63:3).
Yadah implies holding out one’s hands toward an
intimate embrace. In this sense it is not an admission of surrender but
of deliberate desire for closeness with God in worship (see Ps. 142:7).
Zamar, means “to pluck the strings of an instrument to accompany singing” (see Ps. 57:7).
Halal is used to mean radical enjoyment,
encompassing all the visual demonstrations of worship to God in the
regalia of pageantry (see Ps. 150:1).
Barak connotes humility, bowing or kneeling before God in heartfelt thanks (see Ps. 34:1).
Shachah is the act of lying prostrate before the Lord in deep worship (see Ps. 96:9).
Proskuneo is the most common word for intimate
worship in the New Testament. Jesus used this word when speaking about
worshiping the Father (see John 4:23).
Tehillah implies the idea of corporate hymn singing (see Ps. 22:3).
Shiyr communicates movement combined with song (see Ps. 98:1).
Raqad, meaning to spin and whirl about in dance,
describes King David’s display of emotion before the presence of the
Lord. This seems to be an individual expression of dance where other
words are used to communicate a choreographed team of dancers (see 1
Chr. 15:29).
Ranan is to shout or shriek for joy, or to sing out aggressively (see Ps. 5:11).
In all these physical expressions, acts of praise and
worship are demonstrations of giving something to God! What we have and
what we are belong to Jesus, because He purchased us for God.
In Romans 12:1, Paul makes it clear that not only is
thanksgiving to be expressed as worship to God, but our bodies are also
to be presented as living sacrifices.
It’s not just words that God wants. He wants praising Him to be a lifestyle. God wants it all!
Bill Wiese 
Paul McGuire 
