JW's : Can you help me understand the meaning of obeisance ??

Question

NWT says to pay obeisance to Jesus, not worship

Can you expound on the difference between worship and obeisance, and why did the official teaching change in the 50's or 60's to where it was o.k. to "Worship" Jesus, and then it wasn't - or now it isn't acceptable by the teachings of WTBTS to "Worship" Jesus now, since only Jehovah deserves true worship - what changed ?

Answer 1

proskyneō (Strong's G4352)

1) to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence

2) among the Orientals, esp. the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence

3) in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication

a) used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank

1) to the Jewish high priests

2) to God

3) to Christ

4) to heavenly beings

5) to demons

(Please notice definition #3 & 3a & 3a1&3)

In the NT the word basically means "obeisance"

What has 'changed' from the 50's or 60's?

1)

a better understanding of the Greek,

2)

revised understanding of the general public as to what the word "worship" means today, and what it meant in times past.

2a)

In the 1600 when the KJV was written, the word 'worship' only meant "bow down" and was in harmony with the Greek word.

Examples of this is:

calling Kings and other high officials of England "Your Worship"

People in England 'bowing" to people of higher rank.

See Rev 3:9 in the KJV; unfaithful Jews 'bowing down' or 'worshipping' Christians)

Thus over time the word "worship" went from the base meaning of "bow down" to today where it only means "the act of divine reverence and formal homage given only to God".

As the definition of the word change, so did the understanding of who can recieve worship.

Should a Christian "bow down" to Jesus?  Yes Jesus is our Lord.

Jesus is our High Priest (Heb 3:1)

Yet, 1 Cor 8:6 tells us there is only one God, the Father.

Jesus tells us that there is only one true God, the Father.

Jesus tells us that "Jehovah our God is one Jehovah".

Thus worship as it is understood to mean today, can only go to Jehovah, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 1:3; Eph 1:3, 17; Rom 15:5,6; 1 Pet 1:3; and Rev 1:6)

The WT hasn't changed, the meaning of the word changed.

Read "Truth in Translation" by Jason BeDuhn.

Other examples of 1611 english are words like

"suffer" "let" "shambles" "h**l"

.