Adore

Adoration in Scripture denotes the act of worship and the expression of reverence toward God through prostration, gesture, and address. The forms of adoration in the ancient world included falling upon the face (Genesis 17:3), kneeling (Psalms 95:6), and the kissing of the hand extended toward the object of veneration — a practice the Job passage (31:27) condemns when directed toward celestial bodies. In the worship of Israel, adoration was directed exclusively toward God, and the prohibition of bowing before idols forms a central element of the Decalogue.

The removal of sandals as an act of reverence before sacred ground — commanded to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:5) and to Joshua before the commander of the Lord's army (Joshua 5:15) — reflects the posture of adoration before divine presence. Isaiah 44:15–17 satirizes the adoration of idols fashioned from wood, contrasting the absurdity of worshipping one's own handicraft with the worship due to the living God. The New Testament's worship language draws on the same range of posture and address, converging on the person of Christ as the object of adoration.