σέβομαι

G4576, sébomai, is a Greek verb for worshiping or revering, and its participles can describe people regarded as devout or as worshipers of God. In Acts, the term often identifies Gentiles connected with synagogue life who revere Israel's God. Elsewhere it describes worship offered in vain or worship directed to Artemis. The word therefore identifies an act or posture of devotion but does not certify its object, truth, saving sufficiency, or moral fruit.

Jesus quotes Isaiah in Matthew 15 to say that people worship God in vain while their hearts remain far away and human precepts are taught as doctrine. The rebuke concerns worship contradicted by heart and teaching. It must not become a blanket rejection of every tradition, every Jewish practice, or careful instruction handed down in community. Jesus names a conflict in which a tradition is used to nullify God's command and evade responsibility toward parents.

Acts uses the participial language with important variety. Devout converts follow Paul and Barnabas and are urged to continue in God's grace. Lydia is already a worshiper of God, yet the Lord opens her heart to respond to Paul's message. God-fearing Gentiles hear apostolic reasoning in synagogue settings. These people should not be reduced to a stereotype or treated merely as transitional props.

Their seeking, hearing, persuasion, baptism, hospitality, and incorporation into the community unfold under God's initiative. The same vocabulary does not make every religious person receptive. In Acts 13, religious women of prominence and city leaders are incited to drive Paul and Barnabas away. The narrative does not blame women, all prominent people, or Jewish ethnicity for opposition.

It names particular actors and a concrete campaign. In Acts 18, opponents accuse Paul of persuading people to worship contrary to law, so the presence of worship language reports the charge rather than proving it. Acts 19 makes the object and economic setting explicit. Artemis is worshiped across the province, and craftsmen fear that Paul's message will damage both business and the goddess's prestige.

Popularity, regional reach, cultural heritage, and financial interest do not establish that worship is true. At the same time, the passage does not authorize contempt, harassment, or violence toward people of another religion. G4576 therefore calls for tested devotion. Faithful worship must be directed to the true God, receive His word, remain open to grace, and bear fruit in truth and neighbor love.

A devout reputation can be meaningful, but it never replaces the Lord's work, the gospel's claim, or accountable examination of what worship teaches and produces.

G4576 describes worship, reverence, and people recognized as devout or God-fearing. Its witnesses range from vain worship and Artemis devotion to synagogue-connected hearers who respond to the gospel, showing that object, teaching, and fruit govern the word's evaluation.