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Adoration

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Dictionaries
Charles Buck Dictionary
• Adoration
Easton's Bible Dictionary
• Adore
Fausset Bible Dictionary
• Adore
• Adoration
Hastings' BibleDictionary
• Adoration
Morrish Bible Dictionary
• Adoration
1910 New Catholic Dictionary
• Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood
• Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood (Ruma)
• Sisters Adorers of the Most Precious Blood (Gurtwe
•   (only first 3 shown)
Hawker's Poor Man's Dictionary
• Adore
• Adoration
Smith Bible Dictionary
• Adoration
• Ador
Webster Dictionary
• Adoring
• Adorer
• Adorement
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Watson's Theological Dictionary
• Adoration
Encyclopedias
1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
• Adoration
• Gustave Ador
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
• Ador; Adora
• Adoration
Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia
• Adoration
McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia
• Adoration
• Adoration of the Cross
• Adoration of the Host.
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The Nuttall Encyclopedia
• Ador`no
The Catholic Encyclopedia
• Adoration
• Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and of the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar
• Perpetual Adoration
•   (only first 3 shown)
The Jewish Encyclopedia
• Adoration, Forms of

Fig. 7—Adoration by hand upon mouth

This word is compounded of ad 'to,' and os, oris, 'the mouth,' and literally signifies to apply the hand to the mouth, that is, 'to kiss the hand.' The act is described in Scripture as one of worship (Job 31:26-27). And this very clearly intimates that kissing the hand was considered an overt act of worship in the East.

Fig. 8—Adoration

The same act was used as a mark of respect in the presence of kings and persons high in office or station. Or rather, perhaps, the hand was not merely kissed and then withdrawn from the mouth, but held continuously before or upon the mouth, to which allusion is made in such texts as Judges 18:19; Job 21:5; Job 29:9; Job 40:4; Psalms 39:9. In one of the sculptures at Persepolis a king is seated on his throne, and before him a person standing in a bent posture, with his hand laid upon his mouth as he addresses the sovereign (fig. 7). Exactly the same attitude is observed in the sculptures at Thebes, where one person, among several (in various postures of respect) who appear before the scribes to be registered, has his hand placed thus submissively upon his mouth (fig. 8).