Are ‘praise’, ‘bless’, ‘adore’, ‘glorify’ and ‘thank’ different?

[NoelFitz]

In the Gloria one sees “we praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glory”. What is the precise meaning of these five words ‘praise’, ‘bless’, ‘adore’, ‘glorify’ and ‘thank’ in this context and are the meanings clearly all different?

I read that St Augustine wrote that God blesses us as well as we blessing him, is this the only case of a reciprocal meaning?

Also in the beatitudes is ‘blessed’ or ‘happy’ preferable?

In Sep 2011 there was a thread very similar to this one , but none of the replies ansrered the specific query I have.

 

[Bithynian]

From the Greek text:

Praise ὑμνεῖν hymnein generally refers to acts of praise that are specifically sung (the noun ὓμνος hymnos being the root of our word ‘hymn’).

Bless εὐλογεῖν eulogein. In some respects, this word is a synonym for hymnein as it generally refers to ‘speaking well of’ (hence ‘eulogy’) either in an ordinary sense or with more gravitas, such as ‘giving honour’. In the NT, one can still see eulogein used in this sense in James 3:9.

Adore προσκυνεῖν proskunein. This is the Greek verb that is generally used to identify the special manner of worship that is due to God alone (it is the verb used in the Nicene Creed). Sometimes (on account of changes in language and theology) it was applied to the veneration of Mary, saints and angels. The Latin translation, adorare, specifically identities it as the worship of God alone.

Glorify δοξολογεῖν doxologein. Again, like hymnein and eulogein, it has a rather synonymous meaning of ‘speak well of’. Its components include δόξα doxa, which generally meant ‘reputation’ or ‘fame’ in pre-Christian Greek but also came to mean ‘glory’, as well as λόγος which refers to the general act of speaking. The Latin translation, glorificare, uses gloria and facio, that is, ‘to make glorious’.

Thank εὐχαριστεῖν eucharistein. Needless to say, this verb should have notable overtones of the Eucharist immediately. It is the communal act of thanksgiving, either very generally or specifically referring to the sacrifice of the Mass.

 

[NoelFitz]

Bithynia,
thanks for a brilliant and concise reply.
This could serve as a template for replies. The question I asked is answered clearly and comprehensively
Very often replies are given to queries not asked.
You note that some of the words are synonyms. Your answer shows that often there is not a one to one correspondence between Greek and English and words in both languages have a range of meanings.
Congratulations on all the badges you have.

 

[Maximian]

Yes I second that. A model answer!

And by the way, a good question.