gebeds

Gebeds, in Dutch usage, refers to acts of prayer. The noun gebed denotes a prayer addressed to a divine or sacred reality, and gebeds is the stem used in compound terms such as gebedsdienst (a prayer service) or gebedsavond (an evening of prayer). Prayers commonly involve personal or communal communication, can be spoken or silent, and may be performed as spontaneous utterances or as fixed texts. They generally express praise, gratitude, supplication, confession, or intercession for others.

Across traditions, prayers vary in form and function. In Christianity, prayers may be liturgical, using set phrases in services, or extemporaneous. In Islam, ritual prayers (salah) are performed five times daily with specific movements and recitations; broader supplication (du’a) is voluntary. In Judaism, prayers are often recited from a fixed liturgical corpus in the siddur. In Hinduism and Buddhism, prayers may include mantras, puja, or meditation practices. The languages and contexts of prayer also differ, ranging from ritual recitation to personal contemplation.

In Dutch-speaking regions, gebeds commonly appear in church contexts and private devotion. Prayer meetings, intercession for peace, or remembrance services are part of religious life, and the form of gebeds ranges from formal prayers used in services to informal, personal petitions. The term also appears in ecumenical and interfaith settings, where shared or translated prayers facilitate dialogue.

Etymology: the Dutch word gebed comes from older Germanic roots; related forms appear in several European languages. See also liturgy, prayer, meditation.