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Bow Down, To

From: Concise Bible Dictionary: B

By: George A. Morrish

Narrator: Chris Genthree

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An act of respect between man and man, very common in the East, as Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land when he bought a burying place for his dead (Gen. 23:7, 12⁷And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. (Genesis 23:7)
¹²And Abraham bowed down himself before the people of the land. (Genesis 23:12)). Also an act of reverence to God (Psa. 95:6⁶O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. (Psalm 95:6)); but strictly forbidden to be done before an idol or image (Ex. 20:5⁵Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; (Exodus 20:5)); and treated as an act of worship.

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Concise Bible Dictionary: B

• Body, the one

• Bond-Servant

• Book of Life, The

• Bottomless Pit

• Bow Down, To

• Bow in the Cloud