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bow the knee

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

The Eastern mode of salutation by kneeling on one knee and bending the head forward (Gen. 37:10¹⁰And he told it to his father, and to his brethren: and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth? (Genesis 37:10); 1 Kings 1:53; 2:19⁵³So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to king Solomon: and Solomon said unto him, Go to thine house. (1 Kings 1:53)
¹⁹Bath-sheba therefore went unto king Solomon, to speak unto him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself unto her, and sat down on his throne, and caused a seat to be set for the king's mother; and she sat on his right hand. (1 Kings 2:19)).

Concise Bible Dictionary:

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.

Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:

Number:

86 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)

Transliteration:

’abrek

Phonic:

ab-rake’

Meaning:

probably an Egyptian word meaning kneel

KJV Usage:

bow the knee