Bible Encyclopedia: Knee

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

KNEE; KNEEL

ne nel ("knee," berekh; Aramaic 'arekhubbah; gonu; "kneel"; barakh; Aramaic berakh; gonupeto): Most of the uses are obvious, and the figurative use of "knees" as the symbol of strength (Job 4:4 Hebrews 12:12, etc.) needs no explanation. The disease of the knees mentioned in Deuteronomy 28:35 is perhaps some form of leprosy. In Job 3:12 the "knees" seem to be used for the lap, as the place where a child receives its first care. Three times in Genesis the knees appear in connection with primitive adoption customs. In 30:3 a fiction is enacted that purports to represent Rachel as the actual mother of Bilhah's children. By a somewhat similar rite in 48:12, Jacob (the "knees" here are Jacob's, not Joseph's) adopts Ephraim and Manasseh, so that they are counted as two of the twelve patriarchs and not as members of a single Joseph tribe. In the same way Machir's children are adopted by Joseph in 50:23, and this is certainly connected with the counting of Machir (instead of Manasseh) as one of the tribes in Judges 5:14. See TRIBE; and for the idea underlying this paternal adoption, compare THIGH. From among classical instances of the same customs compare Homer, Odyssey, xix. 401;, where Autolukos, grandfather of Ulysses, receives the newborn grandchild on his knees and gives him his name. Thus also we have to understand the numerous representations in Egyptian sculpture, showing the king as an infant on the knees or the lap of a goddess.

Kneeling was less commonly an attitude of prayer among the Jews than was standing, but references to kneeling are of course abundant. For kneeling (or prostrating one's self) before a superior, see ATTITUDES, 2; SALUTATION.

Burton Scott Easton

Greek

1119. gonu -- the knee
... gonu. 1120 . the knee. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: gonu Phonetic
Spelling: (gon-oo') Short Definition: a knee Definition: the knee. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1119.htm - 6k

1120. gonupeteo -- to fall on the knees
... bow the knee, kneel down. From a compound of gonu and the alternate of pipto; to
fall on the knee -- bow the knee, kneel down. see GREEK gonu. see GREEK pipto. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1120.htm - 6k

2834. Knidos -- Cnidus, a city on the SW coast of Asia Minor
... Cnidus, a city on the SW coast of Asia Minor. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: Knidos Phonetic Spelling: (knee'-dos) Short Definition: Cnidus ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2834.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

755. arkubah -- the knee
... 754, 755. arkubah. 755a . the knee. Transliteration: arkubah Phonetic
Spelling: (ar-koo-baw') Short Definition: knee. knee (Aramaic ...
/hebrew/755.htm - 5k

1290. berek -- the knee
... 1289, 1290. berek. 1291 . the knee. Transliteration: berek Phonetic Spelling:
(beh'-rek) Short Definition: knees. ... knee. From barak; a knee -- knee. ...
/hebrew/1290.htm - 6k

1291. berak -- the knee
... berak. 1292 . the knee. Transliteration: berak Phonetic Spelling: (beh'-rek) Short
Definition: knees. ... knee. (Aramaic) corresponding to berek -- knee. ...
/hebrew/1291.htm - 6k

755a. arkubbah -- the knee
... arkubbah. 755b . the knee. Transliteration: arkubbah Short Definition: knees.
Word Origin (Aramaic) from berak Definition the knee NASB Word Usage knees (1). ...
/hebrew/755a.htm - 5k

86. abrek -- to kneel
... Word Origin probably of foreign origin Definition to kneel NASB Word Usage
bow the knee (1). bow the knee. Probably an Egyptian word ...
/hebrew/86.htm - 5k

3766. kara -- to bow down
... A primitive root; to bend the knee; by implication, to sink, to prostrate -- bow
(down, self), bring down (low), cast down, couch, fall, feeble, kneeling, sink ...
/hebrew/3766.htm - 6k

3767. kera -- a leg
... leg. From kara'; the leg (from the knee to the ankle) of men or locusts (only in
the dual) -- leg. see HEBREW kara'. 3766, 3767. kera. 3768 . Strong's Numbers
/hebrew/3767.htm - 6k

3665. kana -- to be humble
... A primitive root; properly, to bend the knee; hence, to humiliate, vanquish -- bring
down (low), into subjection, under, humble (self), subdue. 3664, 3665. ...
/hebrew/3665.htm - 6k

1296. Berekyah -- "Yah blesses," the name of several Israelites
... Or Berekyahuw {beh-rek-yaw'-hoo}; from berek and Yahh; knee (ie Blessing) of Jah;
Berekjah, the name of six Israelites -- Berachiah, Berechiah. ...
/hebrew/1296.htm - 6k

Library

O God of Love, on Bended Knee,
... PENITENCE AND LOVE O God of love, on bended knee,. tr., John Brownlie 8,8,8,8. I.
O God of love, on bended knee,. We, guilty sinners, call on Thee; ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/brownlie/hymns from the morningland/o god of love on.htm

Thy Kingdom Come! on Bended Knee
... Thy kingdom come! on bended knee. CM [217]St. Flavian: ... Thy kingdom come! on bended
knee. The passing ages pray; And faithful souls have yearned to see. ...
/.../advent 56 thy kingdom come.htm

Fragment vii. This Custom of not Bending the Knee Upon Sunday...
... Fragment VII. This custom of not bending the knee upon Sunday� This [4811]
[custom], of not bending the knee upon Sunday, is a ...
/.../fragments from the lost writings of irenaeus/fragment vii this custom of.htm

This is the Image of the Queen
... Most holy Mary! at thy feet I bend a suppliant knee; In this thy own sweet month
of May, Dear Mother of my God, I pray, Do thou remember me. ...
/.../various/the st gregory hymnal and catholic choir book/no 82 this is the.htm

No one Shall Find Fault with us for Observing the Fourth Day of ...
... But the Lord's day we celebrate as a day of joy, because on it He rose again, on
which day we have received it for a custom not even to bow the knee. Balsamon. ...
/.../peter/the writings of peter of alexandria/canon xv no one shall.htm

The Song of the Little Baltung. AD 395
... Then out and spake that little Baltung, Rode at the king's right knee, Quoth
'Fridigern slew false Kaiser Valens, And he died like you or me.'. ...
/.../kingsley/andromeda and other poems/the song of the little.htm

To Sit at the Right Hand of the Father is a Mystery Belonging to ...
... forward; Thou art from everlasting." The seat, then, whereon the Lord Jesus was
to sit, was prepared from everlasting, "in whose name every knee should bow, of ...
/.../32 to sit at the.htm

M. Mrs. Hemans. All must Pray.
... 2 Father, by the breeze of eve Called thy daily toil to leave; Pray! ere
yet the dark hours be, Lift the heart, and bend the knee! ...
/.../various/book of hymns for public and private devotion/98 7s m mrs hemans.htm

Formalities of Prayer: Conclusion
... self-humiliation of every being to God in the name of Jesus, that the apostle appears
to indicate in the words: that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow ...
/.../origen/origen on prayer/chapter xx formalities of prayer .htm

His Arrival in Apulia, Venice, Ferrara, and Genoa --He is ...
... Although the winter had set in with intense cold and a heavy fall of snow, Ignatius
had no garments save a pair of knee-breeches of a very rough texture ...
/.../loyola/the autobiography of st ignatius/chapter v his arrival in.htm

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) In man, the joint in the middle part of the leg.

2. (n.) The joint, or region of the joint, between the thigh and leg.

3. (n.) In the horse and allied animals, the carpal joint, corresponding to the wrist in man.

4. (n.) A piece of timber or metal formed with an angle somewhat in the shape of the human knee when bent.

5. (n.) A bending of the knee, as in respect or courtesy.

6. (v. t.) To supplicate by kneeling.

Thesaurus

Knee (12 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) A piece of timber or metal formed with an angle somewhat in the shape of
the human knee when bent. ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. KNEE; KNEEL. ...
/k/knee.htm - 12k

Knee-deep (1 Occurrence)
Knee-deep. Knee, Knee-deep. Kneel . Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.)
Rising to the knees; knee-high; as, water or snow knee-deep. ...
/k/knee-deep.htm - 6k

Kneel (10 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (vi) To bend the knee; to fall or rest on the knees; --
sometimes with down. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. KNEE; KNEEL. ...
/k/kneel.htm - 11k

Bow (248 Occurrences)
... 6. (vi) To bend; to curve. 7. (vi) To stop. 8. (vi) To bend the head, knee, or
body, in token of reverence or submission; -- often with down. ...
/b/bow.htm - 42k

Gesture
... Bowing the knee was also in Egypt an act of homage to a superior (Genesis 41:43);
bowing the knee and bowing down were common in prayer and worship (1 Kings 19 ...
/g/gesture.htm - 20k

Thigh (38 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The proximal segment of the hind limb between
the knee and the trunk. See Femur. 2. (n.) The coxa, or femur, of an insect. ...
/t/thigh.htm - 22k

Trousers (7 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n. pl.) A garment worn by men and boys, extending from
the waist to the knee or to the ankle, and covering each leg separately. ...
/t/trousers.htm - 8k

Bowed (150 Occurrences)
... Matthew 27:29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his
head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and ...
/b/bowed.htm - 38k

Breeches (6 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary (Exodus 28:42), rather linen drawers, reaching from the
waist to a little above the knee, worn by the priests (Ezek. 44:17, 18). ...
/b/breeches.htm - 12k

Crutch (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (n.) A form of pommel for a woman's saddle, consisting of a forked rest to hold
the leg of the rider. 3. (n.) A knee, or piece of knee timber. ...
/c/crutch.htm - 7k

Bible Concordance

Knee (12 Occurrences)

Matthew 27:29 They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT RSV)

Mark 15:19 They struck his head with a reed, and spat on him, and bowing their knees, did homage to him.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS NIV)

Romans 11:4 But how does God answer him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal."
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Romans 14:11 For it is written, "'As I live,' says the Lord,'to me every knee will bow. Every tongue will confess to God.'"
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ephesians 3:14 For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Philippians 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth,
(WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Genesis 41:43 and he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had. They cried before him, "Bow the knee!" He set him over all the land of Egypt.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Exodus 28:42 And you are to make them linen trousers, covering their bodies from the middle to the knee;
(BBE)

Psalms 95:6 Oh come, let's worship and bow down. Let's kneel before Yahweh, our Maker,
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Isaiah 45:23 By myself have I sworn, the word has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness, and will not return, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 7:17 All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 21:7 It shall be, when they tell you, Why do you sigh? that you shall say, Because of the news, for it comes; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it comes, and it shall be done, says the Lord Yahweh.
(Root in WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Knee

Related Terms

Knee-deep (1 Occurrence)

Kneel (10 Occurrences)

Bow (248 Occurrences)

Gesture

Thigh (38 Occurrences)

Trousers (7 Occurrences)

Bowed (150 Occurrences)

Breeches (6 Occurrences)

Crutch (1 Occurrence)