📖 Biblical Definition
"Every knee shall bow to me, every tongue shall confess to God" (Rom 14:11, Isa 45:23). "At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth" (Phil 2:10). The knee is the biblical unit of submission. Daniel bowed his knees three times a day to pray toward Jerusalem, even when outlawed (Dan 6:10). Elijah bowed his face between his knees praying for rain (1 Kgs 18:42). Peter fell at Jesus' knees saying "Depart from me, I am a sinful man" (Luke 5:8). The knee cannot fake what the mouth sometimes does; bent knees reveal the heart.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
KNEE, n.
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KNEE, n. [Sax. cneow.] The joint between the thigh and the leg. In Scripture, the knee is the unit of submission: "every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." The bent knee is the body's confession, and the knee is harder to bend than the tongue is to speak. Daniel bowed his knees three times a day even under threat of death; the Christian posture is likewise bent.
📖 Key Scripture
Philippians 2:10-11 — "So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Romans 14:11 — "For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.""
Daniel 6:10 — "He got down on His knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before His God, as He had done previously."
Ephesians 3:14 — "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern prayer often stays in the chair. Scripture bows the knee. The body's posture trains the heart.
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Paul repeatedly bowed his knees in prayer (Eph 3:14, Acts 20:36, 21:5). Daniel bowed three times a day. Jesus knelt in Gethsemane. The posture is not optional sentiment; it is the body confessing what the heart claims. Try kneeling in prayer. The body teaches the soul. Every knee eventually bows — some now in worship, all on that day in verdict.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
H1290 — berek. G1119 — gony.
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H1290 — berek (בֶּרֶךְ) — knee; also root of barak "to bless" (knees bend to bless).
G1119 — gony (γόνυ) — knee.
Usage
"Every knee will bow. The only question is whether gladly now or compelled later."
"Kneel sometimes. The body trains the soul; the posture catechizes."