Gony (γόνυ) means knee. It appears about 12 times in the New Testament and is prominent in expressions of prayer, submission, and worship. To 'bow the knee' (kampto to gony) is the definitive posture of worship and allegiance in the biblical world — both for genuine devotion and for compelled submission.
The theological weight of gony is immense. Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23 in Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10–11: 'At the name of Jesus every knee will bow.' This universal bowing encompasses all creation — heavenly, earthly, and under the earth. It is the ultimate statement of Christ's Lordship. Ephesians 3:14 records Paul's prayer: 'I bow my knees [kampto ta gonata] before the Father.' The voluntary bending of the knee in prayer is the beginning of what will one day be universal: every creature confessing the Lordship of Jesus Christ. To kneel now in prayer is to practice what all creation will do in eternity.