The Hebrew word abrech (אַבְרֵךְ) appears only once in Scripture (Genesis 41:43) and is a command meaning "Bow the knee!" or "Make way!" — a call for obeisance and submission to one in authority. When Pharaoh elevated Joseph to second in command over all Egypt, men ran before his chariot calling out abrech — commanding all who saw Joseph to bow in recognition of his delegated authority. The etymology is debated: possibly from Egyptian ab-rk (bow the knee), or related to Hebrew barak (to kneel, bless).
The scene in Genesis 41:43 is one of the Bible's most striking foreshadowings of Christ. Joseph — rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely imprisoned — is suddenly exalted to the highest position in the most powerful empire on earth. As he rides in Pharaoh's second chariot, the cry goes out: abrech! Bow the knee! This mirrors Paul's declaration in Philippians 2:9–11: "God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow." Joseph's exaltation after suffering is the Old Testament type; Christ's resurrection and exaltation is the antitype. The same universal submission — every knee bowing before the exalted one — echoes from Genesis 41 to Philippians 2 to Revelation 5.