Knee
Knee (Heb. and Chald. בֶּרֶך, be'rek; Gr. γόνυ; Ps 109:24; in Da 5:6, the Chald. term is אִרכֻּבָה, arkcubah'). The Hebrew word, as a verb, signifies to bend the knee (2Ch 6:13), also to bless, to pronounce or give a blessing, because the person blessed kneels. SEE BLESSING. In this sense it refers to the benediction of dying parents (Ge 27:4,7,10,19), of the priest to the people (Le 9:22-23), of a prophet (Nu 24:1; De 33:1). It also signifies to salute, which is connected with blessing (2Ki 4:29). In relation to God, to praise, to thank him (De 8:10; Ps 16:7).
The expression is also, in another form, used in reference to camels, as to make them bend the knee in order to take rest: "And he made his camels to kneel down without the city" (Ge 24:11). SEE CAMEL.
To bow the knee is to perform an act of worship (1Ki 19:18), and in this sense it is used in the Heb. in Isa 66:3; "He that worships idols" is, literally, " He that bows the knee" to them. SEE WORSHIP.
That kneeling was the posture of prayer we learn from 2Ch 6:13; Da 6:10; Lu 22:41; Ac 7:60; Ephesians 3,14. SEE PRAYER.
Knees are sometimes put symbolically for persons, as in Job 4:4; Heb 12:12 (Wemyss). SEE KNEEL.
For the peculiar term in Ge 41:43 (see Reineccius, De nomine , אִברֵך W Veissenf. 1726), see ABRECI.
