Lexical Summary arkubah: Knee, joint Original Word: אַרְכֻבָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance knee (Aramaic) from an unused root corresponding to rakab (in the sense of bending the knee); the knee -- knee. see HEBREW rakab Brown-Driver-Briggs [אַרְכֻבָּה] noun feminine id. (by transposition; compare ᵑ7 רְכוּבָא, ᵑ7J אַרְכּוּבְתָּא; Christian-Palestinian Aramaic  SchwIdioticon 89 (who > explained from √ רכב, compare SchulthLex.194); Arabic  id.); — plural suffix אַרְכֻבָּתֵהּ Daniel 5:6 his knees. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Semantic Range אַרְכֻבָה denotes the physical knee or knee-joint and, by extension, the point at which strength bends or gives way. Because the knee is both a hinge of movement and a place of voluntary submission (kneeling) or involuntary collapse (terror, weakness), the word carries connotations of worship, humility, fear and judgment. Canonical Occurrence Daniel 5:6 presents the single attestation: “Then the color drained from the king’s face, and his thoughts alarmed him. His limbs gave way and his knees knocked together” (Berean Standard Bible). At Belshazzar’s blasphemous banquet the sudden hand-writing on the wall exposes human arrogance before divine sovereignty. The trembling knees signal total loss of self-confidence when confronted with God’s imminent judgment. Historical and Cultural Insights In ancient Near Eastern courts, subjects customarily knelt before a monarch as a gesture of homage. Ironically, Belshazzar’s knees buckle, not in voluntary reverence, but in terror. The narrative highlights a reversal: the earthly king, who should have knelt before the Most High, now collapses involuntarily as a condemned subject. Archaeological reliefs depict defeated soldiers with failing knees before victors, underscoring the image’s cultural resonance. Symbolic and Theological Significance 1. Human Frailty under Divine Authority The failing knees underscore how swiftly human strength dissolves when God’s verdict is revealed (compare Ezekiel 7:17; Nahum 2:10). Scripture often pairs the knee with worshipful submission (Psalm 95:6; 2 Chronicles 6:13). Daniel 5 contrasts Daniel’s steadfastness (Daniel 6:10) with Belshazzar’s collapse, illustrating the difference between willing humility and forced humiliation. The event anticipates the universal moment when “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow” (Philippians 2:10), whether in joyful allegiance or compelled acknowledgment. Belshazzar’s experience previews the fate of all who persist in pride. Literary Connections Other Hebrew terms for knees or weakening (“berak,” “kashal”) appear in Job 4:4, Isaiah 35:3 and Hebrews 12:12 (Greek). Together they weave a biblical motif: God strengthens faithful knees but causes proud knees to falter. Practical Ministry Applications • Call to Humility: Believers are urged to cultivate intentional kneeling in prayer, pre-empting the forced collapse born of judgment (James 4:10). Homiletical Themes • “When Knees Knock: The High Cost of Irreverence” (Daniel 5:1-6). Summary אַרְכֻבָה, though appearing only once, crystallizes a profound truth: the knee that refuses to bend in humble worship will ultimately buckle in fearful judgment. Daniel’s narrative invites every generation to exchange trembling knees for worshipful ones, finding steadiness in the God who remains sovereign over kings and kingdoms. Forms and Transliterations וְאַ֨רְכֻבָּתֵ֔הּ וארכבתה veArchubbaTeh wə’arḵubbāṯêh wə·’ar·ḵub·bā·ṯêhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Daniel 5:6 HEB: חַרְצֵהּ֙ מִשְׁתָּרַ֔יִן וְאַ֨רְכֻבָּתֵ֔הּ דָּ֥א לְדָ֖א NAS: went slack and his knees began knocking KJV: were loosed, and his knees smote INT: and his hip went and his knees together together 1 Occurrence |
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