Topical Bible: Prostrated

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In biblical terms, "prostrated" refers to the act of lying face down on the ground in a gesture of deep reverence, submission, or worship. This physical posture is often associated with prayer, supplication, or an encounter with the divine. Throughout the Scriptures, prostration is depicted as a response to the overwhelming presence of God, a sign of humility, and an acknowledgment of God's majesty and authority.

Old Testament Instances

Prostration is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament as a common practice among the faithful. In Genesis 17:3, when God appears to Abram, it is written, "Then Abram fell facedown, and God spoke with him." This act of falling facedown signifies Abram's reverence and submission to God's covenant and promises.

In Exodus 34:8, Moses' response to God's revelation of His glory is described: "Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped." Here, prostration is an act of worship and acknowledgment of God's holiness and mercy.

The practice is also evident in the worship practices of the Israelites. In 2 Chronicles 7:3, after the dedication of Solomon's temple, the people of Israel respond to the manifestation of God's glory by prostrating themselves: "When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, 'He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.'"

New Testament Instances

In the New Testament, prostration continues to be a significant expression of worship and reverence. In Matthew 2:11, the Magi, upon finding the Christ child, "fell down and worshiped Him." This act of prostration underscores their recognition of Jesus' divine kingship and their submission to Him.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus Himself demonstrates a form of prostration in prayer. Matthew 26:39 records, "Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.'" Here, Jesus' posture reflects His earnest supplication and submission to the Father's will.

The Book of Revelation also depicts heavenly beings and elders prostrating themselves before God. Revelation 7:11 states, "And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God." This scene illustrates the ultimate act of worship and reverence in the presence of God's glory.

Theological Significance

Prostration in the Bible is more than a mere physical act; it is a profound expression of the heart's attitude toward God. It signifies humility, surrender, and recognition of God's supreme authority. By prostrating themselves, believers demonstrate their acknowledgment of God's holiness and their own unworthiness. This act of worship is a reminder of the proper posture of the heart before the Creator, emphasizing the need for humility and reverence in the believer's relationship with God.

Throughout Scripture, prostration serves as a powerful symbol of the believer's devotion and submission to God, reflecting a deep-seated acknowledgment of His sovereignty and grace.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

(imp. & p. p.) of Prostrate.

Greek

4352. proskuneo -- to do reverence to
... to NASB Word Usage bow down (1), bow down before (1), bowed down (1), bowed down
before (2), bowing before (1), bowing down (1), prostrated himself before (1 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4352.htm - 10k

Strong's Hebrew

7812. shachah -- to bow down
... 1), bowing down (1), bows down (1), did homage (1), down in homage (1), homage
(1), lie down (1), paid homage (3), prostrate (2), prostrated (13), prostrating ...
/hebrew/7812.htm - 6k

Library

Sovereignty and Salvation
... of a goodly tree an image made unto the likeness of mortal man, or of the fishes
of the sea, or of creeping things of the earth, and he has prostrated his body ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 2 1856/sovereignty and salvation.htm

The Image of the Beast.
... The ancient Romans prostrated themselves before images of wood and stone; and Jerome
tells us that "by idols were to be understood the images of the dead." In ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the image of the beast.htm

The Emperor Purposed, on Account of the Heresy of Aetius and the ...
... far from being believed by them, he was regarded with ridicule, and as disclosing
unlooked-for sufferings, he returned to his tower, and prostrated himself on ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of sozomenus/chapter xvi the emperor purposed on.htm

A Detached Account of the Descent into Hell.
... After passing through the two compartments, he reached a dark spot in which Adam
and Eve were standing; he spoke to them, they prostrated and adored him in a ...
/.../chapter lix a detached account.htm

Book iii. --Of the Harmony of the Fathers of the Old and New ...
... Should with the self-same [1489] moisture be bedewed: For by this sign he
prostrated the heaps. ... Armless, an ass-jaw grasping, prostrated. ...
/.../fathers of the third century tertullian appendix/book iii of the harmony of.htm

To Brother Raimondo of Capua of the Order of the Preachers
... But before I attained, I prostrated me, and stretched my neck upon the block; but
my desire did not come there, for I had too full consciousness of myself. ...
/.../benincasa/letters of catherine benincasa/to brother raimondo of capua.htm

The Home Scene.
... word, Martha was one of those meteor spirits rushing to and fro amid the ceaseless
activities of life, softened and saddened, but not prostrated and crushed by ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macduff/memories of bethany/ii the home scene.htm

Treatise iii. On the Lapsed.
... and mourning. I wail with the wailing, I weep with the weeping, I regard
myself as prostrated with those that are prostrate. My ...
/.../cyprian/the treatises of cyprian/treatise iii on the lapsed.htm

iii.
... And others being thrown upon the ground lay prostrated there by the excessively
frequent application of the tortures; in which condition they exhibited to the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/phileas/the writings of phileas/iii.htm

Prayer Takes in the Whole Man
... the temple. Our Lord in Gethsemane prostrated Himself in that memorable
season of praying just before His betrayal. Where there ...
/.../bounds/the essentials of prayer/i prayer takes in the.htm

Thesaurus

Prostrated (29 Occurrences)
... Multi-Version Concordance Prostrated (29 Occurrences). ... (WEY). Matthew 18:26 The servant
therefore falling down, prostrated himself at his feet and entreated him. ...
/p/prostrated.htm - 15k

Prostrate (25 Occurrences)
... 7. (vt) To throw down, or cause to fall in humility or adoration; to cause to bow
in humble reverence; used reflexively; as, he prostrated himself. ...
/p/prostrate.htm - 14k

Mor'decai (51 Occurrences)
... Esther 3:2 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed down,
and prostrated themselves before Haman; for the king had so commanded ...
/m/mor'decai.htm - 20k

Themselves (911 Occurrences)
... Matthew 2:11 So they entered the house; and when they saw the babe with His mother
Mary, they prostrated themselves and did Him homage, and opening their ...
/t/themselves.htm - 35k

Bathshe'ba (10 Occurrences)
... RSV). 1 Kings 1:16 And Bath-sheba bowed, and prostrated herself unto the
king. And the king said: 'What wouldest thou?' (See RSV). ...
/b/bathshe'ba.htm - 9k

Homage (51 Occurrences)
... Matthew 2:11 So they entered the house; and when they saw the babe with His mother
Mary, they prostrated themselves and did Him homage, and opening their ...
/h/homage.htm - 21k

Falling (233 Occurrences)
... they come! (WEY). Matthew 18:26 The servant therefore falling down, prostrated
himself at his feet and entreated him. "'Only give ...
/f/falling.htm - 36k

Teko'a (11 Occurrences)
... 2 Samuel 14:4 And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face
to the ground, and prostrated herself, and said: 'Help, O king.' (See RSV). ...
/t/teko'a.htm - 9k

Treasure-chests (1 Occurrence)
... Matthew 2:11 So they entered the house; and when they saw the babe with His mother
Mary, they prostrated themselves and did Him homage, and opening their ...
/t/treasure-chests.htm - 6k

Transfiguration
... then a cloud swept over them, and out of the cloud a voice came, saying, "This is
my beloved Son: hear ye him." In awe the disciples prostrated themselves and ...
/t/transfiguration.htm - 17k

Resources

What are the satanic verses? | GotQuestions.org

Why was Moses not allowed to enter the Promised Land? | GotQuestions.org

Prostrated: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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Concordance

Prostrated (29 Occurrences)

Matthew 2:11
So they entered the house; and when they saw the babe with His mother Mary, they prostrated themselves and did Him homage, and opening their treasure-chests offered gifts to Him--gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
(WEY)

Matthew 18:26
The servant therefore falling down, prostrated himself at his feet and entreated him. "'Only give me time,' he said, 'and I will pay you the whole.'
(WEY NAS)

Matthew 28:17
There they saw Him and prostrated themselves before Him. Yet some doubted.
(WEY)

Genesis 24:26
And the man bowed his head, and worshipped Jehovah.
(See JPS)

Genesis 24:48
And I bowed my head, and worshipped Jehovah, and blessed Jehovah, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the right way to take my master's brother's daughter for his son.
(See JPS)

Numbers 22:31
Then Jehovah opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the Angel of Jehovah standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand; and he bowed and prostrated himself on his face.
(DBY)

1 Samuel 24:8
David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king. And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth, and did obeisance.
(See JPS NAS NIV)

1 Samuel 28:14
And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance.
(See JPS NIV)

2 Samuel 1:2
it came to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.
(See JPS NAS)

2 Samuel 9:6
And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came unto David, and fell on his face, and did obeisance. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold, thy servant!
(See JPS NAS)

2 Samuel 9:8
He did obeisance, and said, "What is your servant, that you should look on such a dead dog as I am?"
(See NAS)

2 Samuel 14:4
And when the woman of Tekoa spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.
(See JPS NAS)

2 Samuel 14:22
And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and did obeisance, and blessed the king: and Joab said, To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found favor in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath performed the request of his servant.
(See JPS NAS)

2 Samuel 14:33
So Joab came to the king, and told him; and when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.
(See NAS)

2 Samuel 18:28
Ahimaaz called, and said to the king, "All is well." He bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and said, "Blessed is Yahweh your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted up their hand against my lord the king!"
(See NAS)

1 Kings 1:16
And Bath-sheba bowed, and did obeisance unto the king. And the king said, What wouldest thou?
(See JPS NAS)

1 Kings 1:23
And they told the king, saying: 'Behold Nathan the prophet.' And when he was come in before the king, he bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
(See NAS)

1 Kings 1:31
Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did obeisance to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever.
(See JPS NAS)

1 Kings 1:53
So king Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and did obeisance to king Solomon; and Solomon said unto him, Go to thy house.
(See JPS NAS)

1 Chronicles 21:21
As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
(See NAS)

1 Chronicles 29:20
David said to all the assembly, Now bless Yahweh your God. All the assembly blessed Yahweh, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads and prostrated themselves before Yahweh and the king.
(WEB JPS)

2 Chronicles 24:17
Now after the death of Jehoiada came the princes of Judah, and made obeisance to the king. Then the king hearkened unto them.
(See JPS)

2 Chronicles 25:14
Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and bowed down himself before them, and burned incense unto them.
(See JPS)

2 Chronicles 29:28
And all the assembly worshipped, and the singers sang, and the trumpeters sounded; all this continued until the burnt-offering was finished.
(See JPS)

2 Chronicles 29:29
And when they had made an end of offering, the king and all that were present with him bowed themselves and worshipped.
(See JPS)

2 Chronicles 29:30
Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises unto Jehovah with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshipped.
(See JPS)

Nehemiah 9:3
And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped Jehovah their God.
(See JPS)

Esther 3:2
And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed down, and did reverence to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence.
(See JPS)

Esther 3:5
And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.
(See JPS)

Subtopics

Prostrated

Related Terms

Prostration

Prostrated (29 Occurrences)

Knee (12 Occurrences)

Kneel (10 Occurrences)