Genesis 17:3

17:3 Abram bowed down with his face to the ground, ¹  and God said to him, ² 

Genesis 17:17

17:17 Then Abraham bowed down with his face to the ground and laughed ³  as he said to himself, ⁴  “Can ⁵  a son be born to a man who is a hundred years old? ⁶  Can Sarah ⁷  bear a child at the age of ninety?” ⁸ 

Leviticus 9:24

9:24 Then fire went out from the presence of the Lord ⁹  and consumed the burnt offering and the fat parts on the altar, and all the people saw it, so they shouted loudly and fell down with their faces to the ground. ¹⁰ 

Numbers 16:22

16:22 Then they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground ¹¹  and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all people, ¹²  will you be angry with the whole community when only one man sins?” ¹³ 

Numbers 16:45

16:45 “Get away from this community, so that I can consume them in an instant!” But they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. ¹⁴ 

Matthew 8:2

8:2 And a leper ¹⁵  approached, and bowed low before him, saying, ¹⁶  “Lord, if ¹⁷  you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Luke 5:12

Healing a Leper

5:12 While ¹⁸  Jesus ¹⁹  was in one of the towns, ²⁰  a man came ²¹  to him who was covered with ²²  leprosy. ²³  When ²⁴  he saw Jesus, he bowed down with his face to the ground ²⁵  and begged him, ²⁶  “Lord, if ²⁷  you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Acts 10:25-26

10:25 So when ²⁸  Peter came in, Cornelius met ²⁹  him, fell ³⁰  at his feet, and worshiped ³¹  him. 10:26 But Peter helped him up, ³²  saying, “Stand up. I too am a mere mortal.” ³³ 

Revelation 19:10

19:10 So ³⁴  I threw myself down ³⁵  at his feet to worship him, but ³⁶  he said, “Do not do this! ³⁷  I am only ³⁸  a fellow servant ³⁹  with you and your brothers ⁴⁰  who hold to the testimony about ⁴¹  Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Revelation 22:8-9

22:8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, ⁴²  and when I heard and saw them, ⁴³  I threw myself down ⁴⁴  to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing them to me. 22:9 But ⁴⁵  he said to me, “Do not do this! ⁴⁶  I am a fellow servant ⁴⁷  with you and with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey ⁴⁸  the words of this book. Worship God!”

[17:3]  ¹ tn Heb “And Abram fell on his face.” This expression probably means that Abram sank to his knees and put his forehead to the ground, although it is possible that he completely prostrated himself. In either case the posture indicates humility and reverence.

[17:3]  ² tn Heb “God spoke to him, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[17:17]  ³ sn Laughed. The Hebrew verb used here provides the basis for the naming of Isaac: “And he laughed” is וַיִּצְחָק (vayyitskhaq); the name “Isaac” is יִצְחָק (yitskhaq), “he laughs.” Abraham’s (and Sarah’s, see 18:12) laughter signals disbelief, but when the boy is born, the laughter signals surprise and joy.

[17:17]  ⁴ tn Heb “And he fell on his face and laughed and said in his heart.”

[17:17]  ⁵ tn The imperfect verbal form here carries a potential nuance, as it expresses the disbelief of Abraham.

[17:17]  ⁶ tn Heb “to the son of a hundred years.”

[17:17]  ⁷ sn It is important to note that even though Abraham staggers at the announcement of the birth of a son, finding it almost too incredible, he nonetheless calls his wife Sarah, the new name given to remind him of the promise of God (v. 15).

[17:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “the daughter of ninety years.”

[9:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “from to the faces of the Lord.” The rendering here is based on the use of “my faces” and “your faces” referring to the very “presence” of the Lord in Exod 33:14-15.

[9:24]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “fell on their faces.” Many English versions and commentaries render here “shouted for joy” (e.g., NIV; cf. NCV, NLT) or “shouted joyfully,” but the fact the people “fell on their faces” immediately afterward suggests that they were frightened as, for example, in Exod 19:16b; 20:18-21.

[16:22]  ¹¹ sn It is Moses and Aaron who prostrate themselves; they have the good of the people at heart.

[16:22]  ¹² tn The expression “the God of the spirits of all humanity [flesh]” is somewhat difficult. The Hebrew text says אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכָל־בָּשָׂר (’elohey harukhot lÿkhol-basar). This expression occurs in Num 27:16 again. It also occurs in some postbiblical texts, a fact which has prompted some scholars to conclude that it is a late addition. The words clearly show that Moses is interceding for the congregation. The appeal in the verse is that it is better for one man to die for the whole nation than the whole nation for one man (see also John 11:50).

[16:22]  ¹³ tn The verb is the Qal imperfect יֶחֱטָא (yekheta’); it refers to the sinful rebellion of Korah, but Moses is stating something of a principle: “One man sins, and will you be angry….” A past tense translation would assume that this is a preterite use of the imperfect (without vav [ו] consecutive).

[16:45]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “they fell on their faces.”

[8:2]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “And behold, a leper came.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[8:2]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “a leper approaching, bowed low before him, saying.”

[8:2]  ¹⁷ tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.

[5:12]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And it happened that while.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[5:12]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:12]  ²⁰ tn Or “cities.”

[5:12]  ²¹ tn Grk “towns, behold, a man covered with leprosy.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou, “behold”) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[5:12]  ²² tn Grk “full of leprosy” (an idiom for a severe condition).

[5:12]  ²³ sn The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what is called leprosy today. A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46).

[5:12]  ²⁴ tn Grk “And seeing.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here. The participle ἰδών (idwn) has been taken temporally.

[5:12]  ²⁵ tn Grk “he fell on his face”; an idiom for bowing down with one’s face to the ground.

[5:12]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and begged him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.

[5:12]  ²⁷ tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.

[10:25]  ²⁸ tn Grk “So it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[10:25]  ²⁹ tn Grk “meeting him.” The participle συναντήσας (sunanthsa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:25]  ³⁰ tn Grk “falling at his feet, worshiped.” The participle πεσών (peswn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[10:25]  ³¹ sn When Cornelius worshiped Peter, it showed his piety and his respect for Peter, but it was an act based on ignorance, as Peter’s remark in v. 26 indicates.

[10:26]  ³² tn BDAG 271 s.v. ἐγείρω 3 has “raise, help to rise….Stretched out Ac 10:26.”

[10:26]  ³³ tn Although it is certainly true that Peter was a “man,” here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") has been translated as “mere mortal” because the emphasis in context is not on Peter’s maleness, but his humanity. Contrary to what Cornelius thought, Peter was not a god or an angelic being, but a mere mortal.

[19:10]  ³⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s announcement.

[19:10]  ³⁵ tn Grk “I fell down at his feet.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[19:10]  ³⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[19:10]  ³⁷ tn On the elliptical expression ὅρα μή (Jora mh) BDAG 720 s.v. ὁράω B.2 states: “Elliptically…ὅρα μή (sc. ποιήσῃς) watch out! don’t do that! Rv 19:10; 22:9.”

[19:10]  ³⁸ tn The lowliness of a slave is emphasized in the Greek text with the emphatic position of σύνδουλος (sundoulo"). The use of “only” helps to bring this nuance out in English.

[19:10]  ³⁹ tn Grk “fellow slave.” See the note on the word “servants” in v. 2.

[19:10]  ⁴⁰ tn The Greek term “brother” literally refers to family relationships, but here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a).

[19:10]  ⁴¹ tn The genitive ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou) has been translated as an objective genitive here. A subjective genitive, also possible, would produce the meaning “who hold to what Jesus testifies.”

[22:8]  ⁴² tn Or “I am John, the one who heard and saw these things.”

[22:8]  ⁴³ tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[22:8]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “I fell down and worshiped at the feet.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion or humility, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”

[22:9]  ⁴⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present here.

[22:9]  ⁴⁶ tn On the elliptical expression ὅρα μή ({ora mh) BDAG 720 s.v. ὁράω B.2 states: “Elliptically…ὅρα μή (sc. ποιήσῃς) watch out! don’t do that! Rv 19:10; 22:9.”

[22:9]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “fellow slave.” Though σύνδουλος (sundoulos) is here translated “fellow servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. See the note on the word “servants” in 1:1.

[22:9]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “keep” (an idiom for obedience).