Genesis 24:52

24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord.

Genesis 43:28

43:28 “Your servant our father is well,” they replied. “He is still alive.” They bowed down in humility. ¹ 

Genesis 43:1

The Second Journey to Egypt

43:1 Now the famine was severe in the land. ² 

Genesis 19:18

19:18 But Lot said to them, “No, please, Lord! ³ 

Esther 3:2-5

3:2 As a result, ⁴  all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing and paying homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded. However, Mordecai did not bow, ⁵  nor did he pay him homage.

3:3 Then the servants of the king who were at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you violating the king’s commandment?” 3:4 And after they had spoken to him day after day ⁶  without his paying any attention to them, they informed Haman to see whether this attitude on Mordecai’s part would be permitted. ⁷  Furthermore, he had disclosed to them that he was a Jew. ⁸ 

3:5 When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing or paying homage to him, he ⁹  was filled with rage.

Isaiah 45:23

45:23 I solemnly make this oath ¹⁰  –

what I say is true and reliable: ¹¹ 

‘Surely every knee will bow to me,

every tongue will solemnly affirm; ¹² 

Romans 11:4

11:4 But what was the divine response ¹³  to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand people ¹⁴  who have not bent the knee to Baal.” ¹⁵ 

Romans 14:10-11

14:10 But you who eat vegetables only – why do you judge your brother or sister? ¹⁶  And you who eat everything – why do you despise your brother or sister? ¹⁷  For we will all stand before the judgment seat ¹⁸  of God. 14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.” ¹⁹ 

Philippians 2:10

2:10 so that at the name of Jesus

every knee will bow

– in heaven and on earth and under the earth –

[43:28]  ¹ tn Heb “and they bowed low and they bowed down.” The use of synonyms here emphasizes the brothers’ humility.

[43:1]  ² tn The disjunctive clause gives supplemental information that is important to the storyline.

[19:18]  ³ tn Or “my lords.” See the following note on the problem of identifying the addressee here. The Hebrew term is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[3:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “and” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). Other modern English versions leave the conjunction untranslated here (NAB, NIV, NCV, NLT).

[3:2]  ⁵ sn Mordecai did not bow. The reason for Mordecai’s refusal to bow before Haman is not clearly stated here. Certainly the Jews did not refuse to bow as a matter of principle, as though such an action somehow violated the second command of the Decalogue. Many biblical texts bear witness to their practice of falling prostrate before people of power and influence (e.g., 1 Sam 24:8; 2 Sam 14:4; 1 Kgs 1:16). Perhaps the issue here was that Haman was a descendant of the Amalekites, a people who had attacked Israel in an earlier age (see Exod 17:8-16; 1 Sam 15:17-20; Deut 25:17-19).

[3:4]  ⁶ sn Mordecai’s position in the service of the king brought him into regular contact with these royal officials. Because of this association the officials would have found ample opportunity to complain of Mordecai’s refusal to honor Haman by bowing down before him.

[3:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “Will the matters of Mordecai stand?”; NASB “to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand.”

[3:4]  ⁸ sn This disclosure of Jewish identity is a reversal of the practice mentioned in 1:10, 20.

[3:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “Haman.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. Repeating the proper name here is redundant according to contemporary English style, although the name is repeated in NASB and NRSV.

[45:23]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “I swear by myself”; KJV, NASB “have sworn.”

[45:23]  ¹¹ tn Heb “a word goes out from my mouth [in] truth and will not return.”

[45:23]  ¹² tn Heb “swear” (so KJV, NAB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “confess allegiance.”

[11:4]  ¹³ tn Grk “the revelation,” “the oracle.”

[11:4]  ¹⁴ tn The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it appears to be a generic usage (“people”) since when Paul speaks of a remnant of faithful Israelites (“the elect,” v. 7), he is not referring to males only. It can also be argued, however, that it refers only to adult males here (“men”), perhaps as representative of all the faithful left in Israel.

[11:4]  ¹⁵ sn A quotation from 1 Kgs 19:18.

[14:10]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “But why do you judge your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “weak” Christian who eats only vegetables (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “Or again, why do you despise your brother?” The introductory phrase has been supplied in the translation to clarify whom Paul is addressing, i.e., the “strong” Christian who eats everything (see vv. 2-3). The author uses the singular pronoun here to rhetorically address one person, but the plural has been used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[14:10]  ¹⁸ sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.

[14:11]  ¹⁹ sn A quotation from Isa 45:23.