Reference: Knee, Kneel
Hastings
The knees are often referred to in Scripture as the place where weakness of the body, from whatever cause, readily manifests itself: e.g. from terror (Job 4:4; Da 5:8), or fasting (Ps 109:24). The reference in De 28:35 seems to be to 'joint leprosy,' in which, after the toes and fingers, the joints of the larger limbs are attacked (Driver, Deut. in loc.). The laying of children on the knees of father or grandfather seems to have involved recognition of them as legitimate members of the family (Ge 30:8; 50:23). In many passages of Scripture kneeling is spoken of as the attitude assumed in prayer (1Ki 8:54; Ps 95:8; Da 6:10; Ac 20:36 etc.). To 'bow the knee' is equivalent to 'worship' (1Ki 19:18; Isa 45:23; Ro 14:11 etc.). To fall upon the knees before a superior is an act at once of reverence and of entreaty (2Ki 1:13; Mt 17:14; Lu 5:8 etc.). In the court of an Eastern judge the writer has often seen men prostrate themselves, and then make their plea, resting upon their knees.
W. Ewing.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
and Rachel saith, 'With wrestlings of God I have wrestled with my sister, yea, I have prevailed;' and she calleth his name Napthali.
and Joseph looketh on Ephraim's sons of the third generation; sons also of Machir, son of Manasseh, have been born on the knees of Joseph.
'Jehovah doth smite thee with an evil ulcer, on the knees, and on the legs (of which thou art not able to be healed), from the sole of thy foot even unto thy crown.
And it cometh to pass, at Solomon's finishing to pray unto Jehovah all this prayer and supplication, he hath risen from before the altar of Jehovah, from bending on his knees, and his hands spread out to the heavens,
and I have left in Israel seven thousand, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that hath not kissed him.'
And he turneth and sendeth a third head of fifty and his fifty, and the third head of fifty goeth up, and cometh in, and boweth on his knees over-against Elijah, and maketh supplication unto him, and speaketh unto him, 'O man of God, let be precious, I pray thee, my soul and the soul of thy servants -- these fifty -- in thine eyes.
The stumbling one do thy words raise up, And bowing knees thou dost strengthen.
Harden not your heart as in Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,
My knees have been feeble from fasting, And my flesh hath failed of fatness.
By Myself I have sworn, Gone out from my mouth in righteousness hath a word, And it turneth not back, That to Me, bow doth every knee, every tongue swear.
Then coming up are all the wise men of the king, and they are not able to read the writing, and the interpretation to make known to the king;
And Daniel, when he hath known that the writing is signed, hath gone up to his house, and the window being opened for him, in his upper chamber, over-against Jerusalem, three times in a day he is kneeling on his knees, and praying, and confessing before his God, because that he was doing it before this.
And when they came unto the multitude, there came to him a man, kneeling down to him,
And Simon Peter having seen, fell down at the knees of Jesus, saying, 'Depart from me, because I am a sinful man, O lord;'
And these things having said, having bowed his knees, with them all, he did pray,
for it hath been written, 'I live! saith the Lord -- to Me bow shall every knee, and every tongue shall confess to God;'