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Old & New Testament Greek Lexical Dictionary Greek Lexicon
Strong's #4352 - προσκυνέω
- Thayer
- Strong
- Mounce
- to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence
- among the Orientals, esp. the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence
- in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication
- used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank
- to the Jewish high priests
- to God
- to Christ
- to heavenly beings
- to demons
- used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank
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did not use
this Strong's Number
προσκῠν-έω, fut. -ήσω Hippon. 32 (tm.), Pl. R. 469a: aor. προσεκύνησα X. Cyr. 5.3.18; poet. προσέκῠσα Ar. Eq. 640, imper. πρόσκυσον ib. 156, S. Ph. 776, inf. -κύσαι ib. 657, part. -κύσας ib. 533, 1408 (troch.): pf. -κεκύνηκα LXX Exodus 32:8, OGI 196.2 (Egypt, i B.C. ): — Pass., pres. inf. προσκυνεῖσθαι E. Tr. 1021: aor. προσεκυνήθην Arr. An. 4.11.9: — make obeisance to the gods or their images, fall down and worship, c. acc., Hdt. 2.121, etc.; γῆν τε π. ἅμα καὶ τὸν θεῶν Ὄλυμπον S. OC 1654, cf. A. Pers. 499, Ar. Eq. 156: prov., οἱ -κυνοῦντες τὴν Ἀδράστειαν σοφοί, of deprecating the wrath of Nemesis, A. Pr. 936, cf. Pl. R. 451a; τὸν φθόνον δὲ πρόσκυσον S. Ph. 776; στεῖχε προσκύσας χθόνα, to avert divine wrath, ib. 1408 (troch.); of sacred places, do reverence to, πατ ρῷα ἕδη θεῶν Id. El. 1374; τὰς θήκας Pl. R. 469b; τὴν θόλον D. 19.314: abs., Ar. Eq. 640 .
2. esp. of the Oriental fashion of prostrating oneself before kings and superiors, abs., Hdt. 1.119, 8.118: c. acc., π. τὸν Δαρεῖον make obeisance to him, Id. 3.86; προσκυνεῖν διδάσκονται τὸν βασιλέα [οἱ ἐλέφαντες ] Arist. HA 630b20; προσπίπτων π . Hdt. 1.134, cf. 7.136; πάντες σε προσκυνοῦμεν οἵδ' ἱκτήριοι S. OT 327; προσκυνῶ σ', ἄναξ, προσπίτνων E. Or. 1507 (troch.), cf. X. Cyr. 5.3.18, 8.3.14, Plu. Them. 27, Arr. l.c., etc.; κύψας ὁ λαὸς προσεκύνησεν LXX Exodus 12:27; οὐδένα ἄνθρωπον δεσπότην ἀλλὰ τοὺς θεοὺς π . X. An. 3.2.13; π. τοὺς ὑβρίζοντας ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς βαρβάροις D. 21.106: ironically, π. τινὰ ὡς ἱερὸν καὶ θαυμαστόν Pl. R. 398a: later c. dat., LXX Genesis 24:26, al., Ev.Matthew 2:2; Matthew 2:11, Ev.John 4:23, D.C. 67.13; τῳ θεῷ J. AJ 9.13.2 . (Orig. perh. throw a kiss to the god, cf. Apul. Met. 4.28: the gesture is probably represented in Sumerian and Babylonian art monuments.)
II later, kiss, σοῦ -ήσω τὴν χεῖρα BGU 423.15 (ii A.D.); τὸ πρόσωπον, τὴν ὄψιν, τοὺς πόδας, PLond. 3.1244.4 (iv A.D.), PGiss. 22.5 (ii A.D.), PGen. 91.6 (vi/vii A.D.) .
2. greet, σπουδάζουσα -ῆσαί σε (by letter) BGU 615.8 (ii A.D.); ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἵνα ὑμᾶς -ήσω διὰ πολλοῦ χρόνου PLips. 110.19 (iii/iv A.D.), cf. PGiss. 17.11 (ii A.D.) .
3. welcome respectfully, respect, προσεκύνησά σου τὰ γράμματα POxy. 237 vi 37 (ii A.D.), cf. PTeb. 286.22 (ii A.D.), etc.; τὴν θείαν ἀντιγραφὴν ὑπὸ πάντων προσκυνουμένην OGI 262.27 (Baetocaece, iii A.D. ).
προσκυνέω, προσκύνω; imperfect προσεκύνουν; future προσκυνήσω; 1 aorist προσεκύνησα; from Aeschylus and Herodotus down; the Sept. very often for הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה (to prostrate oneself); properly, to kiss the hand to (toward) one, in token of reverence: Herodotus 1, 134; (cf. K. F. Hermann, Gottesdienstl. Alterthümer d. Griech. § 21; especially Hoelemann, Die Biblical Gestalt. d. Anbetung in his 'Bibelstudien' i., 106ff); hence, among the Orientals, especially the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence ("to make a 'salam'"); Latinveneror (Nepos, Conon. 3, 3),adoro (Pliny, h. n. 28, 5, 25; Suetonius, Vitell. 2); hence, in the N. T. by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication. It is used a. of homage shown to men of superior rank: absolutely, Matthew 20:20 (the Jewish high-priests are spoken of in Josephus, b. j. 4, 5, 2 as προσκυνούμενοι); πεσών ἐπί τούς πόδας προσεκύνησεν, Acts 10:25; τίνι (according to the usage of later writings; cf. Winers Grammar, 36, 210 (197); (Buttmann, § 131, 4); Lob. ad Phryn., p. 463), Matthew 2:2, 8; Matthew 8:2; Matthew 9:18; Matthew 14:33; Matthew 15:25; (
b. of homage rendered to God and the ascended Christ, to heavenly beings, and to demons: absolutely (our to worship) (cf. Winer's Grammar, 593 (552)), John 4:20; John 12:20; Acts 8:27; Acts 24:11; Hebrews 11:21 (cf. above); Revelation 11:1; πίπτειν καί προσκυνεῖν, Revelation 5:14; τίνι, John 4:21, 23; Acts 7:43; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 4:10; Revelation 7:11; Revelation 11:16; Revelation 14:7; Revelation 16:2; Revelation 19:4, 20; Revelation 22:8; Revelation 13:4 G L T Tr WH (twice (the 2nd time WH text only));
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προσ -κυνέω , -ῶ
(< κυνέω , to kiss),
[in LXX chiefly for H7812 hith.;]
to make obeisance, do reverence to, worship;
(a) prop. (as in cl., of the gods: Hdt., Æsch., Plat., al.), of God, Christ and supra-mundane beings: absol., John 4:20; John 12:20, Acts 8:27; Acts 24:11, Hebrews 11:21 (Westc., in l), Revelation 11:1; πίπτειν καὶ Papyri, Revelation 5:14; c. dat. (of the significance of this constr. as compared with the usual cl., c. acc, v. Abbott, JG, 78 f.; JV, 133 ff.), John 4:21; John 4:23, Acts 7:43, 1 Corinthians 14:25, Hebrews 1:6, Revelation 4:10; Revelation 7:11; Revelation 11:16; Revelation 13:4; Revelation 13:15; Revelation 14:7; Revelation 16:2; Revelation 19:4; Revelation 19:10; Revelation 19:20; Revelation 22:8-9; c. acc (v. supr.), Matthew 4:10, Luke 4:8; Luke 24:52 (WH, R, mg., om.), John 4:22; John 4:24, Revelation 9:20; Revelation 13:4; Revelation 13:8; Revelation 13:12; Revelation 14:9; Revelation 14:11; Revelation 20:4; Seq. ἐπώπιον , Luke 4:7, Revelation 15:4;
(b) as in cl., of homage to human superiors (cf. MM, xxi): absol., Matthew 20:20, Acts 10:25; c. dat. (v. supr.), Matthew 2:2; Matthew 2:8; Matthew 8:2; Matthew 9:18; Matthew 14:33; Matthew 15:25; Matthew 18:26; Matthew 28:9, Mark 15:19, John 9:38; πεσὼν ., Matthew 2:11; Matthew 4:9; ἐνώπιον τ . ποδῶν , Revelation 3:9; c. acc, Mark 5:6 (dat. T).†
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.