The term "prostrate" in the biblical context refers to the act of lying face down on the ground, often as a gesture of deep reverence, submission, worship, or supplication before God. This physical posture is a powerful expression of humility and acknowledgment of God's majesty and authority. Throughout the Scriptures, various individuals and groups are described as prostrating themselves in moments of divine encounter, prayer, or repentance.

Old Testament Instances

In the Old Testament, prostration is frequently associated with worship and the acknowledgment of God's holiness. One of the earliest instances is found in Genesis 17:3, where Abram falls facedown as God speaks to him: "Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him." This act signifies Abram's reverence and submission to God's covenant.

Another significant example is found in Joshua 5:14, where Joshua encounters the commander of the LORD's army: "Neither," he replied, "but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence and asked him, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?" Joshua's prostration indicates his recognition of divine authority and his readiness to receive God's instructions.

The act of prostration is also evident in the worship practices of Israel. In 2 Chronicles 7:3, after the dedication of Solomon's temple, the Israelites respond to God's glory by bowing down: "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 love endures forever.'"

New Testament Instances

In the New Testament, prostration continues to be a significant expression of worship and submission. In Matthew 2:11, the Magi demonstrate their reverence for the newborn King by prostrating themselves: "On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

The Gospels also record instances where individuals prostrate themselves before Jesus in acts of faith and supplication. In Matthew 8:2, a leper approaches Jesus with a plea for healing: "Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, 'Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.'" The leper's posture reflects his desperation and belief in Jesus' power to heal.

In the book of Revelation, prostration is depicted as a heavenly act of worship. Revelation 7:11 describes the angels, elders, and living creatures worshiping God: "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."

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 total surrender, humility, and recognition of God's sovereignty. By prostrating themselves, believers demonstrate their acknowledgment of God's greatness and their own dependence on His grace and mercy.

Throughout Scripture, the act of prostration serves as a reminder of the appropriate posture of the human heart before the Creator. It calls believers to approach God with reverence, humility, and a willingness to submit to His will, reflecting the ultimate example of Jesus Christ, who humbled Himself in obedience to the Father.1. (a.) Lying at length, or with the body extended on the ground or other surface; stretched out; as, to sleep prostrate.

2. (a.) Lying at mercy, as a supplicant.

3. (a.) Lying in a humble, lowly, or suppliant posture.

4. (a.) Trailing on the ground; procumbent.

5. (v. t.) To lay fiat; to throw down; to level; to fell; as, to prostrate the body; to prostrate trees or plants.

6. (v. t.) to overthrow; to demolish; to destroy; to deprive of efficiency; to ruin; as, to prostrate a village; to prostrate a government; to prostrate law or justice.

7. (v. t.) To throw down, or cause to fall in humility or adoration; to cause to bow in humble reverence; used reflexively; as, he prostrated himself.

8. (v. t.) To cause to sink totally; to deprive of strength; to reduce; as, a person prostrated by fever.

4363. prospipto -- to fall upon, fall prostrate before
... to fall upon, fall prostrate before. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: prospipto
Phonetic Spelling: (pros-pip'-to) Short Definition: I fall down before ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4363.htm - 7k

4352. proskuneo -- to do reverence to
... 4352 (from 4314 , "towards" and , ""-- properly, to kiss the ground when prostrating
before a superior; to , ready "to fall down/prostrate oneself to adore on ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4352.htm - 10k

4385. proteino -- to stretch out
... to stretch out, spread out. From pro and teino (to stretch); to protend, ie Tie
prostrate (for scourging) -- bind. see GREEK pro. (proeteinan) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4385.htm - 6k

2693. katastronnumi -- to overthrow
... overthrow. From kata and stronnumi; to strew down, ie (by implication) to prostrate
(slay) -- overthrow. see GREEK kata. see GREEK stronnumi. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2693.htm - 6k

5476. chamai -- on or to the ground
... on the ground. Adverb perhaps from the base of chasma through the idea of a fissure
in the soil; earthward, ie Prostrate -- on (to) the ground. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5476.htm - 6k

4098. pipto -- to fall
... Transliteration: pipto Phonetic Spelling: (pip'-to) Short Definition: I fall, fall
under Definition: I fall, fall under (as under condemnation), fall prostrate ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4098.htm - 8k

2667. katapipto -- to fall down
... down. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: katapipto Phonetic Spelling:
(kat-ap-ip'-to) Short Definition: I fall down Definition: I fall down, fall prostrate. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2667.htm - 6k

5087. tithemi -- to place, lay, set
... different from histemi, which properly denotes an upright and active position, while
keimai is properly reflexive and utterly prostrate) -- + advise, appoint ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5087.htm - 10k

2598. kataballo -- to cast down
... kataballo Phonetic Spelling: (kat-ab-al'-lo) Short Definition: I cast, lay down
Definition: (a) mid: I lay, of a foundation, (b) met: I cast down, prostrate. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2598.htm - 6k

2522. chalash -- to be weak or prostrate
... 2521, 2522. chalash. 2523 . to be weak or prostrate. Transliteration: chalash
Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-lash') Short Definition: prostrate. Word Origin a prim ...
/hebrew/2522.htm - 6k

5502. sachaph -- prostrate
... 5501b, 5502. sachaph. 5503 . prostrate. Transliteration: sachaph Phonetic Spelling:
(saw-khaf') Short Definition: prostrate. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/5502.htm - 5k

5456. sagad -- to prostrate oneself (in worship)
... 5455, 5456. sagad. 5457 . to prostrate oneself (in worship). Transliteration:
sagad Phonetic Spelling: (saw-gad') Short Definition: down. Word Origin a prim ...
/hebrew/5456.htm - 6k

7812. shachah -- to bow down
... down (14), bowing (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 ...
/hebrew/7812.htm - 6k

3766. kara -- to bow down
... A primitive root; to bend the knee; by implication, to sink, to prostrate -- bow
(down, self), bring down (low), cast down, couch, fall, feeble, kneeling, sink ...
/hebrew/3766.htm - 6k

7511. raphas -- to stamp, tread
... humble self, submit self. A primitive root; to trample, ie Prostrate -- humble self,
submit self. 7510, 7511. raphas or raphas. 7512 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/7511.htm - 6k

7817. shachach -- to bow, be bowed down, crouch
... down (1), bowed down (3), bowing (1), bows down (1), bring down (1), brought low
(1), collapsed (1), crouch (2), despair (4), humbled (3), prostrate (1), sing ...
/hebrew/7817.htm - 6k

1457. gahar -- to bend, crouch
... cast self down, stretch self. A primitive root; to prostrate oneself -- cast self
down, stretch self. 1456, 1457. gahar. 1458 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/1457.htm - 5k

2865. chathath -- to be shattered or dismayed
... A primitive root; properly, to prostrate; hence, to break down, either (literally)
by violence, or (figuratively) by confusion and fear -- abolish, affright ...
/hebrew/2865.htm - 6k

Thee Prostrate I Adore
... No. 48 Thee prostrate I adore. THE BLESSED SACRAMENT Thee prostrate
I(adore (Adoro Te devote). St. Thomas Aquinas Translated by ...
/.../the st gregory hymnal and catholic choir book/no 48 thee prostrate i.htm

Of their Method of Praying.
... ended they do not hurry at once to kneel down, as some of us do in this country,
who, before the Psalm is fairly ended, make haste to prostrate themselves for ...
/.../cassian/the works of john cassian /chapter vii of their method.htm

Reform
... Until we are brought to know our own lost and ruined condition, self-righteousness
is the god before which every one of us will prostrate ourselves. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 5 1859/reform.htm

Then Affrodosius, that Governor of the City, when News of this was ...
... But when he came into the temple, and saw all the gods lying prostrate on their
faces, he went up to the blessed Mary, who was carrying the Lord in her bosom ...
/.../unknown/the gospel of pseudo-matthew/chapter 24 then affrodosius that.htm

The 13Th Psalm of David.
... ertake me. For then, Lord, ev'ry enemy Would never cease to glory, And were
I prostrate utterly, Would ever triumph o'er me. "There ...
/.../gerhardt/paul gerhardts spiritual songs/the 13th psalm of david.htm

The Holy Women at the Sepulchre.
... I saw the holy women coming into the garden; but when they perceived the light given
by the lamps of the sentinels, and the prostrate forms of the soldiers ...
/.../the dolorous passion of our lord jesus christ/chapter lxiv the holy women.htm

He Shows from the Appearance of Christ Vouchsafed to the Apostle ...
... For when as he lay prostrate he saw the splendour of that divine light which he
was unable to endure, there followed this voice: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest ...
/.../cassian/the seven books of john cassian /chapter vi he shows from.htm

What Other Objection is Alleged by Our Adversaries? This...
... Since, then, there was needed a lifting up from death for the whole of our nature,
He stretches forth a hand as it were to prostrate man, and stooping down to ...
/.../gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/chapter xxxii what other objection.htm

Sapor King of Persia is Excited against the Christians. Symeon ...
... the man evinced his excellence and courage; for when Sapor commanded that he should
be led away to the torture, he did not fear, and would not prostrate himself ...
/.../the ecclesiastical history of sozomenus/chapter ix sapor king of persia.htm

The victory of Constantine, and the Blessings which under Him ...
... above, the deserved fruit of piety, the trophies of victory over the impious, and
he cast the guilty one with all his counselors and friends prostrate at the ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter ix the victory of constantine.htm

Prostrate (25 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Lying at length, or with the body extended on
the ground or other surface; stretched out; as, to sleep prostrate. ...
/p/prostrate.htm - 14k

Worship (332 Occurrences)
... 1. Terms: The principal Old Testament word is shachah, "depress," "bow down,"
"prostrate" (Hithpael), as in Exodus 4:31, "bowed their heads and worshipped"; so ...
/w/worship.htm - 66k

Leaning (11 Occurrences)
... In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant: when my master goeth into the house of
Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I prostrate myself in ...
/l/leaning.htm - 10k

Fall (522 Occurrences)
... 2. (vt) To cease to be erect; to take suddenly a recumbent posture; to become prostrate;
to drop; as, a child totters and falls; a tree falls; a worshiper ...
/f/fall.htm - 62k

Attitudes (1 Occurrence)
... The most common terms are those rendered "to stand," "to bow," "to kneel" and
"prostrate oneself" or "fall on the face." It is not always easy to differentiate ...
/a/attitudes.htm - 20k

Prostrated (29 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Prostrate. Multi-Version Concordance
Prostrated (29 Occurrences). Matthew 2:11 So they entered ...
/p/prostrated.htm - 15k

Obeisance (45 Occurrences)
... But in a large number of instances the verb denotes the prostrate posture of the
worshipper in the presence of Deity, and is generally rendered, "to worship ...
/o/obeisance.htm - 22k

Offset (3 Occurrences)
... before, or against, something. 2. (n.) A short prostrate shoot, which takes
root and produces a tuft of leaves, etc. 3. (n.) A sum ...
/o/offset.htm - 8k

Lodge (64 Occurrences)
... arsenal. 15. (n.) To cause to stop or rest in; to implant. 16. (n.) To lay
down; to prostrate. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. LODGE. ...
/l/lodge.htm - 29k

Lay (524 Occurrences)
... 10. (n.) A song; a simple lyrical poem; a ballad. 11. (n.) A melody; any musical
utterance. 12. (vt) To cause to lie down, to be prostrate, or to lie against ...
/l/lay.htm - 41k

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