BDAG Entry for Proskunew

προσκυνέω (κυνέω ‘to kiss’) impf. προσεκύνουν; fut. προσκυνήσω; 1 aor. προσεκύνησα (Trag., Hdt.+. Freq. used to designate the custom of prostrating oneself before persons and kissing their feet or the hem of their garment, the ground, etc.; the Persians did this in the presence of their deified king, and the Greeks before a divinity or someth. holy.) to express in attitude or gesture one’s complete dependence on or submission to a high authority figure, (fall down and) worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to, welcome respectfully, in Attic Gk., and later (e.g. Appian, Mithrid. 104 §489), used w. the acc. (so Mt 4:10 and Lk 4:8 [Dt 6:13 v.l.]; J 4:22ab, 23b, 24a; Rv 9:20.—Gen 37:9; Ex 11:8; Judg 7:15 A; pseudepigr.; Philo; Jos., C. Ap. 1, 239, Ant. 2, 13; 7, 250; Just.; Tat.; Mel., P. 92, 690; Ath.); beside it the Koine uses the dat. (Phryn. p. 463 Lob.; JWittmann, Sprachl. Untersuchungen zu Cosmas Indicopl., diss. Munich 1913, 16; KWolf, Studien z. Sprache des Malalas II, diss. Munich 1912, 34; GKilpatrick in: Studies and Documents 29, ’67, 154–56; B-D-F §151, 2; Rob. 455; 476f), which the LXX (s. also JosAs; ApcMos 27:33) and our lit. prefer (s. also EpArist 135; Jos., Ant. 6, 55; Just., D. 30, 3; 78, 9; 88, 1.—Jos., Ant. 6, 154 πρ. τῷ θεῷ immediately after τὸν θεὸν πρ.). This reverence or worship is paid

ⓐ to human beings, but by this act they are to be recognized as belonging to a superhuman realm (Appian, Mithrid. 104 §489: Pompey; Galen, Protr. 5 p. 12, 2ff ed. WJohn: Socrates, Homer, Hippocrates, Plato): to a king (so Hdt. et al.; cp. 2 Km 18:28; 24:20; 3 Km 1:16, 53. On proskynesis in the Hellenistic ruler cults s. LTaylor, JHS 47, 1927, 53ff, The Divinity of the Rom. Emperor ’31, esp. 256–66; against her WTarn, Alexander the Great II, ’50, 347–73) ὁ δοῦλος προσεκύνει αὐτῷ Mt 18:26 (of a female slave toward her κύριος PGiss 17, 11f=Mitt-Wilck, I/2, 481; s. Jos., Ant. 2, 11); to Peter by Cornelius Ac 10:25 (cp. Apollonius [c. 197 a.d.] in Eus., HE 5, 18, 6).—The church at Philadelphia προσκυνήσουσιν ἐνώπιον τῶν ποδῶν σου Rv 3:9 (on πρ. ἐνώπιόν τινος cp. Ps 21:28; 85:9; Is 66:23; TestAbr B 4 p. 108, 17 [Stone 64, 17]).—Jesus, who is rendered homage as Messianic king and helper: Mt 2:2, 8, 11.—8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 15:25; J 9:38.—Mt 20:20; GJs 20:4 (codd.); 21:1, 2 (codd.). A man possessed by an unclean spirit asks a favor of him Mk 5:6. Mock worship on the part of soldiers 15:19 (στέφανος 1). S. also bε below.

ⓑ to transcendent beings (God: Aeschyl. et al.; X., An. 3, 2, 9; 13; Pla., Rep. 3, 398a; Polyb. 18, 37, 10; Plut., Pomp. 626 [14, 4]; Lucian, Pisc. 21 τῇ θεῷ; PGM 4, 649. Of various divinities in the ins [s. OGI II 700a index VIII; Sb 7911ff]; PFlor 332, 11 θεούς; LXX; Philo, Gig. 54 τὸν θεόν al.; Jos., Ant. 6, 154; 20, 164 al.; Theoph. Ant. 1, 11 [p. 82, 3]).

α. of deity in monotheistic cult (Christians, Judeans, Samaritans) κύριον τὸν θεόν σου προσκυνήσεις (Dt 6:13 v.l.) Mt 4:10; Lk 4:8. πρ. τῷ πατρί J 4:21, 23a; cp. 23b. τῷ θεῷ (Jos., Ant. 6, 55; 9, 267; cp. Orig., C. Cels. 5, 11, 38 [w. λατρεύειν]) Rv 19:4 (w. πίπτειν), 10b; 22:9. See Hb 1:6 (Dt 32:43 LXX). τῷ ζῶντι Rv 4:10. τῷ ποιήσαντι τὸν οὐρανόν 14:7. πεσὼν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον προσκυνήσει τῷ θεῷ he will fall down and worship God (cp. 2 Km 9:6 of obeisance before David) 1 Cor 14:25; cp. Rv 7:11; 11:16. ἐνώπιόν σου (s. the Ps. reff. in a above) 15:4. Abs. (SIG 1173, 2; PTebt 416, 7; LXX) J 4:20ab, 24ab; Ac 8:27. Used w. ἀναβαίνειν (UPZ 62, 33 [161 b.c.] ἐὰν ἀναβῶ κἀγὼ προσκυνῆσαι; Jos., Ant. 20, 164) J 12:20; Ac 24:11; cp. Rv 11:1. W. πίπτειν (s. Jos., Ant. 8, 119) Rv 5:14. προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ he bowed in worship (or prayed) over the head of his staff Hb 11:21 (Gen 47:31).

β. of image worship in polytheistic cult (LXX; Ar. 3, 2; Just.; Ath. 15, 1 τὰ ἀγάλματα) προσκυνεῖν τοῖς νεκροῖς θεοῖς 2 Cl 3:1 or λίθους καὶ ξύλα κτλ. 1:6 (cp. EpArist 135 … οἷς πρ.). See Ac 7:43; Dg 2:5. τὰ ὑφ’ ὑμῶν προσκυνούμενα the things that are worshiped by you 2:4. Abs., w. θύειν MPol 12:2.

γ. the devil and Satanic beings (the eschatological opponent Iren. 5, 28, 2) Mt 4:9; Lk 4:7 (on πρ. ἐνώπιον ἐμοῦ s. α above). τὰ δαιμόνια Rv 9:20. τῷ δράκοντι 13:4a; τῷ θηρίῳ 13:4b. τὸ θηρίον vss. 8 (αὐτόν), 12; 20:4. τῇ εἰκόνι (Da 3:5 al.) τοῦ θηρίου 13:15; cp. 16:2; 19:20. τὸ θηρίον καὶ τ. εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ 14:9, 11. See θηρίον 1b; also PTouilleux, L’Apocalypse et les cultes de Domitien et de Cybèle ’35.

δ. angels (TestAbr A 3 p. 79, 28 [Stone p. 6]) Rv 22:8; cp. 19:10a.

ε. The risen Lord is esp. the object of worship: Mt 28:9, 17; Lk 24:52 P⁷⁵ et al. Likewise the exalted Christ MPol 17:3. See also a above, end.—Lit. s.v. προσεύχομαι, end; Bolkestein [δεισιδαιμονία, end] 23ff; JHorst, Proskynein: Z. Anbetung im Urchristentum nach ihrer religionsgesch. Eigenart ’32; Berthe MMarti, Proskynesis and adorare: Language 12, ’36, 272–82; BReicke, Some Reflections on Worship in the NT: TWManson mem. vol. ’59, 194–209.—B. 1469; Kl. Pauly IV 1189. New Docs 2, 68; 3, 77–78; 4, 61f. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.