Lexical Summary berek: Knee Original Word: בֶּרֶךְ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance knee From barak; a knee -- knee. see HEBREW barak NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom barak Definition the knee NASB Translation feeble* (1), knee (1), kneeled* (1), kneels* (1), knees (20), lap (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs בֶּ֫רֶךְ noun feminineIsaiah 45:23 knee (Assyrian birku COTGloss; Ethiopic  Aramaic בֶּרֶךְ  ) Isaiah 45:23; dual בִּרְכַּיִם Job 3:12 10t.; suffix בִּרְכַּי etc. Genesis 30:3 11t.; — knee, knees: מים ברכים water reaching to the knees Ezekiel 47:4; וַתְּנִיעֵנִי על ברכי Daniel 10:10; יַכְּכָה בשׁחין רע על הברכים Deuteronomy 28:35; כרע על ברכים kneel on knees in worship 1 Kings 8:54; Ezra 9:5 compare Isaiah 45:23; 1 Kings 19:18; 2Chronicles 6:13, in entreaty 2 Kings 1:13, to drink of a fountain Judges 7:5,6; שׂם פניו בין ברכיו put his face between his knees in prayer 1 Kings 18:42; על ברכים upon the knees, Genesis 30:3 (E; on ׳תֵּלֵד עַל ב see PlossDas Weib Aufi. 2. ii. 180 ff. StaZAW 1886, 143 ff.) Genesis 50:23 (E) Job 3:12; Judges 16:10; 2 Kings 4:20; Isaiah 66:12; הוציא מעם ברכים Genesis 48:12 (E); knees as seat of strength, weak from terror Job 4:4; Isaiah 35:3; Ezekiel 7:17; Ezekiel 21:12; Nahum 2:11; or fasting Psalm 109:24. Topical Lexicon Physical and Familial ImageryThe first occurrences of בֶּרֶךְ present the knee as a place of life-receiving welcome. Rachel seeks to “bear children on my knees” (Genesis 30:3), identifying the knee with adoption and legal acknowledgment. Jacob’s grandsons are removed from “his father’s knees” (Genesis 48:12), and later Joseph nourishes a new generation “on Joseph’s knees” (Genesis 50:23). The same maternal picture re-emerges in Isaiah 66:12 where restored Jerusalem will have her children “dandled on her knees.” In daily life the knee receives the infant (Job 3:12) and the dead child of the Shunammite woman rests there until death (2 Kings 4:20). Thus בֶּרֶךְ marks the hinge between birth and death, nurture and surrender. Posture of Prayer and Worship To bend the knee is the instinctive gesture of petition and reverence. Solomon “had been kneeling with his hands spread toward heaven” (1 Kings 8:54; 2 Chronicles 6:13), Ezra “fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God” (Ezra 9:5), and Elijah bows with his face between his knees in fervent intercession (1 Kings 18:42). Kneeling keeps the worshiper low while directing attention upward, framing prayer as dependence. Symbol of Submission and Loyalty Bowing the knee declares allegiance. Seven thousand in Israel “have not bowed the knee to Baal” (1 Kings 19:18), preserving the remnant. Conversely, a third captain “fell on his knees before Elijah” (2 Kings 1:13), pleading for mercy. Isaiah 45:23 announces the divine oath: “Every knee will bow to Me,” a proclamation echoed in Philippians 2:10; the physical knee becomes the universal sign of absolute sovereignty. Indicator of Strength and Weakness Healthy knees permit standing; diseased or trembling knees betray frailty. Covenant disobedience brings “painful and incurable boils on your knees” (Deuteronomy 28:35). In siege language “knees knock” (Nahum 2:10) and “turn to water” (Ezekiel 7:17; Ezekiel 21:7). Yet God commands, “Strengthen the weak hands, and steady the feeble knees!” (Isaiah 35:3; cf. Job 4:4, Hebrews 12:12). Ministering to knees therefore involves restoring spiritual resolve. Herald of Judgment Feeble knees accompany national collapse. When Babylon attacks Nineveh, hearts melt and knees quake (Nahum 2:10). Ezekiel speaks of limp hands and water-knees as the Day of the LORD sweeps through Jerusalem (Ezekiel 7:17). Judgment unmasks idols; only knees anchored in the LORD endure. Picture of Restoration and Peace Ezekiel’s temple vision includes water “knee-deep” (Ezekiel 47:4), a stage between ankle security and waist immersion, encouraging believers to advance farther into divine life. Psalm 109:24 links fasting with weakened knees, yet this voluntary frailty seeks grace that ultimately strengthens. Foreshadowing Universal Lordship of Christ Isaiah 45:23 forms the backbone of New Testament Christology: every knee will bow to the risen Jesus (Philippians 2:10; Romans 14:11). The Hebrew text grounds the future reality; the knee that once resisted Baal now finds its true object in the Messiah. Implications for Ministry and Discipleship 1. Intercession is inseparable from humility; Christian leaders do well to imitate Solomon, Elijah, and Ezra. Summary בֶּרֶךְ traces a theological arc from cradle to throne: the knee receives life, bends in prayer, trembles under wrath, steadies in hope, and finally bows before the Lord of Glory. In every setting Scripture presents the knee as a mirror of the heart’s posture toward God. Forms and Transliterations בִּ֭רְכַּי בִּרְכֵּ֥י בִּרְכֵיהֶ֖ם בִּרְכֶּ֔יהָ בִּרְכֶּ֛יהָ בִּרְכַּ֔י בִּרְכַּ֖י בִּרְכַּ֖יִם בִּרְכַּ֗יִם בִּרְכַּ֙יִם֙ בִּרְכָּ֑יִם בִּרְכָּ֑יו בִּרְכָּ֔יו בִּרְכָּ֖יו בִּרְכָּ֣יו ׀ בִּרְכָּיו֙ בִרְכָּ֑יִם בֶּ֔רֶךְ בִּרְכָּֽיו׃ ברך ברכי ברכיה ברכיהם ברכיו ברכיו׃ ברכים הַבִּרְכַּ֗יִם הַבִּרְכַּ֙יִם֙ הברכים וּבִרְכַּ֖יִם וּבִרְכַּ֥יִם וברכים be·reḵ Berech bereḵ bir·ka·yim bir·kā·yim ḇir·kā·yim bir·kāw bir·kay bir·kê bir·ke·hā bir·ḵê·hem bircheiHem birKai birKav birkāw birkay birkayim birkāyim ḇirkāyim birkê birkehā birḵêhem birKei birKeiha hab·bir·ka·yim habbirkayim ū·ḇir·ka·yim ūḇirkayim uvirKayim virKayimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 30:3 HEB: וְתֵלֵד֙ עַל־ בִּרְכַּ֔י וְאִבָּנֶ֥ה גַם־ NAS: in to her that she may bear on my knees, that through KJV: unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children INT: may bear on my knees may have too Genesis 48:12 Genesis 50:23 Deuteronomy 28:35 Judges 7:5 Judges 7:6 Judges 16:19 1 Kings 8:54 1 Kings 18:42 1 Kings 19:18 2 Kings 1:13 2 Kings 4:20 2 Chronicles 6:13 Ezra 9:5 Job 3:12 Job 4:4 Psalm 109:24 Isaiah 35:3 Isaiah 45:23 Isaiah 66:12 Ezekiel 7:17 Ezekiel 21:7 Ezekiel 47:4 Daniel 10:10 Nahum 2:10 25 Occurrences |
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