Does the Bible talk about bowing or kneeling in prayer?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible shows that bowing and kneeling in prayer are powerful expressions of humility, gratitude, and submission to God (Psalm 95:6; 2 Chronicles 6:13). From Abraham’s servant bowing in thanks (Genesis 24:52) to Jesus Himself falling on His face in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39), God’s people have often assumed these postures in worship and petition. Yet Scripture also records prayer while standing (1 Kings 8:22), sitting (Acts 2:2), lying prostrate (2 Samuel 12:16), or silently weeping (1 Samuel 1:13–15), showing no single posture is required. The focus is on the heart before God, not the body’s position (1 Samuel 16:7). Thus, believers are free to pray in any posture that best expresses their reverence, repentance, or gratitude (Hebrews 4:16; 1 Thessalonians 5:17).

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Psalm 95:6 says, "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!" Everyone is invited to bow and kneel in this call to worship God.
• Most often people bowed before the Lord as part of worshiping Him in response to answered prayer. When God helped Abraham's servant find a wife for Isaac, the servant, "bowed himself to the earth before the LORD" (Genesis 24:52) in gratitude. Earlier, he had prayed silently in his heart after arriving at a well (Genesis 24:45).
• Similarly, when King Hezekiah had cleansed the temple and restored worship there, "the king and all who were present with him bowed themselves and worshiped… [The Levites] sang praises with gladness, and they bowed down and worshiped" (2 Chronicles 29:29–30). The faithful people were so happy to see right worship restored to God's temple that their response was to bow before the Lord.
• Likewise, when King Jehoshaphat was assured the Lord would rescue him and Judah from their attacking enemies, "Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the LORD, worshiping the LORD" (2 Chronicles 20:18). The next verse says, "the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the LORD, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice" (2 Chronicles 20:19), showing that gratitude toward the Lord can be expressed in more than one way.
• Bowing is also done in submission to God, as in the case of Balaam. When the angel of the Lord stood with a sword in Balaam’s path as he was going to Balak, only Balaam's donkey could see him. But "then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face" (Numbers 22:31). Balaam was displaying complete submission by bowing to the angel of the Lord in hopes of sparing his own life.
• Ezra fell to his knees in repentance when he begged God's forgiveness for the people in his community who had sinned by marrying pagan foreigners: "But at the evening offering I stood up from my humiliation, even with my garment and my robe torn, and I bowed down on my knees and spread out my hands to the LORD my God; and I said, 'My God, I am ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God, for our wrongful deeds have risen above our heads, and our guilt has grown even to the heavens… behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this" (Ezra 9:5–6, 15 NASB20).
• When dedicating the newly constructed temple, King Solomon "knelt on his knees in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven, and said, 'O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart'" (2 Chronicles 6:13–14). Though King Solomon was the wealthiest, most powerful person in the land, he knelt in front of the people to show reverence for the almighty God. He also petitioned God to hear the future prayers of the people (2 Chronicles 6:29-30, 41). By kneeling, Solomon manifested humility rather than arrogantly making demands from a presumed position of power.
• Solomon is also recorded to have "stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel and spread out his hands toward heaven" when he prayed (1 Kings 8:22). So standing in worship and prayer can also be a sign of respect similar to people standing in reverence when a judge enters the courtroom or wedding guests rising when the bride enters the sanctuary.
• In contrast, sitting can even be a posture of humility. Sitting on ashes while wearing sackcloth to display repentance while praying for forgiveness and mercy was a regular practice of humble prayer in the Old Testament (see Jonah 3:6–9).
• David lay prostrate on the ground when interceding for his infant son (2 Samuel 12:16).
• Hannah prayed silently while weeping at the tabernacle (1 Samuel 1:13–15).
• Jeremiah chanted or sang a lamenting prayer when King Josiah died (2 Chronicles 35:25).
• The psalmists wrote down many prayers as poems (Psalm 72:20).

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• A Samaritan leper Jesus healed "fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks" as recorded in Luke 17:16.
• When Jesus' disciples were shown His glory during the transfiguration and they heard the voice of God from heaven identifying Jesus as His Son, "they fell on their faces and were terrified" (Matthew 17:6). Seeing the divine glory of Jesus and hearing the direct voice of God caused these men to bow in God's presence in fearful recognition of their status as mere mortals in the presence of divine holiness.
• In the garden of Gethsemane, as Jesus prepared to take on the sin of the world and suffer crucifixion and death, Matthew 26:39 states, "he fell on his face and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'" Jesus bowed in prayer as an expression of His complete submission to the Father's will, even when that plan would bring great suffering to Him. So bowing to express gratitude, worship, and submission was a practice that continued in the New Testament.
• Acts records that after Jesus' ascension, His followers "were devoting themselves to prayer" (Acts 1:14) and on the day of Pentecost "there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting" (Acts 2:2). So sitting while praying together as a group may have been a regular practice (see also Acts 12:12).
• Jesus often prayed alone on mountainsides (Matthew 14:23; Luke 5:16), but He also prayed in public (John 11:42; 17:1–26).
• People often knelt in front of Jesus when requesting His help of healing: "A leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, 'Lord, if you will, you can make me clean'" (Matthew 8:2). Again a synagogue "ruler came in and knelt before him, saying, 'My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her, and she will live'" (Matthew 9:18).
• Later when the apostles prayed to God, they also sometimes knelt. When Peter was summoned to raise Tabitha from the dead, he "knelt down and prayed" (Acts 9:40). And when Paul was bidding farewell to the Ephesians at Miletus, "he knelt down and prayed with them all" (Acts 20:36). So kneeling in prayer is a biblical practice.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Bowing in the presence of another is a sign of respect. For instance, subjects bow before their king, actors bow before their audience, and in some cultures, students bow to their teachers. Kneeling is also an act of humility, which is why a lover kneels when proposing marriage to his beloved and why a noble kneels before royalty when being knighted. Bowing and kneeling are physical positions that demonstrate submission to a higher authority. The Bible has many examples of people bowing and kneeling when entering God's presence through prayer and worship.

Prayer can happen from any location, during any emotion, in any circumstance, and in any physical posture. Paul's exhortation to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) is possible because we don't have to stop what we are doing to assume a particular position. We can "with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16). Sometimes, differing physical postures can help our hearts express humility, gratitude, or repentance, so each person should feel free to assume any physical position that will assist them in prayer, including bowing or kneeling.

UNDERSTAND

• Bowing and kneeling in prayer express humility, gratitude, and submission to God.
• The Bible shows prayer can be in any posture.
• God values the heart over physical position in prayer.

REFLECT

• When you pray, how does your posture reflect your humility, gratitude, or submission to God?
• How might varying your posture in prayer help you express your heart more fully to God?
• Do you ever find yourself focusing more on your body position than on your heart in prayer, and how could you shift that focus?

ENGAGE

• What biblical examples of prayer postures exist and what do they teach about approaching God?
• How can we encourage others to focus on the heart of prayer while still valuing meaningful physical expressions?
• How do bowing and kneeling in prayer challenge or deepen our understanding of humility and surrender before God?