Obeisance

Obeisance refers to a deep bow or prostration performed as a sign of respect, submission, or worship. In the biblical world it was the customary gesture of respect before a king, a patriarch, or anyone of higher social standing — bowing to the ground with the face touching the earth. The Hebrew verb shachah covers both reverential bowing before humans and the act of worship before God, reflecting the ancient world's continuity between social and sacred hierarchies.

Joseph's brothers performed obeisance before him in Egypt (Genesis 42:6; 43:28), fulfilling Joseph's earlier dreams of sheaves and stars bowing to him. The verb's use for worship of God and idols alike underlies the first and second commandments' prohibition of serving other gods: you shall not bow down to them or serve them (Exodus 20:5). In the New Testament, the Magi worshipped (proskuneō) the infant Jesus, the same gesture rendered obeisance in OT contexts.