H1289 H1289
To kneel, bless, or praise; an Aramaic verb used in Daniel for kneeling in prayer and blessing God's name.
The Aramaic cognate of the ubiquitous Hebrew barekh, this verb carries the same dual range of physical kneeling and verbal blessing. Daniel kneels on his knees in prayer (Dan 6:10), while elsewhere the word expresses praise and blessing directed to God (Dan 2:19–20; 4:34). The Spanish glosses reveal this duality clearly: 'arrodillado' (kneeling) alongside 'bendije/bendijo' (I blessed/he blessed). That a single root spans prostrate prayer posture and exalted doxology captures something profound about biblical worship—blessing God begins with bending the knee.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To kneel in prayer or to bless and praise God—covering both the physical posture of worship and the verbal act of doxology. Daniel 6:10 uses the Peal participle for kneeling on one's knees, while Dan 2:19 and 4:34 use the Pael for blessing God after receiving revelation. The passive participle in Dan 3:28 ('blessed be the God of Shadrach...') shows liturgical doxological use. Spanish 'arrodillado' (kneeling) versus 'bendije' (I blessed) helpfully distinguishes the physical from the verbal, though in Aramaic both flow from a single root. 5×
AR["بَارَكَ", "بَارَكْتُ", "تَبَارَكَ", "جَاثِيًا", "مُبَارَكًا"]·ben["ধন্য", "ধন্য-করলেন", "প্রশংসা-করলাম", "হাঁটু-গেড়ে"]·DE["[בריך]", "[ברך]", "[ברכת]", "[מברך]"]·EN["I-blessed", "blessed", "kneeling"]·FR["bénir"]·heb["ברוך", "ברך", "ברכתי", "כורע", "מבורך"]·HI["घुटने-टेकता-था", "धन्य", "धन्य-कहा", "धन्य-हो", "मैंने-धन्य-कहा"]·ID["aku-puji", "berlutut", "memuji", "terpuji", "terpujilah"]·IT["[בריך]", "[ברך]", "[ברכת]", "[מברך]"]·jav["jengkèng", "kula-mberkahi", "mberkahi", "pinuji", "pinujia"]·KO["꿇었으니", "찬송하며", "찬양받는", "찬양받으신다", "찬양하였다"]·PT["bendisse", "bendito", "se-ajoelhava"]·RU["благословен", "благословенно", "благословил", "благословил-я", "преклонялся"]·ES["arrodillado", "bendije", "bendijo", "bendito"]·SW["akambariki", "akipiga-magoti", "amebarikiwa", "limebarikiwa", "nilimbariki"]·TR["diz-çöktü", "mübarek", "övdü", "övdüm"]·urd["برکت-دی", "جھکتا-تھا", "مبارک", "میں-نے-حمد-کی"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [בִּרַךְ] vb. kneel, bless (so BH);— Pe. Pt. 1. act. בָּרֵךְ עַל־בִּרְכוֹ֫הי Dn 6:11 kneeling on his knees (in prayer). 2. pass. בְּרִיךְ Dn 3:28 blessed (be) the God, etc. Pa. bless, praise: Pf. 3 ms. בָּרִךְ 2:19, 1 s. בָּֽרְכֵת (K § 39. 3) 4:31, both c. ל of God; Pt. pass. מְבָרַךְ 2:20 the name of God (be) blessed.