H1290 H1290
Knee; the bodily joint used in kneeling for worship, supplication, drinking, and in idioms for birth and blessing.
The Hebrew word for the knee joint, appearing in contexts ranging from physical posture to profound ritual significance. Kneeling marks worship before God (1 Kgs 8:54; Isa 45:23), desperate entreaty (2 Kgs 1:13), and even the practical act of drinking at a spring (Judg 7:5-6). The dual form בִּרְכַּיִם reflects the paired anatomy. A striking idiom in Genesis 30:3 and 50:23 describes birth 'upon the knees,' signifying adoption or acknowledgment of a child. Elijah's prayer posture—face between his knees (1 Kgs 18:42)—evokes total self-abasement before the Almighty. Spanish 'rodillas' and English 'knees' consistently confirm the single physical referent across all 26 occurrences.
Senses
1. knee — The anatomical joint of the leg, used literally and idiomatically. Physically, knees buckle under disease (Deut 28:35), tremble in weakness (Dan 10:10), or are submerged in rising water (Ezek 47:4). Ritually, kneeling expresses worship (Isa 45:23; 1 Kgs 19:18), prayer (Ezra 9:5), or supplication (2 Kgs 1:13). The birth idiom 'bearing upon the knees' (Gen 30:3; 50:23) signals legal adoption. Multilingual glosses—Spanish 'rodillas,' French 'genoux'—uniformly point to a single anatomical sense with rich figurative extensions. 26×
AR["(رُكْبَتَيْهِ)", "ال-رُّكَبِ", "الرُّكَبِ", "الرُّكْبَتَيْنِ", "رُكْبَةٍ", "رُكْبَتانِ", "رُكْبَتَيَّ", "رُكْبَتَيْنِ", "رُكْبَتَيْهَا", "رُكْبَتَيْهِ", "وَ-رُكَبًا", "وَرُكَبًا"]·ben["(তার-হাঁটুগুলির।)", "আমার-কোলে", "আমার-হাঁটু", "এবং-হাঁটুগুলি", "ও-হাঁটুগুলো", "তাঁর-কোলে", "তাঁর-হাঁটু", "তার-কোলের", "তার-হাঁটুতে", "তার-হাঁটুর", "হাঁটু", "হাঁটু-তাঁর", "হাঁটুগুলি", "হাঁটুতে"]·DE["[ברכי]", "[ברכיו]", "[ברכים]", "[וברכים]", "der-knees", "ihr-knees", "meinen-Knien", "segnete", "sein-knees", "seinen-Knien"]·EN["and-knees", "her-knees", "his-knees", "knee", "knees", "knees-his", "knees-my", "my-knees", "the-knees"]·FR["[ברך]", "[ברכי]", "[ברכיו]", "[וברכים]", "et-וברכים", "genoux-mon", "genoux-son", "le-knees", "sa-knees", "son-knees", "éclair", "ברכים"]·heb["ברך", "ברכי-י", "ברכיה", "ברכיו", "ברכיו-ו", "ברכיי", "ברכיים", "ה-ברכיים", "ו-ברכיים"]·HI["अपनी-गोद", "अपने-घुटनों", "उसकी-गोद-में", "और-घुटनों", "घुटना", "घुटने", "घुटनों", "घुटनों-अपने", "घुटनों-उस-के", "घुटनों-उसके", "मेरे-घुटनों"]·ID["(lututnya)", "dan-lutut", "dan-lutut-lutut", "lutut", "lutut-lututnya", "lutut-nya", "lututku", "lututnya", "pangkuan-nya"]·IT["[ברך]", "[ברכי]", "[ברכיו]", "[וברכים]", "e-e-knees", "ginocchia", "ginocchio", "il-ginocchia", "il-knees", "knees", "knees-mio", "knees-suo", "lei-ginocchia", "suo-ginocchia"]·jav["dengkul", "dengkul-kawula", "dhengkul", "dhengkul-dhengkul-punika", "dhengkul-dhengkulipun", "dhengkul-kula", "dhengkul-nipun", "dhengkulipun", "jengku-jengku", "jengku-piyambakipun", "jengkunipun", "jengkuè", "lan-dhengkul", "pangkonipun"]·KO["(그의-무릎들)", "그-무릎과", "그-무릎들", "그-의-무릎들", "그녀의-무릎", "그녀의-무릎들", "그리고-무릎들을", "그의-무릆위에", "그의-무릎들", "그의-무릎의", "나의-무릎", "나의-무릎들", "나의-무릎들과", "무릎들이", "무릎의", "무릎이"]·PT["e-joelhos", "joelho", "joelhos", "joelhos-meus", "joelhos-seus", "meus-joelhos", "os-joelhos", "seus-joelhos"]·RU["-колени-его", "-коленях-её", "водою", "и-колени", "колен-его", "колен-своих", "коленах-своих", "колени", "колени-мои", "колени-свои", "колено", "коленях", "коленях-своих", "по-колени"]·ES["las-rodillas", "mis-rodillas", "rodilla", "rodillas", "rodillas-de-él", "rodillas-mis", "rodillas-mías", "sus-rodillas", "y-las-rodillas", "y-rodillas"]·SW["goti", "magoti", "magoti-yake", "magoti-yangu", "mapaja-yake", "na-magoti", "ya-magoti", "yote"]·TR["(dizlerinin)", "diz", "dizler", "dizlere-kadar", "dizleri", "dizleri-onun", "dizlerimin", "dizlerin", "dizlerinin", "ve-dizleri"]·urd["(اپنے-گھٹنوں-کے)", "-اپنے-گھٹنوں", "اور-گھٹنوں", "اور-گھٹنوں-کو", "اُس-کی-گود", "اپنے-گھٹنوں", "میرے-گھٹنوں", "گھٹنا", "گھٹنوں", "گھٹنوں-اس-کے", "گھٹنوں-اپنے", "گھٹنوں-میرے", "گھٹنوں-کے", "گھٹنے"]
Gen 30:3, Gen 48:12, Gen 50:23, Deut 28:35, Judg 7:5, Judg 7:6, Judg 16:19, 1 Kgs 8:54, 1 Kgs 18:42, 1 Kgs 18:42, 1 Kgs 19:18, 2 Kgs 1:13 (+14 more)
Related Senses
H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0398 1. eat (consume food) (697×)H4191 1. die (Qal: natural/general death) (645×)G3708 1. see, perceive visually (419×)G0191 1. hear, perceive sound (360×)H???? 3. (352×)G3708 2. behold, look (exclamatory) (256×)H7272 1. foot (body part) (236×)H8354 1. drink, consume liquid (209×)H3205 1. Qal active: bear/give birth (female subject) (204×)H3205 2. Qal active: beget/father (male subject) (198×)H2421 1. Qal: live, be alive (177×)H8085 2. Qal: listen, heed, pay attention (172×)H2416a 1. alive, living (state/attribute) (146×)H2416e 1. life, lifespan, lifetime (145×)G2198 1. be alive, have life (133×)H8193 1. lip, lips (body part) (123×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† בֶּ֫רֶךְ n.f. Is. 45:23 knee (Assyrian birku Ethiopic ብርክ Aramaic בֶּרֶךְ, ܒܪܽܘܟ; Arabic رُكْنَةٌ ) Is 45:23; du. בִּרְכַּיִם Jb 3:12 + 10 times; sf. בִּרְכַּי etc. Gn 30:3 + 11 times;—knee, knees: מים ברכים water reaching to the knees Ez 47:4; וַתְּנִיעֵנִי על ברכי Dn 10:10; יַכְּכָה בשׁחין רע על הברכים Dt 28:35; כרע על ברכים kneel on knees in worship 1 K 8:54 Ezr 9:5 cf. Is 45:23 1 K 19:18 2…