verb
proskunamō
Strong’sG4352
I worship
stem proskun-60 times in the New Testamentin 8 of 27 books24 forms occur
What it means
A plain-English reading of the word, with the lexicons it draws on — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, and Liddell-Scott-Jones — right below it, in full.
AI Summary
Worship — to fall down, prostrate oneself, or otherwise show reverence before God, Christ, or other divine and heavenly beings; used of the act of worship itself, sometimes together with falling to the ground 13. This is the ordinary use of the word for religious worship of the true God, as opposed to giving such homage to any human master 13.
Homage — the same act of falling down or bowing before a human superior, such as a king or other person of higher rank, as a mark of deep respect rather than worship of a deity; the underlying image is of prostrating or crouching before someone, almost like an animal fawning before its master 123. This gesture of reverence toward people is treated as a related but distinct use of the word alongside its use for worship of God 1.
Sources: 1 Abbott-Smith 2 Strong's 3 LSJ 4 Dodson. Condensed by anthropic/claude-sonnet-5 on 2026-09-23 — it may still misstate what these say; check them yourself if it matters to you.
The lexicons it was drawn from, in full:
Abbott-Smith — the 1922 lexicon entry, in full
προσ-κυνέω, -ῶ
(< κυνέω, to kiss), [in LXX chiefly for שׁחה hith.;]
G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 1922 — public domain. References open in the reader.
Strong’s G4352 — the 1890 definition, and where the word comes from
Saidpros-koo-neh'-o
to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore)
Fromfrom G4314 and a probable derivative of G2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand);
King Jamesworship.
James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, 1890 — public domain. The numbers in it link to the entries here.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — the classical dictionary this word appears in
future -ήσωRefs 6th c.BC+: aorist προσεκύνησα Refs 5th c.BC+, infinitive -κύσαι Refs, participle -κύσας Refs: perfect -κεκύνηκαLXX+1st c.BC+:—passive, present infinitive προσκυνεῖσθαι Refs 5th c.BC+: aorist προσεκυνήθην Refs 2nd c.AD+:— make obeisance to the gods or their images, fall down and worship, with accusative, Refs 5th c.BC+, of deprecating the wrath of Nemesis, Refs 5th c.BC+; of sacred places, do reverence to, πατρῷα ἕδη θεῶν Refs 5th c.BC+
2 especially of the Oriental fashion of prostrating oneself before kings and superiors, absolutely, Refs 5th c.BC+ make obeisance to him, Refs; προσκυνεῖν διδάσκονται τὸν βασιλέα [οἱ ἐλέφαντες] Refs 4th c.BC+; προσπίπτων π. Refs 5th c.BC+; προσκυνῶ σ᾽, ἄναξ, προσπίτνων LXX+5th c.BC+; οὐδένα ἄνθρωπον δεσπότην ἀλλὰ τοὺς θεοὺς π. NT+5th c.BC+. (Orig. perhaps throw a kiss to the god,Refs 4th c.AD+
II later, kiss, σοῦ -ήσω τὴν χεῖρα Refs 2nd c.AD+; τὸ πρόσωπον, τὴν ὄψιν, τοὺς πόδας, Refs 2nd c.AD+
II.2 greet, σπουδάζουσα -ῆσαί σε (by letter) Refs 2nd c.AD+; ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἵνα ὑμᾶς -ήσω διὰ πολλοῦ χρόνου Refs 2nd c.AD+
II.3 welcome respectfully, respect, προσεκύνησά σου τὰ γράμματα Refs 2nd c.AD+; τὴν θείαν ἀντιγραφὴν ὑπὸ πάντων προσκυνουμένην Refs 3rd c.AD+
H. G. Liddell, R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexicon (9th ed., 1925–1940) — digitised by the Perseus Digital Library and corrected and expanded by Tyndale House, Cambridge, via STEPBible-Data's TFLSJ table, CC BY 4.0. Covers all of Greek literature, not just the Bible.
Translated as
Every occurrence, sorted by the English it was actually given — the evidence for what the word means, not a gloss of it.
Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain — berean.bible.
Biblang forms
What the New Testament actually uses, first — the whole system this verb is built from is one click further down.
| Form and the Greek behind it | What it is | Usually | Times |
|---|---|---|---|
| proskunatōπροσκυνεῖ | happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular | worships | 1× |
| proskunanōπροσκυνοῦμεν | happening now · wepresent active indicative 1st person plural | worship | 1× |
| proskunavōπροσκυνεῖτε | happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural | worship | 1× |
| proskunateπροσεκύνει | was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular | knelt | 4× |
| proskunaleπροσεκύνουν | was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural | homage | 1× |
| proskunasiπροσκυνήσεις | will happen · youfuture active indicative 2nd person singular | worship | 2× |
| proskunatiπροσκυνήσει | will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular | worship | 1× |
| proskunaviπροσκυνήσετε | will happen · yefuture active indicative 2nd person plural | worship | 1× |
| proskunaliπροσκυνήσουσιν | will happen · theyfuture active indicative 3rd person plural | worship | 7× |
| proskunataπροσεκύνησεν | happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular | worshiped | 4× |
| proskunalaπροσεκύνησαν | happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural | worshiped | 12× |
| proskunameiaπροσκυνήσω | happened · Iaorist active subjunctive 1st person singular | worship | 1× |
| proskunaseiaπροσκυνήσῃς | happened · youaorist active subjunctive 2nd person singular | worship | 2× |
| proskunaleiaπροσκυνήσωσιν | happened · theyaorist active subjunctive 3rd person plural | worship | 2× |
| proskunasarπροσκύνησον | happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular | worship | 2× |
| proskunavarπροσκυνήσατε | happened · yeaorist active imperative 2nd person plural | worship | 1× |
| proskunalarπροσκυνησάτωσαν | happened · theyaorist active imperative 3rd person plural | worship | 1× |
| proskunarōπροσκυνεῖν | happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive | worship | 3× |
| proskunaraπροσκυνῆσαι | happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive | worship | 3× |
| proskunarōntasπροσκυνοῦσα | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular feminine | kneeling down | 1× |
| proskunarōntoisπροσκυνοῦντες | happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine | worship | 1× |
| proskunarōntoinπροσκυνοῦντας | happening now · objectpresent active participle accusative plural masculine | worship | 5× |
| proskunarintosπροσκυνήσων | will happen · subjectfuture active participle nominative singular masculine | worship | 2× |
| proskunarantoisπροσκυνήσαντες | happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative plural masculine | worshiped | 1× |
Every form the New Testament uses, in paradigm order. What the system can build beyond them — the whole of this verb, whether the text happens to use it or not — is in the tables below.
Every form the system can build — all 86, by mood, including the ones the New Testament never uses
Statements — indicative mood, 35 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | was happening imperfect | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect | had happened pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | proskunamō | proskuname | proskunami | proskunama | proskunamē | proskunamelē |
| you 2nd person singular | proskunasō | proskunase | proskunasi2×προσκυνήσεις | proskunasa | proskunasē | proskunaselē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | proskunatō1×προσκυνεῖ | proskunate4×προσεκύνει | proskunati1×προσκυνήσει | proskunata4×προσεκύνησεν | proskunatē | proskunatelē |
| we 1st person plural | proskunanō1×προσκυνοῦμεν | proskunane | proskunani | proskunana | proskunanē | proskunanelē |
| ye 2nd person plural | proskunavō1×προσκυνεῖτε | proskunave | proskunavi1×προσκυνήσετε | proskunava | proskunavē | proskunavelē |
| they 3rd person plural | proskunalō | proskunale1×προσεκύνουν | proskunali7×προσκυνήσουσιν | proskunala12×προσεκύνησαν | proskunalē | proskunalelē |
May, might — subjunctive mood, 5 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | proskunameiō | proskunameia1×προσκυνήσω | proskunameiē |
| you 2nd person singular | proskunaseiō | proskunaseia2×προσκυνήσῃς | proskunaseiē |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | proskunateiō | proskunateia | proskunateiē |
| we 1st person plural | proskunaneiō | proskunaneia | proskunaneiē |
| ye 2nd person plural | proskunaveiō | proskunaveia | proskunaveiē |
| they 3rd person plural | proskunaleiō | proskunaleia2×προσκυνήσωσιν | proskunaleiē |
Commands — imperative mood, 4 occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|
| you 2nd person singular | proskunasōr | proskunasar2×προσκύνησον | proskunasēr |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | proskunatōr | proskunatar | proskunatēr |
| ye 2nd person plural | proskunavōr | proskunavar1×προσκυνήσατε | proskunavēr |
| they 3rd person plural | proskunalōr | proskunalar1×προσκυνησάτωσαν | proskunalēr |
Wishes — optative mood, no occurrences
| Who person | happening now present | happened aorist |
|---|---|---|
| I 1st person singular | proskunamoiō | proskunamoia |
| you 2nd person singular | proskunasoiō | proskunasoia |
| he/she/it 3rd person singular | proskunatoiō | proskunatoia |
| we 1st person plural | proskunanoiō | proskunanoia |
| ye 2nd person plural | proskunavoiō | proskunavoia |
| they 3rd person plural | proskunaloiō | proskunaloia |
The “to …” form — infinitive, 6 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | proskunarō3×προσκυνεῖν | proskunari | proskunara3×προσκυνῆσαι | proskunarē |
Used as an adjective — participle, 10 occurrences
| Who is acting voice | happening now present | will happen future | happened aorist | has happened perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| the subject acts active voice | proskunarōntos7× | proskunarintos2×προσκυνήσων | proskunarantos1× | proskunarēntos |
Each is given in the form it takes as a subject. From there a participle carries the ordinary noun endings, in every case, number and gender — so these four columns are the whole of what the verb contributes.
How every form is built — the slots that make them
proskun is this word in every one of its forms. The slots after it make all the rest.
same in every form varies — every value shown
Where it appears
Every verse the word appears in, filed under the form it takes there.
60 occurrences, every one of them listed
proskunatō“worships”happening now · he/she/itpresent active indicative 3rd person singular1×
Revelation 14:9… legarōntos en fōna mega; Ei tinos proskunatō tem thērem kai tan eikonan auteu, …… in a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and its image and …
proskunanō“worship”happening now · wepresent active indicative 1st person plural1×
John 4:22vis proskunavō hem ouk oidavē, nis proskunanō hem oidanē, hoti tas sōtērēas ek …… what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation …
proskunavō“worship”happening now · yepresent active indicative 2nd person plural1×
John 4:22vis proskunavō hem ouk oidavē, nis proskunanō hem …You worship what you do not know; we …
proskunate“knelt”was happening · he/she/itimperfect active indicative 3rd person singular4×
Matthew 8:2kai idou lepros prosercharantos proskunate auto legarōntos; Kurior, ean thelaseiō dunosō …Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You …
Matthew 9:18… lalarōntou autoi idou archontos henos ercharantos proskunate auto legarōntos hoti Tas thugatras mu …… things, a synagogue leader came and knelt before Him. “My daughter has just …
Matthew 15:25tas de ercharantas proskunate auto legarōntas; Kurior, boēthasōr mi.The woman came and knelt before Him. “Lord, help me!” she …
Matthew 18:26“do obeisance”piptarantos oun tos doulos proskunate auto legarōntos; Makrothumasar epi mi, kai …Then the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Have patience with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will …
proskunale“homage”was happening · theyimperfect active indicative 3rd person plural1×
Mark 15:19“homage”… emptuale auto, kai titharōntois teim gonueim proskunale auto.… staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed before Him.
proskunasi“worship”will happen · youfuture active indicative 2nd person singular2×
Matthew 4:10… grafotē gar; Kurion ton theon su proskunasi kai auto mono latreuasi.… told him. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve …
Luke 4:8… auto; Grafotē; Kurion ton theon su proskunasi kai auto mono latreuasi.But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve …
proskunati“worship”will happen · he/she/itfuture active indicative 3rd person singular1×
1 Corinthians 14:25… genotō, kai houtōs piptarantos epi prosōpem proskunati to theo, apangelarōntos hoti Ontōs tos …… So he will fall facedown and worship God, proclaiming, “God is truly among …
proskunavi“worship”will happen · yefuture active indicative 2nd person plural1×
John 4:21… te ore houte oute en Hierosolumei proskunavi to patro.… time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain …
proskunali“worship”will happen · theyfuture active indicative 3rd person plural7×
John 4:23… nun atō, hote tois alēthinois proskunētois proskunali to patro en pneume kai alētheia, …… come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in …
Revelation 3:9… idou poiami autoin hina hēkali kai proskunali enōpion toiu podoiu su, kai gnōskaleia …… I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will …
Revelation 4:10… tou kathorōntou epi tou thronou, kai proskunali to zōarōnto eis toin aiōnoin toiu …… seated on the throne, and they worship Him who lives forever and ever …
Revelation 9:20… ergeiu taiu cheiraiu autoiu, hina mē proskunali teim daimoneim kai teim eidōleim teim …… their hands. They did not stop worshiping demons and idols of gold, silver …
Revelation 13:8kai proskunali auton pantois tois katoikarōntois epi tau …… who dwell on the earth will worship the beast — all whose names have …
Revelation 13:12… kai toin en auta katoikarōntoin hina proskunali tem thērem tem prōtem, heu therapeuita …… those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose mortal wound …
Revelation 15:4… hoti panteim teim ethneim hēkali kai proskunali enōpion su, hoti teim dikaiōmeim su …… holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts …
proskunata“worshiped”happened · he/she/itaorist active indicative 3rd person singular4×
Mark 5:6“bowed down before”… ton Iēsun apo makrothen trechata kai proskunata auton,… man saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees before Him.
John 9:38tos de fēate; Pisteuamō, kurior; kai proskunata auto.… I believe,” he said. And he worshiped Jesus.
Acts 10:25“worshiped”… tos Kornēlios piptarantos epi toin podoin proskunata.… to enter, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet to worship …
Hebrews 11:21… hekaston toiu huioiu Iōsēf eulogata, kai proskunata epi tem akrem tau rabdau autou.… blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned on the top …
proskunala“worshiped”happened · theyaorist active indicative 3rd person plural12×
Matthew 2:11… Mariau tau mētērau autou, kai piptarantois proskunala auto, kai anoigarantois toin thēsauroin autoiu …… Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures …
Matthew 14:33tois de en te ploie proskunala auto legarōntois; Alēthōs theou huios asō.… those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the …
Matthew 28:9… prosercharantais kratala autou toin podoin kai proskunala auto.… to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him.
Matthew 28:17kai horarantois auton proskunala, tois de distazala.When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.
John 4:20… patrois nu en te ore houte proskunala; kai vis legavō hoti en Hierosolumei …Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews …
Revelation 5:14… Amēn. kai tois presbuterois piptala kai proskunala.… and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 7:11… thronou epi teim prosōpeim autoiu kai proskunala to theo,… fell facedown before the throne and worshiped God,
Revelation 11:16… piptala epi teim prosōpeim autoiu kai proskunala to theo,… God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
Revelation 13:4kai proskunala to drakonto hoti dōata tan exousian …… authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like …
Revelation 13:4… dōata tan exousian te thēre, kai proskunala te thēre legarōntois; Tinos homoios te …They worshiped the dragon who had given authority …
Revelation 19:4… tessares kai teim tessares zōeim, kai proskunala to theo to kathorōnto epi to …… four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne …
Revelation 20:4… logon tou theou, kai hotinois ouk proskunala tem thērem oude tan eikonan auteu …… God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and …
proskunameia“worship”happened · Iaorist active subjunctive 1st person singular1×
Matthew 2:8… heuriskaveia, apangelavar mi, hopōs kamis ercharantos proskunameia auto.… that I too may go and worship Him.”
proskunaseia“worship”happened · youaorist active subjunctive 2nd person singular2×
Matthew 4:9… Houteim si panteim dōami, ean piptarantos proskunaseia mi.… if You will fall down and worship me.”
Luke 4:7sis oun ean proskunaseia enōpion mu, eti su pantas.So if You worship me, it will all be Yours.”
proskunaleia“worship”happened · theyaorist active subjunctive 3rd person plural2×
John 12:20… Hellēnois tinois ek toiu anabainarōntoiu hina proskunaleia en ta heorta;… among those who went up to worship at the feast.
Revelation 13:15… kai poiateia hina hosois ean mē proskunaleia ta eikona teu thēreu apoktenileia.… and cause all who refused to worship it to be killed.
proskunasar“worship”happened · youaorist active imperative 2nd person singular2×
Revelation 19:10… echarōntoiu tan marturian Iēsu; to theo proskunasar; tas gar marturias Iēsu atō tem …… rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus …
Revelation 22:9… logoin teu biblieu houteu; to theo proskunasar.… keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
proskunavar“worship”happened · yeaorist active imperative 2nd person plural1×
Revelation 14:7… tas hōras tau krisiau autou, kai proskunavar to poiaranto ton ouranon kai tan …… hour of His judgment has come. Worship the One who made the heavens …
proskunalar“worship”happened · theyaorist active imperative 3rd person plural1×
Hebrews 1:6… prōtotokon eis tan oikoumenan, legatō; Kai proskunalar auto pantois angelois theou.… He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.”
proskunarō“worship”happening now · the “to …” formpresent active infinitive3×
John 4:20… en Hierosolumei atō tos topos hopou proskunarō datō.… that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.”
John 4:24“worship”… auton en pneume kai alētheia datō proskunarō.… His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
Acts 7:43… theou Raifan, toin tupoin hoin poiava proskunarō autoi. kai metoikizami vin epekeina Babulōnau.… Rephan, the idols you made to worship. Therefore I will send you into …
proskunara“worship”happened · the “to …” formaorist active infinitive3×
Matthew 2:2… asteron en ta anatola kai erchana proskunara auto.… the east and have come to worship Him.”
Revelation 19:10kai piptama emprosthen toiu podoiu autou proskunara auto. kai legatō mi; Horasōr mē; …… I fell at his feet to worship him. But he told me, “Do …
Revelation 22:8… kai hote akouama kai blepama, piptama proskunara emprosthen toiu podoiu tou angelou tou …… seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel …
proskunarōntas“kneeling down”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative singular feminine1×
Matthew 20:20“kneeling down”… huioiu Zebedaiou meta toiu huioiu autau proskunarōntas kai aitarōntas tinem para autou.… of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.
proskunarōntois“worship”happening now · subjectpresent active participle nominative plural masculine1×
Revelation 14:11… echalō anapausian hēmerau kai nuktau, tois proskunarōntois tem thērem kai tan eikonan auteu, …… is no rest for those who worship the beast and its image, or …
proskunarōntoin“worship”happening now · objectpresent active participle accusative plural masculine5×
John 4:23… gar tos patros toioutoin zētatō toin proskunarōntoin auton;… is seeking such as these to worship Him.
John 4:24pneumem tos theos, kai toin proskunarōntoin auton en pneume kai alētheia datō …… is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
Revelation 11:1“worship”… theou kai tem thusiastēriem kai toin proskunarōntoin en auto.… temple of God and the altar, and count the …
Revelation 16:2… tem charagmem teu thēreu kai toin proskunarōntoin ta eikona auteu.… the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
Revelation 19:20… tem charagmem teu thēreu kai toin proskunarōntoin ta eikona auteu; zōarōntois balila tois …… the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and …
proskunarintos“worship”will happen · subjectfuture active participle nominative singular masculine2×
Acts 8:27… pantau tau gazau autau, hos erchatelē proskunarintos eis Ierousalēm,… He had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
Acts 24:11… mi hēmerais dōdeka apo hau anabainama proskunarintos eis Ierousalēm,… I went up to Jerusalem to worship.
proskunarantois“worshiped”happened · subjectaorist active participle nominative plural masculine1×
Luke 24:52kai autois proskunarantois auton hupostrefala eis Ierousalēm meta charau …And they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with …