Bible Strands
Acts 20:36
When Paul had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Paul addresses the Ephesian elders at Miletus immediately after concluding his farewell address on labor and generosity. He shifts from teaching to communal prayer as their physical parting approaches.
The words — The Greek terms theis (having bowed) and gonata (knees) record Paul physically lowering himself before praying. The text notes this action occurs directly after his speech, marking a transition from instruction to joint supplication.
The thread — The posture of kneeling accompanies prayer or intercession in Luke 22:41, Acts 7:60, and Acts 21:5. These passages consistently link the physical act of kneeling with moments of farewell, sacrifice, or urgent spiritual appeal.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to treat prayer as the necessary conclusion to faithful teaching and communal labor. It establishes kneeling as the standard physical posture for believers engaged in shared supplication.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
Cross-references
- Acts 21:5 But when our time there had ended, we set out on our journey. All the disciples, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city and knelt down on the beach to pray with us.
- Luke 22:41 And He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed,
- Acts 7:60 Falling on his knees, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
- Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- 2 Chronicles 6:13 Now Solomon had made a bronze platform five cubits long, five cubits wide, and three cubits high and had placed it in the middle of the courtyard. He stood on it, knelt down before the whole assembly of Israel, spread out his hands toward heaven,
- Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
- Ephesians 3:14 ... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father,