Bowing to the Temple
Bowing to the temple, which was filled with sacred images of cherubim:
“But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; in fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple” (Ps. 5:7)
“I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name” (Ps. 138:2)
Bowing to God’s Footstool (the Temple)
“Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at His footstool (pedestal, a stand for the feet — note) — He is holy” (Ps. 99:5) (Greek: προσκυνεῖτε τῷ ὑποποδίῳ τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ — “bow down to the footstool of His feet”)
“Let us go into His tabernacle; let us worship at His footstool” (Ps. 132:7)
Bowing Before the Ark of the Covenant
The prophet Joshua the son of Nun bows before the Ark of the Covenant, with images of cherubim on its cover and sacred objects inside:
“Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads” (Josh. 7:6)
Bowing to the Image of God in the Form of Three Angels
Abraham bows to God in the form of three men:
“Then the LORD appeared to him [IN THE FORM OF AN IMAGE] (Greek: θεὸς — God; Hebrew: יְהוָ֔ה — Yahweh) by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground” (Gen. 18:1-2)
Why did God appear in the form of an image? Because God is invisible by nature; no one has ever seen Him (1 Tim. 6:16; John. 1:18). Nevertheless, Scripture reports that it was God who appeared (Hebrew: יְהוָ֔ה — Yahweh).
Bowing to an Object
To a staff: “Then he said, ‘Swear to me.’ And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed” (Gen. 47:31). In the LXX translation — to the staff (Greek: προσεκύνησεν Ισραηλ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄκρον τῆς ῥάβδου αὐτοῦ — “Israel bowed down upon the top of his staff”; also Heb. 11:21)
Bowing to an Angel
It should be noted first that angels are spirits (Heb. 1:13-14), and spirits do not have flesh and bones (Luke. 24:39), that is, angels too appear to people in the form of people. Accordingly, if someone bows to an angel, he bows to the visible image of an invisible spirit (an angel):
“So He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’” (Josh. 5:14)
“Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground” (Gen. 19:1)
“it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar — the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground” (Judg. 13:20)
“Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground” (Dan. 10:9)
“When he had spoken such words to me, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless” (Dan. 10:15)
Bowing to a Prophet
To Elisha: “Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, ‘The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.’ And they came to meet him, and bowed to the ground before him” (2 Kin. 2:15)
“Now as Obadiah was on his way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, ‘Is that you, my lord Elijah?’” (1 Kin. 18:7)
To Daniel: “Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, prostrate before Daniel, and commanded that they should present an offering and incense to him” (Dan. 2:46)
To Samuel: “So he said to her, ‘What is his form?’ And she said, ‘An old man is coming up, and he is covered with a mantle.’ And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground and bowed down” (1 Sam. 28:14)
“Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground” (1 Sam. 25:23)
Bowing to a People
“Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land” (Gen. 23:12)
Bowing to a Brother
“Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother” (Gen. 33:3)
“Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth” (Gen. 42:6)
Bowing to a Father-in-Law
“So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and kissed him. And they asked each other about their well-being, and they went into the tent” (Ex. 18:7)