to worship
Proskuneo denotes worshipful homage, whether directed to God and Jesus or, in warning scenes, to other figures and images.
The verb most often marks worship directed to God, the Father, or Jesus, frequently accompanied in the verse by falling down, approaching, or verbal acknowledgment. It also occurs for homage offered to human or angelic figures and for worship directed to the dragon, the wild animal, and its image; the surrounding clauses distinguish the recipient rather than introducing a different verbal form.
Senses in use
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Worship directed to God or Jesus · dominant
In John 4:23, the future plural form occurs in Jesus’ statement that true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. The same action is shown toward Jesus when those in the boat acknowledge him in Matthew 14:33, and toward God when the elders fall on their faces in Revelation 11:16.
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Worship directed to rival powers and images · common
In Revelation 13:4, the aorist plural forms describe people worshiping both the dragon and the wild animal, followed by their declaration about the wild animal’s unmatched power. Revelation 13:15 makes refusal to worship the image of the wild animal the stated condition for being killed, while Revelation 14:11 identifies those worshiping the wild animal and its image.
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Homage before a human or angelic figure · occasional
In Acts 10:25, Cornelius falls at Peter’s feet as the aorist form is used. In Revelation 19:10 and Revelation 22:8, the speaker falls at an angel’s feet to perform the action, but the angel rejects it and commands worship of God; Matthew 18:26 similarly places the act in a slave’s plea before his master.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB usually presents the action with “worship,” including worship of God, Jesus, the wild animal, and its image. In Mark 5:6 it renders the surrounding action as falling down before Jesus without using “worship,” so the translation does not provide a one-to-one rendering in every occurrence.