Matthew 14:33
Matthew 14:3333Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”
The NWT renders proskyneō here as "did obeisance to him" rather than "worshipped him." JWs argue that the disciples were showing respectful honour to God's representative, not offering religious worship — which belongs exclusively to Jehovah.
After Jesus walks on water and calms the storm, "those in the boat did proskyneō to him, saying: 'You really are God's Son.'" The NWT translates proskyneō as "worship" when directed at the Father (30+ occurrences) but as "obeisance" when directed at Jesus (~17 occurrences) — the identical Greek word, two different English translations. The dividing line is purely theological: who receives the action, not the word itself. The 1945 NWT used "worship" in before changing to "obeisance." In , an angel refuses proskyneō ("Worship God!"), but Jesus never refuses it — a distinction only deity can explain. directs the same doxology to "the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb" jointly, and the NWT itself uses "worshipped" in 5:14 for this joint worship.
The NWT renders proskyneō as "worship" when directed at the Father but as "obeisance" when directed at Jesus — the same Greek word with two different English translations. The dividing line is theological (the recipient), not linguistic. This pattern spans approximately 17 occurrences where Jesus receives proskyneō.