Matthew 28:9
Matthew 28:99Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They came to Him, grasped His feet, and worshiped Him.
The NWT renders proskuneo as "did obeisance" when directed at Jesus but as "worship" when directed at Jehovah, Satan, or the Beast. In the women clasp the risen Jesus' feet and "did obeisance to him" (NWT). JWs argue this is respectful homage to a king or God's appointed agent — the same gesture a subject might make to a monarch — not worship in the sense reserved for Jehovah.
The Greek word proskuneo appears throughout the New Testament for worship of God, of idols, and of Jesus. The NWT translates this identical word as "worship" approximately 22 times when directed at the Father, at Satan, and at the Beast — yet as "obeisance" approximately 17 times when directed at Jesus. The translation choice is theological, not linguistic. In , the women clasp the risen Jesus' feet and worship him; he does not refuse. This contrasts sharply with the angel in , who rebukes John for the identical action. In , the Lamb receives the same praise as God — "to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb" — with no refusal and no correction. The disciples worship Jesus after he walks on water (), and Thomas confesses him as "My Lord and my God" () without rebuke. Only deity can legitimately receive proskuneo without refusing it.
The NWT systematically renders proskuneo as "obeisance" when directed at Jesus but as "worship" when directed at God, Satan, or the Beast. The identical Greek word receives two different English translations based solely on who the object is. The NWT's own 1945 edition rendered as "worship," but later editions changed it to "obeisance." No major English translation makes this distinction.