בראשית, פרק כ״ד, פסוק כ״ו

The exact fulfillment of the sign established at the well was not enough on its own to prove success, as it could have easily been dismissed as mere guesswork. However, the moment it became clear that the young woman who completed the test belonged to Abraham's close family, Eliezer was fully satisfied. He immediately hurried to thank God for granting him success and guiding him correctly [ביאור שטיינזלץ, רד״ק, צאינה וראינה]. This spontaneous act of gratitude serves as a prime example of a situation where a person is obligated to bow down, specifically upon hearing good news [רס״ג].

The physical act of bowing occurred in two distinct stages, representing different levels of physical and spiritual submission. The first action involved lowering the head. While some suggest this required dropping to the knees to bring the head to the ground [שד״ל], others maintain it was simply a bowing of the head without bending the knees [רש ר הירש]. The second action was a much more complete and extreme movement [רד״ק]. The primary approach among commentators is that this involved full prostration, spreading the hands and feet out completely so that the entire body touched the earth. This form of prostration is compared to the bowing performed when saying the word "Blessed" during prayer [העמק דבר]. Furthermore, for this full prostration to be valid, it must last for a minimum duration, just long enough to recite a short sentence of praise or confession. If performed too quickly, it is not considered a true act of bowing [רב סעדיה גאון].

Beyond the physical movements, these two actions reflect a profound internal process. Initially, by lowering his head, Eliezer expressed the submission of his mind and spirit to the Divine providence that had just been revealed to him. Following this, through the act of full prostration, he completely surrendered his entire physical being to God's guidance [רש ר הירש].