לִפְנָ֑י
before
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
State
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Every verse where H3942 appears — 1 distinct verse across 1 book. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
1 Kings 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
לפני — transliterated liphnay — is a Hebrew preposition carrying the sense “before.” The Hebrew Bible uses it only 1 verse. More than three-quarters of its appearances fall in 1 Kings. A true hapax — its single appearance is 1 Kings 6:17. Related forms include פנים, פנימה and פנימי. See the sense tree, 1-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H3942 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 1
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 1 distinct verse.
- 1 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 1 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #6,101
- by frequency
- Rank #6,101 (rank 6,101 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 1 occurrence in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- 1 Kings 1 verse 100%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 1 distinct verse.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 1 verse · 100%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Before 1×
- American Standard Version: Temple before 1×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Face of it 1×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H3942 across 1 tagged occurrence — most commonly:
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H3942 across 1 tagged occurrence — most commonly:
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H3942 across 1 tagged occurrence — most commonly:
44 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 44 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab.
- I.
- 1. face, faces (Je 30:6; Ez 27:35 +, cf. 1:6; 10:14, 21 etc.): e.g. Jeremiah 30:6
- a. lit., of man Gn 43:31; 2 S 19:5; 1 K 19:13; Lv 13:41; Dn 8:18; 10:9, 15 +; עוֹר פ׳ Ex 34:29, 30, 35; pale (from alarm) Is 29:22; Je 30:6, flushed Is 13:8;Ez 21:3, cf. Na 2:11; Jo 2:6; tearful Is 25:8; Jb 16:16; sad, פ׳ רעים Gn 40:7, cf.Ne 2:2, 3, also רֹעַ פ׳ Ec 7:3 i.e. sadness; יֵיטִב פ׳ Pr 15:13 maketh glad the face; נָֽפְלוּ פָנֶיךָ Gn 4:5, 6 why is thy face fallen (in displeasure), cf. 1 S 1:18 (reading נָֽפְלָה, נָֽפְלוּ, or הִפִּילָה); covered with shame Ez 7:18; whence fig. of confusion, discomfiture Je 51:51 ψ 69:8; 83:17, etc. e.g. Genesis 43:31
- b. of י׳ Ex 33:20, cf. v 23. e.g. Exodus 33:20
- c. פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים face to face, of seeing (God) Gn 32:31, cf. Ju 6:22, knowing Dt 34:10, judging Ez 20:35, speaking Ex 33:11, and so פ׳ בְּפ׳ Dt 5:4; נִתְרָאֶה פָּנִים 2 K 14:8 see each other (in the) face = meet each other in battle, cf. v 11 = 2 Ch 25:17, 21. e.g. Genesis 32:31
- d. of relations with י׳: הֵרִים פ׳ Ezr 9:6, in worship (v. also נשׂא); in spiritual sense Je 2:27; 32:33 (פָּנָה אֵלַי עֹרֶף וְלֹא פָנִים); נָתַן פ׳ לִדְרוֹשׁ י׳ 2 Ch 20:3; נָתַן אֶת־פ׳ אֶל־אֲדֹנָי Dn 9:3; הַבָּנִים קְשֵׁי פָנִים Ez 2:4. e.g. Ezra 9:6
- e. of י׳ himself, לֹא יָסִיר פָּנִים מִכֶּם 2 Ch 30:9; פְּנֵי י׳ בְּעֹשֵׂי רָ֑ע ψ 34:17; גַּעֲרַת פָּנֶיךָ 80:17.—Vid. further sub 7. e.g. 2 Chronicles 30:9
- 2.
- a. = presence, person, of י׳ Ex 33:14, 15, בְּפָנָיו Dt 4:37, מַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו Is 63:9; לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים, v. לֶחֶם; of י׳ in anger La 4:16 ψ 21:10; 139:7; of Absalom; 2 S 17:11; in weakened sense, nearly = sf. (cf. נפשׁ 4 a), ψ 42:12; 43:5 Pr 7:15. e.g. Exodus 33:14
- b. c. ראה technically, see one’s face, i.e. appear before one, in one’s presence: before a man Gn 32:21 (+ 3 other uses of פ׳), (God, c. יראה pointed as Niph., v. II 2); especially as privilege, = have access to, man of rank Gn 43:3, 5; 44:23, 26, king Ex 10:28(×2) cf. v 29 (all J), 2 S 14:24(×2), 28, 32 cf. 3:13(×2); רֹאֵי פְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ 2 K 25:19 = Je 52:25;Est 1:14; implying favour of person seen, man Gn 33:10 (J), God v 10, cf. Jb 33:26 (Hiph.), and, c. חזה, ψ 11:7; 17:15. e.g. Genesis 32:21
- 3. face of seraphim Is 6:2, cherubim Ex 25:20(×2) = 37:9(×2), Ez 1:8, 11; 2 Ch 3:13 +. e.g. Isaiah 6:2
- 4. face of animals, פְּנֵי הַצֹּאן Gn 30:40; פ׳ אַרְיֵה וּפ׳ שׁוֹר ופ׳ נֶשֶׁר Ez 1:10 (in descr. of cherubim), cf. 10:14; פ׳ אַרְיֵה also 1 Ch 12:8 (fig.), פ׳־כְפִיר Ez 41:19; פִּתְחֵי פ׳ Jb 41:6 of crocodile. e.g. Genesis 30:40
- 5. face (= surface) of ground (הָאֲדָמָה) Gn 2:6; 4:14; 7:4 ψ 104:30 +, so פ׳ הָאָרֶץ Gn 1:29; 7:3; 8:9; 11:4, 8, 9; 19:28; Is 24:1, פ׳ תֵבֵל Is 14:21; 27:6; of a field; Pr 24:31; פ׳ תְהוֹם Gn 1:2(×2) Jb 38:30, פ׳ הַמַּיִם Gn 7:18; פ׳ רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמַיִם 1:20; פ׳־כִסֵּה Jb 26:9 i.e. of God’s throne (but Bu reads כֶּסֶה fullmoon); פ׳ הַלּוֹט Is 25:7 v. [לוּט]; פ׳ לְבוּשׁוֹ Jb 41:5 the expanse of his [the crocodile’s] coat; front (especially Ezek.), of house Ez 41:14; 47:1, פ׳ הַקֹּדֶשׁ 41:21; of gate 40:6, 20, 22; 42:15; 43:4; of chamber 40:44(×2), 45, 46; of pot (סִיר) Je 1:13; פ׳ הַמִּלְחָמָה 2 S 10:9 battle-front = 1 Ch 19:10 (vb. agrees with הַמּ׳ in gender, Ges§ 146 a); = van of locust-army Jo 2:20 (opp. סֹפוֹ); front, i.e. edge, of sword Ez 21:21, of axe Ec 10:10; = condition, state of a thing, as denoted by its appearance; of flock Pr 27:23; פ׳ הַדָּבָר 2 S 14:20 the appearance (situation, attitude) of the affair. e.g. Genesis 2:6
- 6. as adv.loc. מִפָּנִים וּמֵאָחוֹר 2 S 10:9 before and behind = פ׳ וְא׳ 1 Ch 19:10, also Ez 2:10; 2 Ch 13:14; פְּנֵי toward Ct 7:5, also in front (to the East?) of 2 Ch 20:16 (v. לִפְנֵי d infr.); לְפָנִים forward Je 7:24 (opp. לְאָחוֹר); מִלִּפְנִים 1 K 6:29 v. פְּנִימָה; adv.temp. לְפָנִים formerly Dt 2:12, 20; Jos 11:10; Ju 1:10, 11, 23 + 12 times; מִלְּפָנִים Is 41:26 from beforetime (‖ מֵרֹאשׁ). e.g. 2 Samuel 10:9
- 7. for other phrases see: אוֹר vb. Hiph. 5; אוֹר n. 10; בּוֹשׁ Hiph.; בקשׁ Pi. 3; בּשֶׁת 1, p. 102; [הַכָּרָה], p. 648; הָדַר 2; וָעַם Niph.; וָעַף 1; חָבַשׁ 1 a; I. חָדָה; I. חָוַר; חָזַק Pi. 5; II. חלה; IV. חמר; חָפָה; טָחַן; יָעַד Hoph.; יְשׁוּעָה 3, p. 447; כּוּן Hiph. 3; כִּפֶּר 1, p. 497; כָּסָה Pi. 1, 2; מָאוֹר, p. 22; מְגַמָּה p. 169; I. מוּל; מַשּׂא, p. 673; [נָבַט] Hiph. 3; נֶגֶד 1, 2 c; נֹכַח; נָכַר Hiph.; נָפַל 3 b, and Hiph. 5; נָשָׂא 1 b (3); נָתַן 2 b; סָבַב Hiph. 1 a; סָתַר Hiph. 2; סֵתֶר 2 a; עַז, עָזַז Hiph.; עָמַד Hiph. 6 a; ii. עֻמָּה; [צָרַב]; [קָדַם] Pi.; שִׂים; שׁוּב Hiph.; שִׁית; II. שָׁנָה Pi.; תֹּפֶת I. עֵבֶר 2.
- 1. face, faces (Je 30:6; Ez 27:35 +, cf. 1:6; 10:14, 21 etc.): e.g. Jeremiah 30:6
- II. פְּנֵי, with prepositions:—
- 1. אֶל־פְּנֵי:
- a. to the presence of, Ex 23:17 pregn. יֵרָאֶה … אֶל־פְּנֵי הָאָדוֹן shall appear (coming) to the presence of (= before) י׳ (‖ 34:23 אֶת־פְּנֵי הָא׳); c. יָצָא = to confront 2 Ch 19:2. e.g. Exodus 23:17
- b. to the front of, after a vb. of motion, Lv 6:7 הַקְרֵב אֹתָהּ … אֶל־פְּנֵי הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, 9:5; 16:2 Nu 17:8; 20:10. e.g. Leviticus 6:7
- c. towards or on the front of (אֶל = עַל: see p. 41), Ez 41:4, 12, 15, 25; 42:2, 3, 7, 10, 13; 45:7; 48:21. e.g. Ezekiel 41:4
- d. on to the surface of, Lv 14:53 וְשִׁלַּח … אֶל־פְּנֵי הַשָּׂדֶה, Ez 16:5. e.g. Leviticus 14:53
- 2. אֶת־פְּנֵי close by (II. אֵת) the face or front of: hence
- a. in the presence of, 1 S 2:11 אֶת־פ׳ עֵלִי 1 K 12:6 who stood אֶת־פ׳ שְׁלֹמֹה (cf. לִפְנֵי 10:8), Est 1:10; Pr 17:24; pregn. (nisi וַיַּנִּחֵם leg., 𝔖 𝔗 We Dr al.) 1 S 22:4. Spec. אֶת־פְּנֵי י׳ Gn 19:13 (1 S 2:17), v 27 1 S 2:18; and with נִרְאָה of the appearance of all males at the three annual חַגִּים, Ex 34:23 יֵרָאֶה כָּל־זְכוּרְךָ אֶת־פ׳ הָאָדֹן, v 24 Dt 16:16 (cf. Dr), 31:11; 1 S 1:22 (‖אל־פ׳ י׳ Ex 23:17); so פָּנַי alone Ex 23:15 = 34:20 (לֹא יֵרָאוּ פָנַי רֵיקָם), Is 1:12, פָנֶיךָ ψ 42:3 (according to many, as GesThes Di Ex 23:15 Che Is 1:12, crit. n., the vb. in all these passages was originally Qal, afterwards pointed as Niph. to avoid the expression see the face of י׳); אֶת־פָּנֶיךָ in thy presence ψ 16:11; 21:7; 140:14. e.g. 1 Samuel 2:11
- b. in front of, Gn 33:18 וַיִּחַן אֶת־פ׳ הָעִיר, Lv 4:6 לִפְנֵי י׳ אֶת־פ׳ פָרֹכֶת הַקֹּדֶשׁ, v 17.—מֵאֵת פְּנֵי from before, v. II. אֵת 4 a. e.g. Genesis 33:18
- 3. בִּפְנֵי: †(a) in the face of, mostly in partic. phrases, with hostile import: thus, with יָרַק to spit Nu 12:14; Dt 25:9; התיצב to make a stand Dt 7:24; 11:25, and עמד Jos 10:8, לֹא יַעֲמֹד אִישׁ בְּפָנֶיךָ 21:42; 23:9; עָנָה to answer (give evidence) against, Ho 5:5 וענה גאון ישׂראל בפניו, 7:10; Jb 16:8; וְנָקֹטּוּ בִּפְנֵיהֶם = feel loathing against their own selves, Ez 6:9, so 20:43; 36:31. †(b) in front of, Ez 42:12. e.g. Numbers 12:14
- 4. לִפְנֵי, proposes at the face or front of, the most general word for in the presence of, before: as Gn 18:22 עֹמֵד לִפְנֵי אַבְרָהָם, Ex 4:21; 11:10; 2 S 2:14; Pr 17:18 + often; after a vb. of motion, Gn 47:2 וַיַּצִּיגֵם לפני פ׳ and set them before Ph., 27:20 כִּי הִקְרָה י׳ לפני lit. made (it) to meet before me (cf. 24:12), Ex 29:10; Pr 18:16 etc. In partic., e.g. Genesis 18:22
- a. With the implication of (a) under the eye or oversight of, Dt 25:2; 1 S 3:1. (b) under the eye and regard of, Gn 17:18 לוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִחְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ, Ho 6:2; Is 53:2 ψ 61:8; cf. Je 30:20; 31:36; Is 66:22 ψ 102:29: also 1 S 2:28; 2 S 19:14. (c) fig. for in (or into) the full (mental) view of, Gn 6:13 קֵץ כָּל־בָּשָׂר בָּא לְפָנַי is come in before me, La 1:22 תָּבֹא כָל־רָעָתָם לְפָנֶיךָ, Jon 1:2 עָֽלְתָה לְפָנַי (cf. אֶל Gn 18:21; Ex 2:23), Is 65:6 כְּתוּבָה לְפָנָ֑י, Je 2:22 נִכְתָּם עֲוֹנֵךְ לְפָנַי (cf. נֶגְדִּי Is 47:12). (d) openly before, 1 S 12:2 הִתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי, and with collat. idea of deserving (and receiving) regard 2:35, especially לפני י׳ Gn 17:1 al. (v. p. 236a). (e) in presence of the moon or sun, ψ 72:5, 17, i.e. as long as they endure. (f) free before, at the disposal of, Gn 13:9 הֲלֹא כָל־הָאָרֶץ לְפָנֶיךָ (cf. 20:15; 34:10; 47:6; Je 40:4; 2 Ch 14:6), 24:51; Ct 8:12. (g) in the sight (estimation) of, Gn 7:1 thee have I seen to be just before me, 10:9 a mighty hunter before י׳, Dt 24:4 תּוֹעֵבָה ל׳ י׳, v 13 צְדָקָה ל׳ י׳, 1 S 20:1b, אָרוּר ל׳ י׳ Jos 6:26; 1 S 26:19, לְרָצוֹן ל׳ י׳ acceptable before י׳, Lv 1:3 +, ψ 19:15; 2 K 5:1 a great man לִפְנֵי אֲדֹנָיו, Pr 14:12 ψ 143:2; וַיִּיטַב ל׳ (late syn. of earlier בְּעֵינֵי) †Ne 2:5, 6; Est 5:14; טוֹב ל׳ Ec 2:26; 7:26; cf. also נָתַן לְרַחֲמִים לִפְנֵי, v. רַחֲמִים. (h) לִפְנֵי י׳, spec. of acts done with a solemn sense of י׳’s presence, often, but not always, at a sanctuary: Gn 27:7 that I may eat and bless thee before י׳, before I die, Ex 18:12 to eat bread before God, Dt 1:45 ye wept before י׳, 6:25; 12:7 (to eat, so v 18 14:23, 26; 15:20), v 12 (rejoice, so v 18 27:7; Is 9:2), Jos 18:6; 24:1; Ju 11:11; 20:23, 26; 21:2; 1 S 7:6; 10:19; 11:15; 12:7; 15:33; 23:18; 2 S 5:3; 7:18; 21:9; and constantly in P, as Ex 16:9, 33, 34; Lv 1:5, 11; 3:1, 7 etc.; of residents in Jerus. Is 23:18. So in הָלַךְ ל׳ י׳ 1 K 2:4 al. (v. p. 234b c). e.g. Deuteronomy 25:2
- b. In other phrases:—(a) עָמַד לִפְנֵי to stand before, i.e. wait upon, be in attendance on, Dt 1:38 al. (v. עָמַד 1 e). Simil. הָיָה לְפְנֵי 1 S 19:7 (cf. 29:8), 2 K 5:2; עָבַד ל׳ 2 S 16:19. (b) הִשְׁתַּחֲוָה לִפְנֵי to bow down before Gn 23:12; Dt 26:10; 2 K 18:22 al. (v. sub שָׁחָה; also נָפַל 3 b): so with הִתְפַּלֵּל to pray 1 S 1:12 +; cf. הלך לפני 1 K 12:30; 1 Ch 21:30. (c) to be smitten (נִגַּף) before a foe; v. נָגַף Niph. [contrast נוּס מִפְּנֵי: infr. 6 a]. So with נָפַל 1 S 14:13; נָתַן (in helplessness or flight), especially in Dt, as 1:8, 21; 7:2, 23; Jos 10:12; 11:6 + (Dr Dt lxxxii): cf. Ju 4:15; 2 S 5:20; Is 45:1; Je 1:17. (d) עָמַד לִפְנֵי to stand (make a stand) before (not quite so strong as ע׳ בִּפְנֵי, supr. 3), Ex 9:11; Ju 2:14; 2 K 10:4; Je 49:19 ψ 76:8; 147:17; Na 1:6; so with הִתְיַצֵּב Dt 9:2; Jos 1:5; Jb 41:2, קוּם Jos 7:12, 13. (e) in hostile sense (rare), יָצָא לִפְנֵי go forth to face 1 Ch 14:8; 2 Ch 14:9. (f) לִפְנֵי (נָתַן) שִׂים, of food, to set or place before, Gn 18:8; 24:33 +. (g) נָתַן לִפְנֵי to set before, i.e. propound for acceptance or choice, usually of laws (especially Dt Je), Dt 4:8; 11:26, 32; 30:1, 15, 19; 1 K 9:6 (D2), Je 9:12; 21:8; 26:4; 44:10; Dn 9:10, cf. Ez 23:24 (place at disposal of): so with שִׂים Ex 19:7; 21:1. e.g. Deuteronomy 1:38
- c. With reference to position: (a) in front of, before, especially with vbs. of motion (with which נֶגֶד is hardly used), Gn 32:21 בַּמִּנְחָה הַהֹלֶכֶת לְפָנָ֔י that goeth before me, 33:14 the cattle אֲשֶׁר לְפָנַי, Ex 17:5; 23:20 etc.; in the description of a march or procession, Ex 13:21, 22; Nu 10:33; Is 52:12; 58:8 +; 2 S 3:31 and wail before Abner (before his bier); of flocks before a shepherd Gn 32:18; of captives or booty driven before a conqueror 1 S 30:20 (read וַיִּנְהֲגוּ לְפָנָיו We Dr), Is 8:4; 40:10 = 62:11 וּפְעֻלָּתוֹ לְפָנָיו his recompence (i.e. his newly-recovered people, regarded as his prize of war) before him, Am 9:4; La 1:5, 6. (b) of a leader, etc. = at the head of, Dt 10:11; Ju 9:39; 1 S 8:20; Mi 1:13 al.; cf. בא ויצא לפני (העם) Nu 27:17; 1 S 18:13, 16; 2 Ch 1:10; Ec 4:16 before whom (at whose head) he was. (c) denoting superiority, before, above, Gn 48:20 וַיָּשֶׂם את־אפרים לפני מנשׁה, Jb 34:19. e.g. Genesis 32:21
- d. Of places (not very common): Ex 14:2 before Pi-haḥiroth …, before Baal-ẓephon, Nu 33:7b; Gn 23:17 אשׁר ל׳ מַמְרֵא (usually על פני מ׳: v. 7 a d), 1 Ch 19:7; Ne 8:1, 3; before the temple, veil, altar, etc., Ex 16:34 + ל׳ הָעֵדֻת, 30:6 + ל׳ הַפָּרֹכֶת, 40:5, 6; Nu 3:38; 7:10 al. (all P), 1 K 6:20(?), 21; 7:49 +. e.g. Exodus 14:2
- e. Of time, before: Am 1:1 לפני הָרָֽעַשׁ׃ before the earthquake, Gn 29:26; 30:30 לְפָנַי before me (i.e. before I came to thee), Ex 10:14 לפניו לא היה כן before it there was not the like, Nu 13:22; 1 K 16:25, 30 מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר לְפָנָיו, Is 43:10; 48:7; Pr 8:25; Jb 15:7 etc. Sq. inf., Gn 13:10 לִפְנֵי שַׁחֵת י׳ before י׳’s destroying, etc., 27:7 לִפְנֵי מוֹתִי, 36:31; 1 S 9:15 +. Once, in late Heb., לִפְנֵי מִזֶּה before this Ne 13:4. e.g. Amos 1:1
- f. In the manner of, like (rare and dub.), 1 S 1:16 אַל־תִּתֵּן אֶת־אֲמָֽתְךָ לִפְנֵי בַת־בִּלִיַּעַל like a worthless woman, Jb 3:24 like my food, 4:19 they are crushed like the moth (cf. Lat. pro). e.g. 1 Samuel 1:16
- 5. מִלִּפְנֵי73 from before:—
- a. from the presence of (properly, from a position before a person or object: to be distinguished from מִפְּנֵי; v. 6): (a) Gn 41:46 ויצא יוסף מִלִּפְנֵי פ׳ from before Ph. 47:10; 2 K 5:27; 6:32 +; מל׳ י׳ Gn 4:6 Cain went forth from before י׳, Jon 1:3, 10; spec. of the sanctuary, Lv 9:24 ותצא אשׁ מלפני י׳ (so 10:2), קֶצֶף Nu 17:11 (cf. 2 Ch 19:2), with לָקַח etc. Lv 16:12; Nu 17:24; 20:9; 1 S 21:7 the shew-bread that was removed from before י׳; from before a place 1 K 8:54; Ezr 10:6 2 Ch 1:13. (b) of taking, etc., from before a person, Gn 23:4 to bury my dead from before me, v 3 Ex 36:3; Dt 17:18 וכתב לו מִשְׁנֵה התורה הזאת מל׳ הכהנים from (the copy) before the priests, 28:31 גָּזוּל מלפניך. (c) with בקשׁ Est 4:8 [cf. מִן קֳדָם Dn 2:18]; and to express the idea of proceeding from a person, Est 1:19 [cf. Dn 2:15], Ec 10:5; 1 Ch 29:12 הָעשֶׁר והכבוד מלפניך (cf. Acts 3:19); ψ 17:2 מלפניך יֵצֵא משׁפטי. (d) of cutting off, etc., from before י׳ (cf. לִפְנֵי a b, c), Lv 22:3; 1 K 8:25 לֹא־יִכָּרֵת לְךָ אִישׁ מִלְּפָנַי, Je 31:36; 33:18; Is 48:19: ψ 51:13 אַל־תַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי מִלְּפָנֶיךָ (cf. 8 a); Je 16:17 לֹא נִסְתְּרוּ מִלְּפָנַי, 18:23; Ne 3:37. (e) of expelling from before an invader, Ex 23:28; Dt 9:4; 11:23; 31:3 + (but much less common than מִפְּנֵי). e.g. Genesis 41:46
- b. (Chiefly late) to express the source or cause, with the force of the לְ weakened, in cases where the earlier language would have used מִפְּנֵי: with vbs. of fearing, 1 S 18:12; Ec 3:14; 8:12, 13; 1 Ch 16:30 חִילוּ מִלְּפָנָיו [‖ ψ 96:9 מפניו], ψ 114:7(×2); Est 7:6; 2 Ch 32:7 (+ מפני); failing, etc., Is 57:16 ψ 97:5; being humbled, 1 K 21:29 (+ מפני), 2 Ch 32:12, 23; 34:27 [‖ 2 K 22:19 מפני], 36:12; crying for help 1 S 8:18 [cf. מפני Ex 3:7], singing 1 Ch 16:33 [‖ ψ 96:13 לפני], fleeing 19:18 [‖ 2 S 10:18 מִפְּנֵי]. e.g. 1 Samuel 18:12
- c. of time, once, = לִפְנֵי Ec 1:10. With later usages of מל׳, cf. מִן קֳדָם in Biblical Aramaic and 𝔗 (DrSm lxx–lxxi, lxxiii); v. also Köii. 320. Cp. מִלְּפָנִים Is 41:26 (‖מֵרֹאשׁ). e.g. Ecclesiastes 1:10
- 6. מִפְּנֵי from the face or presence of, from before, Ex 14:19 וַיִּסַּע עמוד הענן מִפְּנֵיהֶם removed from before them, Is 30:11; Ho 11:2; so e.g. Exodus 14:19
- a. (often with suggestion of causation (v. מִן 2 d, e, f), because of, for fear of [so AV RV Ju 9:21; 1 S 21:11; 23:26; Je 35:11(×2); 37:11; 41:9; 50:16]) after vbs. of hiding Gn 3:8; 4:14; Is 2:10 (cf. v 19, 21); and especially of escaping, Ju 9:21 (Thes ‘bene 𝔙 ob metum A.’), 1 S 18:11; 19:10; 23:26, or fleeing, Ex 4:3; 14:25; 1 S 17:24 + often (v. בָּרַח and נוּס), and expelling, destroying, etc. Ex 23:30 אֲגָֽרְשֶׁנּוּ מִפָּנֶיךָ I will expel them from before thee, 34:11, 24 אוֹרִישׁ גּוֹיִם מִפָּנֶיךָ (v. הוֹרִישׁ), Lv 18:24; Dt 8:20; Am 2:9 ψ 89:24 + often (as though clearing the way for Israel, for Israel’s sake: cf. Is 63:12 בּוֹקֵעַ מַיִם מִפְּנֵיהֶם, Jos 2:10; 4:23). Pregn. Is 17:9 כַּעֲזוּבַת … אשׁר עזבו מפני בני ישׂר׳ which they forsook (fleeing) from before, etc. e.g. Judges 9:21
- b. implying causation more distinctly, ψ 9:4 יאבדו מפניך perish from before thee or at thy presence, Dt 7:20: very often with vbs. of fearing, as נור, יגר, חיל, ירא, ערץ, פחד, קוץ Ex 9:30; Nu 22:3(×2); Dt 1:17; Je 5:22 etc. (mostly when the object inspiring fear is a person: when it is a thing, מִן alone is preferred; but see Dt 5:5; 9:19); of being alarmed or dismayed Gn 45:3; Jos 2:9; Je 1:17; Jb 23:15, etc.; of humbling oneself Ex 10:3; Ju 11:33 +; with other words, to indicate the external ground of an action or effect, as הַס מִפָּנָיו be silent at (i.e. because of) his presence Zp 1:7; Hb 2:20; Ju 5:5 the mts. flowed מפני י׳ at the presence of י׳, Is 63:19; Je 4:26; Na 1:5, ψ 68:3 as wax melteth מפני אשׁ; Dt 20:19; Is 19:1; 26:17 כן היינו מפניך so were we through thy presence (more than לפניך,—implying that their state was due to י׳); קום מפני to rise up at the presence of Gn 31:35; Lv 19:32. (N.B. In a, b, freq. rendered before in AV RV, and so confused with לפני; but the מִן retains always its full force in the Heb.) e.g. Psalms 9:4
- c. of the cause, whether nearer or more remote: (a) Gn 6:13 מָֽלְאָה הָאָרֶץ חָמָס מִפְּנֵיהֶם because of them (i.e. occasioned by them), 27:46 I loathe my life because of the daughters of Heth, 36:7 the land could not support them because of their cattle, 41:31; 47:13; Ex 3:7 their cry by reason of their task-masters, 8:20 תִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ מִפְּנֵי הֶעָרֹב, 9:11; Jos 2:11; 23:3; Ju 2:18; 6:6; 1 K 5:17; 8:11; + often; Is 10:27 (RVm), Je 15:17 ψ 38:4, 6, etc.; Je 4:4 + מִפְּנֵי רֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶם by reason of the evil of your doings, 7:12; 9:6; 13:17; 14:16; 23:9 + often (b) stating the reason for which a thing is not done (Lat. prae), 1 K 8:11 Jb 37:19. †(c) with אֲשֶׁר as a conj., twice, because that, Ex 19:18; Je 44:23.—Nu 33:8 v. פִּי הַחִירֹת. e.g. Genesis 6:13
- 7. עַל־פְּנֵי (cf. Ph. עַל פְּנֵ, עלת פְּנֵ, Lzb352) has different meanings according to the different senses of the noun and the prep.:—
- a. From the sense of face or front: (a) in front of (more definite and distinct than לפני): ψ 18:43 as dust before the wind (cf. לפני 35:5; 83:14 +), Gn 32:22 the present passed on על־פניו in front of him, Ex 33:19 אעביר כל־טוּבי על־פניך, 2 S 15:18, 23 (read על־פניו: v. Dr), Jb 4:15; = in the sight of, Lv 10:3 ועל־פני כל העם אֶכָּבֵד, Je 6:7 עַל־פָּנַי תָּמִיד חֳלִי וּמַכָּה, 13:26 (cf. Na 3:5), ψ 9:20 יִשָּֽׁפְטוּ גוים על־פניך before thee: defiantly, Jb 1:11 אם־לא על־ פניך יְרָֽרְכֶךָּ will renounce thee to thy face, 6:28 ועל־פניכם אם אֲכַזֵּב, 21:31; to die in the presence of any one (= in his lifetime) †Gn 11:28; Nu 3:4. (b) before, to the exclusion of another, i.e. in preference to, Dt 21:16, and perhaps (Ew§ 217 l) Ex 20:3 (Dt 5:7) לא יהיה לך אלהים אחרים על־פני (Thes al. as c). (c) in addition to, Jb 16:14 פֶּרֶץ עַל־פְּנֵי־פֶרֵץ יִפְרְצֵנִי. (d) of localities, in front of, mostly (but not always: v. GFM Ju., p. 351) = east of, 1 K 6:3 the porch in front of, etc., v 3 7:6; 8:8; 2 Ch 3:17; Ez 42:3; Gn 16:12 על־פני כל־אחיו ישׁכן (cf. 25:18b), perhaps (Di al.) with collateral idea of defiance; עַל־פ׳ מַמְרֵא 23:19 (50:13), Ex 16:14; often in אשׁר על־פני … Gn 25:9 (49:30), מצרים v 18a (Jos 13:3 1 S 15:7), Nu 21:11; 33:7a, ירחו Dt 32:49 (34:1), Jos 13:3, 25; 15:8 (18:16), 17:7; 18:14; 19:11; Ju 16:3; 1 S 24:3 (prob.), 26:1, 3; 2 S 2:24; 1 K 11:7 (the Mt. of Olives, E. of Jerus.; so 2 K 23:13; Zc 14:4), 17:3, 5.—Gn 1:20 let fowl fly על־פני רקיע השׁמים in front of the firmament of heaven, viz. as looked up to from below, i.e. between the firmament and the earth. (e) with vbs. implying direction, over towards, Gn 18:16 וישׁקף על־פני סדם, 19:28; Nu 21:20 (23:28) נשׁקפה על־פני הישׁימן overlooking; to sprinkle against the front of Lv 16:14; in a hostile sense (rare), Na 2:2 עָלָה מֵפִיץ עַל־פָּנַיִךְ, ψ 21:13; Ez 32:10. e.g. Psalms 18:43
- b. From the sense of surface, Gn 1:2 על־פני תהום upon the face of the deep, Ex 16:14 על־פ׳ המדבר: often in the phrases הארץ (כל) על־פני Gn 1:29; 7:3; 11:4, and (more freq.) על־פני האדמה on the face of the ground 6:1; 7:23 etc.; על פני השׂדה Lv 17:5; Nu 19:16; 1 S 14:25 +; after vbs. of motion, 11:4 lest we be scattered over the face of all the earth, v 8, 9; Ex 32:20; Lv 14:7 (v 53 אל), Is 18:2; 19:8; Am 5:8; Ez 32:4; Jb 5:10 +. e.g. Genesis 1:2
- 8. מֵעַל־פְּנֵי:
- a. from before the face of, Gn 23:3 Abraham rose up מֵעַל פְּנֵי מֵתוֹ from before his dead, i.e. from mourning before or beside it; †(פניו) מֵעַל פני from before my (his) face, often in K Je of the rejection of Isr. or the temple, as with שִׁלַּח 1 K 9:7 (‖ 2 Ch 7:20 השׁליך), Je 15:1, השׁליך 2 K 13:23; 24:20 (Je 52:3), Je 7:15, נטשׁ Je 23:39, הסיר 2 K 17:18, 23; 23:27; 24:3; Je 32:31. e.g. Genesis 23:3
- b. from off the surface of, often in the phrase מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה, with verbs of cutting off, removing, expelling, etc., †Gn 4:14; 6:7; 7:4; 8:8; Ex 32:12; Dt 6:15; 1 S 20:15; 1 K 9:7; 13:34; Am 9:8; Je 28:16; Zp 1:2, 3. e.g. Genesis 4:14
- 1. אֶל־פְּנֵי:
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
pl. פָּנִים 2123 n.m. Pr 25:23 and (Ez 21:21 = edge; on 2 S 10:9 v. infr.) f. face, also faces (as turned toward one);—pl. abs. פָּנִים Gn 32:31 +; cstr. פְּנֵי 2 S 14:32 +; sf. 1 s. פָּנַי Gn 43:3 +; 3 ms. פָּנָיו Gn 4:5 +, פָּנֵ֑ימוֹ ψ 11:7 (Köii. 1, 446); 2 mpl. פְּנֵיכֶם Gn 40:7 +, etc.;—usually c. vb. pl., Gn 4:5, 6; Ex 33:14 +; c. vb. sg. La 4:16 (through influence of intervening י׳, Ges§ 146 a), Pr 15:14 (but read פִּי, as Qr, v. פֶּה);—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from פנים (pânîym) (H6440) — face.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
לִפְנַי
- , v. פְּנִים
פני
- (b. h.)
- 1. to turn (one’s face). Yoma 17ᵇ, a. e. שאתה פוֹנֶה, v. פִּינָּה. Y. Ab. Zar. III, 42ᵇ sq. (ref. to Lev. XIX, 4) אל תִּפְנֶה לעובדן do not turn thy face to them to worship them; אל תפנה לראותן ממש it is meant literally, do not turn thy face to look at them; Sifra K’dosh. beg. אל תפנה לראותם וַדַּיי. Ib. תחלתם אלילים הם אם פּוֹנֶה את אחריהן וכ׳ at first they are ‘nothings’, but if thou turnest after them, thou wilt make them (thy) gods; Yalk. Lev. 604. Ib.; Sabb. 149ᵃ (ref. to Lev. l. c.) אל תִּפְנוּ אֶל מדעתכם turn not to the creation of your fancy (Rashi; anoth. interpret., v. infra); a. v. fr. e.g. Leviticus 19:4
- 2. to turn around, go away. Lam. R. to I, 1 כיון ששתה ופ׳ לילך (מעשה) רבתי when he had drunk and turned to go away. Gen. R. s. 68 יצא משם פ׳ זיוה פ׳ הדרה when he (the righteous) goes away from a place, its splendor is gone, its glory is gone; Ruth R. to I, 7. Sifra K’dosh., ch. VIII, Par. 4, a. e. (ref. to ונתתי את פני, Lev. XX, 6; cmp. פְּנַאי) פּוֹנֶה אני מכל וכ׳, v. עֵסֶק. Midr. Prov. to XVI, 11 לִפְנוֹת היום when the day was going away (towards evening); a. v. fr. e.g. Leviticus 20:6
- 3. (act. verb) to turn, pervert. Cant. R. to VII, 9 (play on אח̇ש̇ד̇רפ̇נ̇יא, Dan. III, 2) אלו ארכונות שהן נש̇ח̇ד̇ין ופ̇וני̇ן דין וכ׳ (not נחשדין) those are the officers that are bribed and turn justice in any direction; ib. שמה̇ד̇ר̇ין פ̇נ̇ים ופ̇ונ̇ין דין who respect persons and pervert justice; a. fr. e.g. Daniel 3:2
- 4. to turn aside, go out, (euphem.) to ease one’s self. Y. Sot. I, 16ᵈ אם יִפְנֶה אחד מהן לצורכו if one of them goes out for a human need. Toh. X, 2 ופוֹנִים (Ber. 62ᵃ ונִפְנִין, Nif.).
- 5. to vacate (v. infra); to free, release. Pesik. R. s. 42 הספינה … ולא תטריח עליה לִפְנוֹתָהּ (not הטריח) thy friend’s ship has been seized (for public service), and wilt thou not take pains to release it? ועכשיו של אחרים הוא פוֹנֶה ושלו אינה נפנית and now he releases other men’s ships, and shall not his be released.?—Part. pass. פָּנוּי; f. פְּנוּיָה vacant, empty, free. Ber. 43ᵃ אין בית הבליעה פ׳ his œsophagus is not free (which makes speaking dangerous). Y. Kil. III, beg. 28ᶜ אי אפשר … נקב אחד פ׳ וכ׳ it is not possible that there should not be one cavity free for planting &c.; Y. Sabb. IX, 11ᵈ bot. אפשר … פניי (corr. acc.). Num. R. s. 14 והיה הבית פ׳ and the house was empty (none at home); a. fr.—V. פָּנוּי.
- 1. to empty, remove, transfer. Sabb. III, 5 המיחם שפִּינָּהוּ וכ׳ in the kettle which one has emptied (or: which one has removed from the oven) &c.; ib. 41ᵃ המיחם שפ׳ ממנו מים וכ׳ in the kettle out of which one has removed the hot water. Ib. XVIII, 1 מְפַנִּין אפי׳ וכ׳ you may clear away (on the Sabbath) even four or five piles … to make room for guests. Y. Gitt. VIII, 49ᵈ top אם … איש מְפַנֶּה if the court belongs to the wife, the husband (after divorce) must vacate it, ושל איש אשה מְפַנָּה and if it belongs to the husband, the wife must vacate it; מי מפנה מפני מי which of them must vacate it for the other? Taan. 21ᵃ בקשו תלמידיו לפַנּוֹת את וכ׳ his disciples wanted to move his bed first and then his furniture; פַּנּוּ את הכלים וכ׳ move the furniture first. Ab. III, 4 מפנה לבו לבטלה empties his heart (of serious thoughts to make room) for frivolous subjects. Sabb. 149ᵃ (ref. to Lev. XIX, 4, v. supra) אל תְּפַנוּ אֵל מדעתכם do not remove God from your minds (to make room for idols). B. Kam. 81ᵇ מְפַנֵּיהוּ לשדה וכ׳ he must remove the corpse to &c. Y. Maasr. II, 49ᵈ רוצה אדם לפנות עסקיו וכ׳ (ed. Krot. רוצה הוא אדם לפנע; ed. Zyt. לפלה, corr. acc.) a man is anxious to dispose of his goods in the first place he strikes &c.; a. fr. e.g. Leviticus 19:4
- 2. to free, acquit. Tanḥ. Vayikra 6 פ׳ לקרתני ולבן פלטרין וכ׳ he acquitted the commoner, but convicted the courtier. Ib. לקרתני פִּנִּיתִי וכ׳ I acquitted the commoner, because he knows not the royal customs; a. fr.
- 1. to turn. Midr. Till. to Ps. XVIII, 5 נִפְנֵיתִי לכאן וכ׳ I turned in all directions, and there is no redeemer but thee; Yalk. Sam. 157; a. e.
- 2. to be removed, to die. Gen. R. s. 98 שהיה נ׳ מן העולם who was going to die. Tosef. Par. III (II), 8 נ׳ בני my son is dead (v. infra); a. e.
- 3. to be free, at leisure. Ib. לכשאֶפָּנֶה לך when I shall have leisure for thee, i.e. I shall take revenge on thee, when opportunity offers; אמר לו כשתִּפָּנֶה said he to him, when thou shalt be at leisure (or when thou shalt be dead, v. supra); ib. (Vers. of R. S. to Par. III, 8) לא נ׳ בני שהעריב שמשו my son has found no leisure (to take revenge), for his sun has set (he is dead). Ab. II, 4 אל תאמר לכשאפנה אשנה שמא לא תפנה say not, when I shall be at leisure, I will study; may be thou wilt never find leisure; a. fr.
- 4. to ease one’s self. Sabb. 82ᵃ הנצרך לִפָּנוֹת ואינו נפנה (Alf. להִפָּנוֹת) he who feels the want of easing himself, and is not relieved; ib. הנצרך ליפנות ואינו יכול ליפנות. Ber. 62ᵃ ונִפְנִין, v. supra; a. fr.
- 5. to be released. Pesik. R. l. c., v. supra.
- to vacate. —Part. pass. מוּפְנֶה a) free, disengaged, single. Yeb. III, 5 שלשה אחין … ואחד מ׳ three brothers two of whom were married to two sisters, and one is free (unmarried or married to one who is a stranger to his brothers’ wives); Y. ib. III, 4ᵈ top; a. e.—b) (dialectical exegesis) free for interpretation, unnecessary for the plain sense or context. Nidd. 22ᵇ וייצר מ׳ משני צדדין מ׳ … ומ׳ גבי בהמה vayitser is free for interpretation on both sides, it is free with regard to man (Gen. II, 7, because man’s creation is mentioned in ויברא, ib. I, 27), and free with regard to beasts (ib. II, 19, their creation being stated in ויעש, ib. I, 25). Ib. כל גזירה שוה שאינה מוּפְנָה כל עיקר וכ׳ analogous words which are not entirely free (in both texts) cannot be made the basis for interpretation as g’zerah shavah (v. גְּזֵרָה). Ib. מ׳ מצד אחד free in one of the texts; Sabb. 64ᵃ; a. fr. e.g. Genesis 2:7
- 1. to be vacated, cleared, removed. Y. Naz. IX, 57ᵈ bot. כל הקברות מִתְפַּנִּין וכ׳ all graves may be vacated (transferred), except &c.; Treat. S’maḥ. ch. XIV.
- 2. to be released. Pesik. R. l. c. כדי הוא (ש)תִּיתְפִּנֶּה he deserves it to have his ship released (ed. Prag כדי הוא שיִתְפַּנֶּה he deserves to be released).
פְּנֵי I
- 1. to turn to or from; to go. Targ. Y. Gen. XXIV, 49 (O. Ithpe.). Targ. O. Deut. XXIX, 17 (Y. I Ithpe.). Targ. O. Gen. XXIV, 63 למִפְנֵי רמשא (ed. Amst. למִפַּנֵּי Ithpa.) towards evening; a. fr.—Gen. R. s. 20; Yalk. ib. 30 כמִפְנֵי רמשא at the turn (approach) of the evening. Gen. R. s. 63 שלח … מִפְנֵי רמשא דערובתא sent letters to Tiberias (to reach the elders) towards the evening of Friday; (Y. Ter. VIII, 46ᵇ bot. בערובתא עם מטמעי שמשא); a. fr.
- 2. to remove, empty, v. infra., v. infra.
- 3. to ease one’s self. Ber. 62ᵃ דבעינא למִפְנֵי (Ms. F. לאַפְנוּיֵי Af.).
- 1. to clear, empty, remove. Targ. Y. Gen. XXIV, 20 Ar. (ed. ורוקינת; h. text ותער). Targ. Ps. LXXX, 10 (ed. Wil. פָּנִי׳ Pe.). Targ. O. Gen. XXIV, 31 (Y. Pe.). Targ. Is. XL, 3; a. fr.—Part. pass. מְפַנָּא clear, levelled. Targ. Gen. XIV, 17 (O. ed. Vien. מַפְנָא Af.).—Ber. l. c. פַּנּוּ לי דוכתא Ms. M. (ed. פַּנִּי, v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note) clear a place for me. Taan. 20ᵇ בעי לפַנּוּיֵיה wanted to remove it (the wine); משכיה בשמעתא עד דפַנְּיֵיה he kept him engaged in discussion on a tradition until he had removed it. Lam. R. to V, 1 (expl. ערו, Ps. CXXXVII, 7) פַּנּוּן פנון clear, clear (the place, with ref. to ותער, Gen. XXIV, 20, v. supra), contrad. to פגר; Pesik. Zakhor, p. 26ᵃ פאטן (read פָּאנוּן); ib. ʿÃniya, p. 135ᵃ; Pesik. R. s. 32; a. fr. e.g. Psalms 137:7
- 2. to free, acquit. Y. Ber. IX, 13ᵃ sq. פַּנִּינָן יתיה, v. דֵּיו. Y. Taan. I, 64ᵇ bot. מה מיעבד ומְפַנִּינֵיה what to do in order to release him (from prison); הא לך פַּנְּיִי בעליך here is money for thee, release thy husband; a. e.
- 3. to ease one’s self. Y. Sabb. VI, 8ᶜ bot. עאל לפַנּוּיֵיה (not לפונייה) went to ease himself (v. infra).
- 1. to turn, direct; to take aside. Targ. II Sam. III, 27. Ib. VI, 10. Targ. Josh. XXIV, 23; a. fr.
- 2. to vacate, free (one’s mind); to take time. Targ. Nah. II, 9 לית דמַפְנֵי וכ׳ none take time to stand still.—Esp. to make a text free for interpretation, to use as מוּפְנֶה (v. preced.). Nidd. 22ᵇ ויברא לגופיה וייצר לאַפְנוּיֵי vayibra (Gen. I, 27) is needed for its own sake (to state the fact), vayitser (ib. II, 7) is to be used for interpretation. Sabb. 64ᵃ בגד ועור … שמע מינה לאפנויי what need was there to mention ‘garment and skin’ again in connection with creeping things? Learn from it, that it is to be used for exegetical purposes. Ib.; Snh. 40ᵇ לאי אפנויי וכ׳, v. לַאי; a. fr.—Part. pass. מַפְנֵי. Sabb. l. c. מ׳ דאי לא מ׳ וכ׳ Ms. M. (ed. ומופנה דאי לאו מופנה) it is free for exegesis, for if it were not free (but needed for its own sake) &c. Ib. דמת נמי אפנויי מ׳ ed. Sonc. a. Ven. (v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note 10; ed. מופנה) ‘garment and skin’ in connection with corpses is likewise (unnecessary, and) free for exegesis; a. fr. e.g. Genesis 1:27
- 3. to ease one’s self. Ib. 140ᵇ לא תִיפְנוּן היכא דמַפְני וכ׳ do not go out to the same place that your men use &c. Ber. 62ᵃ, v. supra.
- to turn; to go away. Targ. Ex. III, 3 sq. Targ. Jud. XIX, 8; a. fr.—Kidd. 65ᵃ עד דמִיפְּני פיסחא (prob. to be read: עד מ׳) until Passover is past.
פּנַי
- , v. פְּנִים
פְּנֵי II
- c. = h. פָּנוּי
- 1. free (from service). Targ. Deut. XXIV, 5 (O. ed. Berl. פְּ׳; h. text נקי).
- 2. empty. Gen. R. s. 65, v. סוּלְגִּיתָא; Koh. R. to V, 10; Yalk. Gen. 115; a. e.
- 3. turning around, restless. Midr. Till. to Ps. XVIII, 5 (expl. אפפוני ib.) פניא אנא מן עקיא (ed. Bub. פנייא מן עקתא אנא) I am restless on account of troubles.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
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Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 1 verse that also exists in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 1 Hebrew verse it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
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