פָּנֶה

face

‘face’ is one of 8 main senses fuller range ↓

H6440 Strong's Hebrew

pânîym Transliteration

/paw-neem'/ Pronunciation

Usage in the Hebrew Bible 2,127 appearances

Definition — BDB

face - face, faces - presence, person - face (of seraphim or cherubim) - face (of animals) - face, surface (of ground) - as adverb of loc/temp - before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before - with preposition - in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

Cite this entry

Strong's H6440 — פנים (pânîym), "face". Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB, 1906). Lemma, https://lemma.gebible.app/w/H6440.

Show BibTeX & RIS

BibTeX

@misc{lemma-H6440,
  author       = {Lemma},
  title        = {H6440 פנים (pânîym) — face},
  howpublished = {\url{https://lemma.gebible.app/w/H6440}},
  note         = {Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB, 1906). Lemma interlinear Bible study tool}
}

RIS

TY  - GEN
AU  - Lemma
TI  - H6440 — פנים (pânîym), "face"
PB  - Lemma
N1  - Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB, 1906)
UR  - https://lemma.gebible.app/w/H6440
ER  -

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See every Construct-state word in the Hebrew Bible →

Grammar key — what these labels mean

Noun: A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.

Common: A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.

Construct: A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Absolute: The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.

Both: Attested as both masculine and feminine.

Plural: More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).

76 verses where H6440 appears in the Construct state in the Book of Isaiah. Filtered view — show all forms. 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.

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.

פנים — transliterated pânîym — is a Hebrew noun carrying the sense “face.” Where the King James Version says “before,” newer translations reach for “face of” (unfoldingWord Literal Text); the renderings breakdown has the detail. It appears 1,891 verses across 38 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its most common vocabulary. Debuting at Genesis 1:2, it then recurs through the corpus. It is not a single-sense word — see its full sense range. See the sense tree, 1,891-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.

Gloss history

Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship

Strong's · 1890

Modern gloss

face

About this word

Strong's H6440 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 →

1,891: distinct verses; The word appears in 1,891 distinct verses.
38 / 39: OT books; The word appears in 38 of 39 Old Testament books.
Genesis 1:2: first appearance; The earliest occurrence is in Genesis 1:2.
Malachi 4:5: last appearance; The latest occurrence is in Malachi 4:5.
#20: by frequency; Top 25 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 20 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).

View all 1,891 occurrences in the concordance →

Most concentrated in

Ezekiel 129 verses 7%
Genesis 126 verses 7%
Psalms 126 verses 7%

By section of the Old Testament

Pentateuch 542 · 29%
Historical 665 · 35%
Wisdom 253 · 13%
Prophets 431 · 23%

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 1,891 distinct verses.

Prophets (Nevi'im) 820 verses · 43%
Torah (Pentateuch) 542 verses · 29%
Writings (Ketuvim) 529 verses · 28%

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).

BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.

King James Version: Before 989×, Face 251×, Presence 66×
American Standard Version: Before 818×, Face 203×, Presence 61×
Berean Standard Bible: Before 459×, Face 209×, Presence 143×
unfoldingWord Literal Text: Face of 688×, Face 539×, Faces 156×

King James Version Public Domain

Renders H6440 across 2,087 tagged occurrences — most commonly:

“Before” 989×
“Face” 251×
“Presence” 66×
“Because” 60×
“Faces” 49×
“Sight” 35×
“Countenance” 27×
“From” 27×
“Is before” 24×
“Was before” 20×
“Of” 19×
“Upon” 15×

Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 178 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 22 further occurrences.

American Standard Version Public Domain

Renders H6440 across 2,079 tagged occurrences — most commonly:

“Before” 818×
“Face” 203×
“Presence” 61×
“Because” 48×
“Faces” 40×
“Before him” 29×
“Sight” 29×
“From” 22×
“Is before” 22×
“Before thee” 19×
“Countenance” 19×
“Before me” 17×

Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 354 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.

Berean Standard Bible Public Domain

Renders H6440 across 1,833 tagged occurrences — most commonly:

“Before” 459×
“Face” 209×
“Presence” 143×
“Before you” 126×
“Before him” 63×
“Before me” 61×
“Of” 52×
“Front” 41×
“Before them” 38×
“From” 36×
“Faces” 32×
“You” 22×

Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 150 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 285 further occurrences.

unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Renders H6440 across 2,096 tagged occurrences — most commonly:

“Face of” 688×
“Face” 539×
“Faces” 156×
“Before” 124×
“Before the face of” 117×
“Faces of” 30×
“Of” 27×
“Before your face” 26×
“Before me” 25×
“Before him” 22×
“Before his face” 16×
“Front of” 16×

Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 86 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.

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. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.

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.
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

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 פנה (pânâh) (H6437) — to turn.

Part of speech: Noun Masculine TWOT: 1782a

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.

פָּנִים

c. pl. (b. h.; front, face; countenance, person. Pesik. Baḥod., p. 110ᵃ, a. e. (פ׳ זעופות) פ׳ זועפות, v. זָעַף. Mekh. B’shall., Vayassʿa, s. 2; Yalk. Ex. 258, v. חָשׁוּךְ. Gen. R. s. 91 (ref. to Gen. XLI, 56) אין פְּנֵי הארץ אלא עשירים ‘the face of the land’ means the wealthy; בזמן שאדם עשיר יש לו פ׳ שמחים וכ׳ when a man is rich, he has a countenance which is glad to see his friend, but when he is poor אין לו פ׳ לראות וכ׳ he has not the face to see (his friend), because he is ashamed &c. Keth. 7ᵇ והוא שבאו פ׳ חדשות provided a new face appears, i.e., a person that has not attended the wedding festivities before this. Ib. 8ᵃ אי איכא פ׳ חדשות if there is a new guest.—B. Kam. 96ᵇ פ׳ חדשות באו לכאן things have assumed a new face, i.e. the object after its transmutation is no longer the same as the one stolen; a. v. fr.—נשא פ׳; גלה פ׳ &c., v. נָשָׂא, גָּלָה &c.—Cant. R. to VII, 9 מהדרין פ׳, v. פָּנָה.—לחם הפ׳, v. לֶחֶם.—Euphem. פ׳ של מטה, or פ׳ pudenda. Sabb. 41ᵃ. Ber. 24ᵃ יכולה לכסות פָּנֶיהָ וכ׳ she can cover her nakedness &c. Nidd. 14ᵇ; a. fr.—Trnsf. aspect, manner, way of interpretation. Cant. R. to II, 4 התורה שנדרשת מ"ט פ׳ טהור ומ"ט פ׳ טמא the Torah on the laws of which arguments are held, forty-nine in favor of ‘clean’ (permitted), and forty nine in favor of ‘unclean’ (forbidden); Num. R. s. 2 תורה שהיא נדרשת מ"ט פ׳ the Torah which is interpreted in forty-nine ways; a. fr.—לְפָ׳ a) for appearance sake, formally. Meg. 12ᵃ הם לא עשו אלא לפ׳ … אלא לפ׳ they (in bowing to the idol) acted merely for show (yielding to force), so the Lord dealt with them merely formally (not in full earnest, ref. to Lam. III, 33).—b) in front; (of time) before this, in the past. Ḥag. II, 1 מה לפ׳ ומה לאחור what was before (creation), and what will be in the future (when the world will be no more; Gen. R. s. 1 מה בי"ת זה סתום … ופתוח מִלְּפָנָיו וכ׳ as the letter ב (of בראשית, Gen. I, 1) is closed on all sides and open in front, so art thou not permitted to ask what is above and what is below, what was before and what will be hereafter; [oth. opin. מה לפ׳ ומה לאחור what is in the extreme east beyond the sphere, and what in the west; v., however, Rashi Hag. l. c. (Ḥag. 11ᵇ), a. Ḥag. 16ᵃ].—Ber. 5ᵇ לפני מטתי in front of my bed, expl. סמוך למיטתי immediately after rising. Ib. 7ᵃ, a. fr. יהי רצון מִלְּפָנֶיךָ (abbrev. יהר"מ may it be thy will. Ib. יהי רצון מִלְּפָנַי may it be my will. Ib. שלשה דברים בקש משה מִלִּפְנֵי וכ׳ for three things Moses prayed I before the Lord. Ib. I, 4 שתים לְפָנֶיהָ two benedictions preceding it (the reading of the Sh’mʿa); a. v. fr.—Sifra Vayikra, Ḥobah, Par. 13, ch. XXIII אמש ושֶׁלְּפָנָיו ושֶׁלִּפְנֵי פנָיו yesterday and the day before yesterday, and the day before that.—לִפְנֵי עִוֵּר (also לפני only, v. עִוֵּר I) the law prohibiting an act which may lead a person to sin (Lev. XIX, 14). Ab. Zar. 14ᵃ וליחוש … אל׳ מפקדינן אל׳ דל׳ לא וכ׳ (Ms. M. אל׳ עור) but should we not apprehend, that he might sell (the incense) to others, who will burn it for idols? Said A., we are commanded to guard against an act directly leading to sin, but not against one that may indirectly cause sin; ib. 21ᵃ.—מִפְּנֵי for the sake of, on account of; מפני ש־ because. Sabb. II, 5 מ׳ שהוא מתיירא מ׳ גוים וכ׳ because he is afraid of invaders, of robbers, or of an evil wind. Ber. I, 3 וסכנתי בעצמי מ׳ וכ׳, v. סָכַן II. Ib. 3ᵃ מ׳ מה נכנסת וכ׳ why didst thou enter these ruins? Ib. מ׳ שלשה דברים for three reasons; מ׳ חשד because you give cause to suspicion; מ׳ המפולת because debris may fall on you; מ׳ המזיקין on account of demons; a. v. fr.—בִּפְנֵי in the presence of. Ib.ᵇ ב׳ המת in the presence of a dead person. Ib. 31ᵇ המורה הלכה ב׳ רבו he who gives a decision in his teacher’s presence; a. v. fr.—Kidd. 64ᵇ הנודר עד פְּנֵי פסח וכ׳; Ned. VIII, 2 הנודר עד לִפְנֵי הפסח וכ׳ if one says in his vow, ‘until p’né (lifné) Passover’, R. M. says, he is bound until Passover begins; R. J. says, until it is passed; Kidd. 65ᵃ, v. פְּנֵי I. e.g. Genesis 41:56

פְּנִים

v. I Kings VI, 29; preced., cmp. ἐνώπια) [that which is in front of you when you enter,] inside, interior; לִפְנַי (וְ)לִפְ׳ the innermost. Tosef. Yom. II, 5 היו מסיקין מבחוץ והיה נאפה ונרדה מבפ׳ they heated the oven towards the outside (placed the fuel in front), and it (the show-bread) was baked and shoveled out from the interior; Yoma 38ᵃ, v. נָסַק. B. Mets. 16ᵃ זו אינה צריכה לפ׳ this (question) need not be brought inside (the college); צריכה לפ׳ ולפני לפ׳ it must be brought inside and even to the innermost. Y. Kil. IX, 32ᵇ bot. יכנס … לפ׳ let R. Ḥ. the elder go into the interior (to the front benches); לפ׳ ממני in front of me?; ר׳ … לפ׳ ור׳ ישמעאל … לפני לפ׳ R. Ḥ. … to the interior, R. I. … to the innermost (the very first); Y. Keth. XII, 35ᵃ bot. לפני ולפ׳. Y. Yeb. VI, 7ᶜ אחותו לעולם היא (מִ)בִּפְ׳ וכ׳ a priest’s sister is always inside (a member of the priestly family), until she steps outside (by marriage). Sabb. I, 1; a. v. fr.—לפ׳ משורת הדין, v. דִּין II.—Esp. the Temple precincts, the Temple and the priests’ court; לפני ולפ׳ the innermost, Holy of Holies. Ab. Zar. 50ᵃ בעינא כעין פ׳ (for a gift to an idol to be permanently forbidden for use, even after cancellation,) it is required that it be like the offerings in the interior Temple (sacrifices, incense &c., to the exclusion of votive gifts like candles, jewels &c.). Men. 9ᵃ לא בעיא בפ׳ must not necessarily be done within the Temple precincts, opp. to חוץ לחומת העזרה. Ib. נהי … פ׳ מיהת בעיא although it may be done by a non-priest, it must at least be done within &c. Y. Yoma V, 42ᵇ bot. כלפי לפ׳ towards the interior; a. fr.—Ib.; Y. Kil. VIII, 31ᶜ bot. מהו מבפ׳ (מהו) מבחוץ does it belong inside (to the Holy of Holies) or outside (to the Holy)?, v. טְרַקְסִין. e.g. 1 Kings 6:29

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.

Forms in the corpus

The 386 distinct written forms H6440 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.

Form	Parsing	Example	Uses
לִ/פְנֵ֣י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Amos 9:4	220
לִ/פְנֵ֥י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Amos 1:1	165
פְּנֵ֣י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Amos 9:8	98
פְּנֵ֥י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Amos 5:8	80
לִ/פְנֵ֖י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Daniel 1:9	72
מִ/פְּנֵ֖י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Exodus 1:12	52
מִ/פְּנֵ֣י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Amos 5:19	46
לִ/פְנֵי֙	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Daniel 9:20	30
לִ/פְנֵ֤י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 19:17	29
מִ/פְּנֵ֥י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Exodus 8:24	28
לְ/פָנָֽי/ו	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Esther 1:3	26
פָּנָ֖י/ו	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 7:10	26
לְ/פָנֶ֔י/ךָ	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Daniel 9:18	24
לְ/פָנֶ֑י/ךָ	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 7:23	23
פְּנֵ֖י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Esther 1:10	23
לִ/פְנֵי/הֶֽם	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Ecclesiastes 9:1	20
פְּנֵי	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Ezekiel 10:14	19
לִ/פְנֵי	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Isaiah 17:13	18
לִ/פְנֵ֨י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 4:10	17
מִ/לִּ/פְנֵ֣י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Esther 8:15	17
לְ/פָנָ֑י/ו	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Daniel 8:7	16
לְ/פָנָ֔י/ו	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Daniel 8:4	16
מִ/פְּנֵי֙	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Genesis 3:8	16
לְ/פָנָי/ו֙	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 31:21	15
פְּנֵ֤י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 11:25	15
פָּנָ֔י/ו	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Daniel 11:19	14
מִ/פְּנֵי	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 1:17	13
פָּנִ֖ים	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Absolute	Daniel 8:23	13
לְ/פָנֶ֖י/ךָ	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 1:21	12
לְ/פָנַ֔/י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Ezekiel 2:10	12
לְ/פָנַ֖/י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Ecclesiastes 1:16	12
לְ/פָנָ֖י/ו	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Esther 1:17	12
לִ/פְנֵֽי	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Exodus 7:9	12
פָּנַ֖/י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Daniel 8:18	12
וְ/לִ/פְנֵ֣י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	1 Kings 6:20	11
וְ/לִ/פְנֵ֥י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Exodus 7:10	11
לְ/פָנָֽ/י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Ezekiel 14:1	11
לִ/פְנֵי/הֶ֔ם	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Ecclesiastes 4:16	11
מִ/פְּנֵי/הֶ֑ם	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 7:21	11
פְּנֵ֨י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Ezekiel 10:14	11
לְ/פָנֶ֨י/ךָ֙	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Daniel 1:13	10
לְ/פָנֶֽי/ךָ	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 28:7	10
לְ/פָנָ֑/י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Ezekiel 8:1	10
לְ/פָנִ֖ים	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Absolute	Deuteronomy 2:10	9
מִ/פְּנֵי/הֶ֔ם	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Amos 2:9	9
מִ/פָּנָֽי/ו	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Exodus 4:3	9
פְּנֵי֙	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 2:25	9
וּ/פְנֵ֥י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Esther 7:8	8
לְ/פָנֶ֗י/ךָ	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 4:32	8
לְ/פָנָ֣י/ו	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	2 Chronicles 2:4	8
לִ/פְנֵ֧י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Exodus 28:12	8
לִ/פְנֵי/כֶ֖ם	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 1:8	8
לִ/פְנֵי֩	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 12:18	8
מִ/לִּ/פְנֵ֥י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 17:18	8
מִ/פְּנֵ֤י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 9:19	8
מִ/פְּנֵי/כֶ֔ם	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Deuteronomy 8:20	8
פָּנִ֣ים	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Absolute	Deuteronomy 5:4	8
פָּנֶ֖י/ךָ	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Ezekiel 6:2	8
פָּנָ֑/י	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Daniel 8:17	8
פָּנָ֑י/ו	Noun, Common, Both, Plural, Construct	Exodus 34:30	8

The 60 most common forms are shown; 326 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.

Same root — word family

Other BDB entries built from the same root as H6440, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.

Derives from

פנה pânâh H6437 to turn

Shares the same root

פן pên H6435 lest

Derived from this word

Proper names from this root

People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.

Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 8 — not the complete family. 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.

Septuagint verse parallels

This word appears in 1,786 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 1,891 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.

Read these verses in the Septuagint

This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.

פָּנֶה

Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)

Where this word appears

Isaiah

About this entry