פָּנֶה
face
‘face’ is one of 8 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Construct-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
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).
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Gender
- Both
- Attested as both masculine and feminine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
88 distinct verses where H6440 appears in the Absolute state, across 25 books. 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.
Genesis 1 verse
Exodus 4 verses
- Exodus 25:30 פָּנִ֖ים לְ/פָנַ֥/י n c bp prep + n c bp cs + sfx pers 1cs You shall set bread of the presence on the table before me always.
- Exodus 33:11 פָּנִ֣ים פָּנִ֔ים n c bp n c bp Yahweh spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. He turned again into the camp, but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, didn't depart out of the Tent.
- Exodus 35:13 הַ/פָּנִֽים ptcl def.art + n c bp the table with its poles and all its vessels, and the show bread;
- Exodus 39:36 הַ/פָּנִֽים ptcl def.art + n c bp the table, all its vessels, the show bread,
Numbers 1 verse
Deuteronomy 9 verses
- Deuteronomy 1:17 פָנִ֜ים מִ/פְּנֵי n c bp prep + n c bp cs You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.
- Deuteronomy 2:10 לְ/פָנִ֖ים prep + n c bp (The Emim lived therein before, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakim:
- Deuteronomy 2:12 לְ/פָנִים֒ מִ/פְּנֵי/הֶ֔ם prep + n c bp prep + n c bp cs + sfx pers 3mp The Horites also lived in Seir before, but the children of Esau succeeded them; and they destroyed them from before them, and lived in their place; as Israel did to the land of his possession, which Yahweh gave to them.)
- Deuteronomy 2:20 לְ/פָנִ֔ים prep + n c bp (That also is accounted a land of Rephaim: Rephaim lived therein before; but the Ammonites call them Zamzummim,
- Deuteronomy 5:4 פָּנִ֣ים בְּ/פָנִ֗ים n c bp prep + n c bp Yahweh spoke with you face to face on the mountain out of the midst of the fire,
- Deuteronomy 10:17 פָנִ֔ים n c bp For Yahweh your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awesome, who doesn't regard persons, nor takes reward.
- Deuteronomy 16:19 פָּנִ֑ים n c bp You shall not wrest justice: you shall not respect persons; neither shall you take a bribe; for a bribe does blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.
- Deuteronomy 28:50 פָּנִ֑ים פָנִים֙ n c bp n c bp a nation of fierce facial expressions, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young,
- Deuteronomy 34:10 פָּנִ֖ים פָּנִֽים n c bp n c bp There has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face,
Joshua 3 verses
- Joshua 11:10 לְ/פָנִ֔ים prep + n c bp Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and struck the king of it with the sword: for Hazor before was the head of all those kingdoms.
- Joshua 14:15 לְ/פָנִים֙ prep + n c bp Now the name of Hebron before was Kiriath Arba; [which Arba was] the greatest man among the Anakim. The land had rest from war.
- Joshua 15:15 לְ/פָנִ֖ים prep + n c bp He went up there against the inhabitants of Debir: now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.
Judges 5 verses
- Judges 1:10 לְ/פָנִ֖ים prep + n c bp Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron before was Kiriath Arba); and they struck Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.
- Judges 1:11 לְ/פָנִ֖ים prep + n c bp From there he went against the inhabitants of Debir. (Now the name of Debir before was Kiriath Sepher.)
- Judges 1:23 לְ/פָנִ֖ים prep + n c bp The house of Joseph sent to spy out Bethel. (Now the name of the city before was Luz.)
- Judges 3:2 לְ/פָנִ֖ים prep + n c bp only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing of it:
- Judges 6:22 פָּנִ֖ים פָּנִֽים n c bp n c bp Gideon saw that he was the angel of Yahweh; and Gideon said, Alas, Lord Yahweh! because I have seen the angel of Yahweh face to face.
Ruth 1 verse
1 Samuel 2 verses
- 1 Samuel 9:9 לְ/פָנִ֣ים לְ/פָנִ֖ים prep + n c bp prep + n c bp (In earlier times in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, Come, and let us go to the seer; for he who is now called a Prophet was before called a Seer.)
- 1 Samuel 21:6 הַ/פָּנִים֙ מִ/לִּ/פְנֵ֣י ptcl def.art + n c bp prep + prep + n c bp cs So the priest gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the show bread, that was taken from before Yahweh, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
2 Samuel 1 verse
1 Kings 2 verses
- 1 Kings 6:29 מִ/לִּ/פְנִ֖ים prep + prep + n c bp He carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubim and palm trees and open flowers, inside and outside.
- 1 Kings 7:48 הַ/פָּנִ֖ים ptcl def.art + n c bp Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of Yahweh: the golden altar, and the table whereupon the show bread was, of gold;
2 Kings 3 verses
- 2 Kings 5:1 לִ/פְנֵ֤י פָנִ֔ים prep + n c bp cs n c bp Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him Yahweh had given victory to Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, [but he was] a leper.
- 2 Kings 14:8 פָנִֽים n c bp Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.
- 2 Kings 14:11 פָנִ֔ים n c bp But Amaziah would not hear. So Jehoash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
1 Chronicles 3 verses
- 1 Chronicles 4:40 לְ/פָנִֽים prep + n c bp They found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for those who lived there before were of Ham.
- 1 Chronicles 9:20 לְ/פָנִ֖ים prep + n c bp Phinehas the son of Eleazar was ruler over them in time past, [and] Yahweh was with him.
- 1 Chronicles 19:10 פְנֵי פָּנִ֣ים n c bp cs n c bp Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.
2 Chronicles 8 verses
- 2 Chronicles 4:19 הַ/פָּנִֽים ptcl def.art + n c bp Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God, the golden altar also, and the tables whereon was the show bread;
- 2 Chronicles 9:11 לְ/פָנִ֖ים prep + n c bp The king made of the algum trees terraces for the house of Yahweh, and for the king's house, and harps and psalteries for the singers: and there were none such seen before in the land of Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 13:14 פָּנִ֣ים n c bp When Judah looked back, behold, the battle was before and behind them; and they cried to Yahweh, and the priests sounded with the trumpets.
- 2 Chronicles 19:7 פָנִ֖ים n c bp Now therefore let the fear of Yahweh be on you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with Yahweh our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of bribes.
- 2 Chronicles 25:17 פָנִֽים n c bp Then Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to Joash, the son of Jehoahaz the son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one another in the face.
- 2 Chronicles 25:21 פָנִ֔ים n c bp So Joash king of Israel went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in the face at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.
- 2 Chronicles 30:9 לִ/פְנֵ֣י פָּנִים֙ prep + n c bp cs n c bp For if you turn again to Yahweh, your brothers and your children shall find compassion before those who led them captive, and shall come again into this land: for Yahweh your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if you return to him.
- 2 Chronicles 32:21 פָּנִ֜ים n c bp Yahweh sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. When he was come into the house of his god, those who came forth from his own bowels killed him there with the sword.
Ezra 1 verse
Nehemiah 1 verse
Job 6 verses
- Job 13:10 פָּנִ֥ים n c bp He will surely reprove you If you secretly show partiality.
- Job 17:6 לְ/פָנִ֣ים prep + n c bp "But he has made me a byword of the people. They spit in my face.
- Job 22:8 פָ֝נִ֗ים n c bp But as for the mighty man, he had the earth. The honorable man, he lived in it.
- Job 24:15 פָּנִ֣ים n c bp The eye also of the adulterer waits for the twilight, Saying, 'No eye shall see me.' He disguises his face.
- Job 34:29 פָּ֭נִים n c bp When he gives quietness, who then can condemn? When he hides his face, who then can see him? Alike whether to a nation, or to a man:
- Job 42:11 לְ/פָנִ֗ים prep + n c bp Then came there to him all his brothers, and all his sisters, and all those who had been of his acquaintance before, and ate bread with him in his house. They comforted him, and consoled him concerning all the evil that Yahweh had brought on him. Everyone also gave him a piece of money, and everyone a ring of gold.
Psalms 2 verses
Proverbs 5 verses
- Proverbs 15:13 פָּנִ֑ים n c bp A glad heart makes a cheerful face; But an aching heart breaks the spirit.
- Proverbs 24:23 פָּנִ֖ים n c bp These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.
- Proverbs 25:23 וּ/פָנִ֥ים conj + n c bp The north wind brings forth rain: So a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.
- Proverbs 27:19 הַ/פָּנִ֣ים לַ/פָּנִ֑ים ptcl def.art + n c bp prep + n c bp As water reflects a face, So a man's heart reflects the man.
- Proverbs 28:21 פָּנִ֥ים n c bp To show partiality is not good; Yet a man will do wrong for a piece of bread.
Ecclesiastes 2 verses
Isaiah 6 verses
- Isaiah 3:3 פָנִ֑ים n c bp The captain of fifty, The honorable man, The counselor, The skilled craftsman, And the clever enchanter.
- Isaiah 9:15 פָנִ֖ים n c bp The elder and the honorable man, he is the head; and the prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
- Isaiah 25:8 פָּנִ֑ים n c bp He has swallowed up death forever; and the Lord Yahweh will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the reproach of his people will he take away from off all the earth: for Yahweh has spoken it.
- Isaiah 41:26 וּ/מִ/לְּ/פָנִ֖ים conj + prep + Preposition + n c bp Who has declared it from the beginning, that we may know? and before, that we may say, [He is] right? yes, there is none who declares, yes, there is none who shows, yes, there is none who hears your words.
- Isaiah 53:3 פָּנִים֙ n c bp He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we didn't respect him.
- Isaiah 59:2 פָנִ֛ים n c bp but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Jeremiah 5 verses
- Jeremiah 2:27 פָנִ֑ים n c bp who tell a stock, You are my father; and to a stone, You have brought me forth: for they have turned their back to me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us.
- Jeremiah 7:24 לְ/פָנִֽים prep + n c bp But they didn't listen nor turn their ear, but walked in [their own] counsels [and] in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
- Jeremiah 18:17 לִ/פְנֵ֣י פָנִ֛ים prep + n c bp cs n c bp I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
- Jeremiah 30:6 פָּנִ֖ים n c bp Ask now, and see whether a man does travail with child: why do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
- Jeremiah 32:33 פָנִ֑ים n c bp They have turned to me the back, and not the face: and though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction.
Ezekiel 11 verses
- Ezekiel 1:6 פָנִ֖ים n c bp Everyone had four faces, and everyone of them had four wings.
- Ezekiel 2:4 פָנִים֙ n c bp The children are impudent and stiff-hearted: I do sent you to them; and you shall tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 2:10 לְ/פָנַ֔/י פָּנִ֣ים prep + n c bp cs + sfx pers 1cs n c bp He spread it before me: and it was written within and without; and there were written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.
- Ezekiel 7:18 פָּנִים֙ n c bp They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them; and shame shall be on all faces, and baldness on all their heads.
- Ezekiel 10:14 פָנִ֖ים פְּנֵ֨י פְּנֵ֣י וּ/פְנֵ֤י פְּנֵ֣י פְּנֵ֣י פְּנֵי n c bp n c bp cs n c bp cs conj + n c bp cs n c bp cs n c bp cs n c bp cs Every one had four faces: the first face was the face of the cherub, and the second face was the face of a man, and the third face the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.
- Ezekiel 10:21 פָנִים֙ n c bp Every one had four faces, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings.
- Ezekiel 10:22 פְּנֵי/הֶ֔ם הַ/פָּנִ֗ים פָּנָ֖י/ו n c bp cs + sfx pers 3mp ptcl def.art + n c bp n c bp cs + sfx pers 3ms As for the likeness of their faces, they were the faces which I saw by the river Chebar, their appearances and themselves; they went every one straight forward.
- Ezekiel 20:35 פָּנִ֖ים פָּנִֽים n c bp n c bp and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there will I enter into judgment with you face to face.
- Ezekiel 20:47 פָּנִ֖ים n c bp and tell the forest of the South, Hear the word of Yahweh: Thus says the Lord Yahweh, Behold, I will kindle a fire in you, and it shall devour every green tree in you, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burnt thereby.
- Ezekiel 27:35 פָּנִֽים n c bp All the inhabitants of the isles are astonished at you, and their kings are horribly afraid; they are troubled in their face.
- Ezekiel 41:18 פָּנִ֖ים n c bp It was made with cherubim and palm trees; and a palm tree was between cherub and cherub, and every cherub had two faces;
Daniel 3 verses
- Daniel 8:23 פָּנִ֖ים n c bp In the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce face, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
- Daniel 9:7 הַ/פָּנִ֖ים ptcl def.art + n c bp Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of face, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near, and who are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.
- Daniel 9:8 הַ/פָּנִ֔ים ptcl def.art + n c bp Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.
Joel 1 verse
Malachi 2 verses
- Malachi 1:9 פְנֵי פָּנִ֔ים n c bp cs n c bp "Now, please entreat the favor of God, that he may be gracious to us. With this, will he accept any of you?" says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 2:9 פָּנִ֖ים n c bp "Therefore I have also made you contemptible and base before all the people, according to the way you have not kept my ways, but have had respect for persons in the law.
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.
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
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.
- #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 →
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 1,891 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:
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:
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:
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:
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.
- 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 פנה (pânâh) (H6437) — to turn.
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.
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
Shares the same root
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
- Genesis 1:2
- Exodus 1:12
- Leviticus 1:3
- Numbers 3:4
- Deuteronomy 1:8
- Joshua 1:5
- Judges 1:10
- Ruth 2:10
- 1 Samuel 1:12
- 2 Samuel 2:14
- 1 Kings 1:2
- 2 Kings 1:15
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.
