פָּנֶה H6440
face, presence, surface; also before (spatial/temporal)
Literally 'face,' this extremely common Hebrew noun extends to a remarkable range of meanings. It can denote the physical face of a person or animal, the surface of the ground, the presence of God (especially in the idiom 'before the LORD'), spatial position ('in front of'), and even temporal priority ('formerly'). Appearing over 2,000 times in the Hebrew Bible, its core meaning of 'face' radiates outward into spatial, temporal, and theological domains through natural metaphorical extension.
2. face, countenance — Spatial orientation or position, meaning 'before,' 'in front of,' or 'facing.' Cross-linguistic evidence shows consistent directional vocabulary (Spanish delante, French devant, Chinese 面前), distinguishing this physical-spatial sense from the theological presence sense. 187×
AR["الوَجهَ","الْوَجْهِ","لِوَجْهٍ","وَجهاً","وَجهٍ","وَجْهاً","وَجْهًا","وَجْهٍ","وَجْهَهُ"]·ben["মুখ","মুখ-সম্পন্ন","মুখকে","মুখে","মুখের","মুখোমুখি"]·DE["Angesicht","von-Angesicht","zu-Angesicht"]·EN["His-face","face","of-face","the-face","to-face"]·FR["de-face","face","à-face"]·heb["ב-פנים","פני","פנים"]·HI["आमने","आमने-","चेहरा","चेहरे","चेहरे-का","चेहरे-की","चेहरे-को","मुख","मुख-अपना","मुखों-वाला","सामने"]·ID["dengan-muka","muka","wajah"]·IT["a-faccia","di-volto","faccia","volto"]·jav["pasuryan","pasuryan,","pasuryaning","praupan","rai"]·KO["얼굴","얼굴-을","얼굴들의","얼굴로","얼굴을","얼굴을-맞대고","에서-얼굴"]·PT["de-rosto","em-face","face","faces","o-rosto","rosto"]·RU["к-лицу","лица","лицо","лицом","лицу","почтения"]·ES["a-cara","cara","en-ella","rostro"]·SW["paּniym","sana","uso","wa-uso","ya-uso"]·TR["yuz","yuzleri","yüz","yüze","yüzleri","yüzü","yüzünü"]·urd["-روبرو","آمنے","آمنے-سامنے","روبرو","چہرہ","چہرے","چہرے-میں","چہرے-والا","چہرے-پر"]
Gen 32:30, Gen 32:30, Exod 33:11, Exod 33:11, Lev 17:10, Lev 20:3, Lev 20:5, Lev 20:6, Lev 26:17, Deut 5:4, Deut 28:50, Deut 31:17 (+38 more)
▼ 4 more senses below
Senses
1. before, in front of (spatial) — The face or presence of the Lord, most frequently in the expression 'before the LORD' (liphnê YHWH). This theological usage emphasizes divine presence and accessibility in worship, with multilingual glosses maintaining the prepositional idiom (Spanish delante de, Arabic أَمَامَ الرَّبِّ, Swahili mbele za Bwana). 1870×
AR["أمامَ","أَمامَ","أَمامَ-","أَمَامَ"]·ben["-সামনে","সম্মুখে","সামনে"]·DE["vor","vor-"]·EN["before"]·FR["devant"]·heb["ל-פני"]·HI["आगे","के-सामने","के-सामने-","सामने","साम्हने"]·ID["di-depan","di-hadapan","ke-hadapan"]·IT["davanti","davanti-a"]·jav["wonten-ing-ngajeng","wonten-ing-ngajengipun","wonten-ing-sangajeng","wonten-ing-sangajenging","wonten-ngajeng","wonten-ngarsanipun"]·KO["-앞에","앞-에서","앞에","앞에-","앞에서","앞에서-"]·PT["diante-de","diante-de-"]·RU["перед","перед-лицом","пред","пред-лицом","пред-лицом-"]·ES["ante","delante-de","delante-de-"]·SW["majibu-yako","mbele","mbele-ya","mbele-ya-"]·TR["huzuruna","önünde","önünde-"]·urd["-سامنے","حضور","حضور-","سامنے"]
Gen 27:7, Gen 43:14, Gen 47:18, Exod 6:30, Exod 8:20, Exod 14:19, Exod 27:21, Exod 28:29, Exod 29:23, Exod 29:42, Exod 30:16, Exod 34:34 (+38 more)
3. before, prior to / formerly — The literal physical face of a human being or animal. Glosses use anatomical face vocabulary (Spanish rostro/cara, Arabic وَجْهَ, Hindi मुँह), clearly marking this as the concrete bodily sense rather than the metaphorical extensions. 52×
AR["قَبْلاً","قَبْلَهُ","قَدِيمًا"]·ben["আগে","তাঁর-আগে","তাঁর-পূর্বের","তাঁর-সামনে","তার-আগে।","পূর্বে"]·DE["Angesicht","formerly","frueher","vor-ihn","zu-Angesicht"]·EN["before-him","formerly"]·FR["autrefois","devant-lui","face"]·heb["ל-פני-ו","ל-פניו","ל-פנים","לפניו","לפנים"]·HI["-पहले","उसके-पहले","उससे-पहले","पहले","पहले-उस-के","पहले-उसके","रहते-थे","ल-उससे-पहले"]·ID["dahulu","dahulu-kala","sebelumnya"]·IT["anticamente","davanti-a-lui","faccia","formerly"]·jav["Rumiyin","ngajeng","rumiyin","saderengipun","sakdèrèngipun"]·KO["그-앞에","그의-앞에","에-전에","예전에","이전에","이전에는","전에"]·PT["Antigamente","antes","antes-dele","antigamente","diante-dele"]·RU["до-него","пред-ним","прежде"]·ES["Antiguamente","antes","antes-de-él","antiguamente"]·SW["kabla","kabla-yake","zamani"]·TR["-önünde","eskiden","önce","önceden","öncesinde","öncesindeydi","önünde"]·urd["اُس-سے-پہلے","اُس-سے-پہلے-تھے","پہلے","پہلے-اُس-سے","پہلے-کے-زمانے-میں"]
Exod 10:14, Deut 2:10, Deut 2:12, Deut 2:20, Deut 4:32, Josh 10:14, Josh 11:10, Josh 14:15, Josh 15:15, Judg 1:10, Judg 1:11, Judg 1:23 (+38 more)
4. because of, on account of — The surface or face of the ground, earth, or land. This extension from human face to terrestrial surface is reflected in translations that maintain the 'face of' construction (Arabic وَجْهِ الأَرْضِ, Swahili uso wa nchi) or shift to 'surface' terminology. 14×
AR["بِسَبَبِ","بِـ-سَبَبِ-","مِن-أَمَامِ","مِن-أَمَامِ-","مِنْ-أَمامِ","مِنْ-أَمَامِ","وَ-مِنْ-أَمَامِ","وَ-مِنْ-وَجْهِ","وَمِنْ-أَمَامِ","وَمِنْ-وَجْهِ"]·ben["-কারণে","-মুখে-","এবং-থেকে-সামনে","এবং-সামনে-","ও-কারণে","ও-সামনে-থেকে","কারণে","কারণে-","সামনে-থেকে"]·DE["und-von-Angesicht-von","und-von-vor","von-vor","wegen"]·EN["and-because-of","and-from-before","and-from-face-of","from-before","from-face-of","from-face-of-"]·FR["de-devant","et-de-face-de","et-von-devant","à-cause-de"]·heb["ו-מ-ל-פני","ו-מ-פני","מ-פני","מ-פני-"]·HI["और-के-कारण","और-सामने-से","और-से-सामने","के-कारण-","मिप्पने","सामने-से","सामने-से-"]·ID["dan-dari-hadapan","dan-di-hadapan","dan-oleh-karena","di-hadapan-","karena","karena-","kepada"]·IT["a-causa-di","da-davanti","e-da-davanti","e-da-faccia-di","e-da-volto-di"]·jav["lan-saking-ngajeng-","lan-saking-ngajeng-ipun","lan-saking-ngajengipun","lan-saking-ngarsaning","lan-saking-ngarsanipun","saking-ngajeng","saking-ngajeng-","saking-ngajengipun"]·KO["-때문에","그리고-때문에-","그리고-로부터-앞-에서","그리고-앞에서","그리고-앞에서-","때문에","앞에서-"]·PT["de-diante-de","de-face-de","e-da-face-de","e-de-diante-de","e-por-causa-de","e-por-causa-de-","por-causa-de"]·RU["и-от-лица","из-за","от-","от-лица","от-лица-","пред","против"]·ES["a-causa-de","de-ante","de-delante-de","por-causa-de","y-de-ante","y-de-delante-de","y-de-presencia-de","y-delante-de","y-por-causa-de"]·SW["kwa-sababu-ya","kwa-sababu-ya-","mbele-ya","mbele-ya-","na-kwa-sababu-ya","na-mbele-ya","wּmiliּpney"]·TR["onunden","onunden-","ve-karşısından","ve-onunden-","ve-yüzünden","ve-önünden-","yüzünden","önünden"]·urd["اور-سامنے","اور-سامنے-سے","اور-کے-سبب-سے","سامنے-سے","سے-سامنے"]
5. surface, face of — Temporal sense meaning 'before,' 'formerly,' or 'previous,' derived from the spatial metaphor of what stands before one. Translations use temporal adverbs (Spanish antes, French autrefois, German früher), marking the shift from space to time. 4×
AR["وَجْهَهَا","وَجْهِ-"]·ben["তার-মুখ","মুখ","মুখ-"]·DE["Angesicht","Angesicht-von-","Fläche-"]·EN["and-twists","face-of-","its-surface"]·FR["face","face-de-"]·heb["פני","פניה"]·HI["उसकी-सतह","पने-","मुख-","सतह-उसकी"]·ID["permukaan","permukaannya","wajah"]·IT["faccia","volto-di-"]·jav["lumahing-nipun","pasuryan","sanginggiling"]·KO["그-표면을","그의-면을","앞-을","표면"]·PT["a-face-de-","face-de","sua-face"]·RU["лицо-","лицо-её","поверхность-её"]·ES["faz-de","faz-de-","su-faz","su-superficie"]·SW["uso-wa-","uso-wake","wa"]·TR["yuzunu","yüzünü-"]·urd["اُس-کا-چہرہ","اُس-کی-سطح","سطح-کو","چہرہ-"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
[פָּנֶה] 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…