Face
1:
FACE. The Hebrew pānı̂m is the primary OT word for “face.” In its various forms, the word pānı̂m occurs over 2100 times. In Hebrew the word pānı̂m occurs only as a plural, unlike the cognate form in Akkadian, panū, which occurs both as a singular and as a plural. The plural is often explained as the plurality of features that make up the face. Like the English word “face,” the Hebrew root has both a common noun and a less frequently occurring denominative verb, “to face, turn,” pānāh. The word pānı̂m can refer to the face of a human, God, an animal, and inaminate objects such as the earth and waters.
Although other Hebrew words are occasionally translated as “face,” no other word expresses the range of emotions that could be indicated by pānı̂m. The word ˓ayin, literally “eye,” is translated five times in the RSV as “face.” Four times the phrase used is “cover the face (˓ayin) of the earth,” and once it is the phrase “face to face” (˓ayin b˓ayin). The word ˒ap, literally “nose,” is translated “face” at least 15 times in RSV. In 14 of these cases, the expression speaks of falling upon the face (˒ap) or bowing the face. The one other occurrence of ˒ap translated as “face” speaks of the sweat of the face.
Pānı̂m is the most common word in the OT for “presence” in a broader sense than just “face.” Thus pānı̂m was used in reference to entering or leaving the presence of a king or a superior, or of being in Yahweh’s presence. The technical term lipnê YHWH, literally, “before or to Yahweh,” occurs 225 times in the OT and regularly refers to cultic activity in Yahweh’s presence. In a number of uses, pānı̂m becomes synonymous with the person. Thus references to “the angel of his (Yahweh’s) presence” and to “the bread of the presence,” and even a statement as “My (Yahweh’s) presence will go with you, and I will give you rest” refer respectively to Yahweh’s own angel, his own personal bread, and his own presence.
As indicated above, the face expressed a full range of emotions to the Hebrews. Thus anger, especially from a feeling of being rejected, was indicated by a fallen face or countenance. A closely related phrase, “to fall on one’s face,” was a sign of obeisance or homage. The opposite of the fallen face is having one’s face lifted or raised. This probably has its origin in the literal lifting the face of one who has fallen on his face. The meaning is acceptance or approval and often implies the granting of a request. When Yahweh lifted his face upon one, it was a sign of blessing.
“To see the face of a king” indicated having an audience or entering his presence directly, and not being permitted to see his face indicated the absence of such an audience. In one unusual phrase the same verb, rā˒āh, occurs in a Hitpa˓el, with pānı̂m meaning “to look at one another in the face” in the sense of doing battle. Probably in a related usage, the Mesha stela speaks of Chemosh causing Mesha “to see over” all his enemies—giving Mesha victory.
It seems obvious that “seeing Yahweh’s face” had much the same meaning, of entering Yahweh’s presence directly. However, Hebrew theology had definite problems with the worshiper literally seeing God. Yahweh was not physically visible in the sanctuary, nor even in theophany. In the form the OT text is preserved, it is aniconic—the Hebrews had no images of Yahweh in their sanctuaries. Further, Exod 33:20 clearly states that man cannot see Yahweh or Yahweh’s face and live, thus the smoke and cloud of the theophany hid God. Even the kāb̃d-glory does not represent the fullness of God and God’s presence. It shields the individual from Yahweh’s unmediated presence. Deuteronomic theology spoke less of Yahweh or his presence being in the sanctuary, but instead stated that the sanctuary was the place Yahweh caused his name to dwell. Only occasionally does the OT speak of one seeing God’s face or seeing God face to face. The more common phrase is the passive (Nip˓al) form of “to see” with pānı̂m, literally, “to appear (be seen) before the [face of] Yahweh,” a technical term for visiting a sanctuary.
Other phrases that relate closely to an audience with an important person include “seeking the face of” and “entreating the favor of.” Both of these phrases are used frequently in reference to Yahweh. Seeking the face of Yahweh may originally have referred to divination or seeking an oracle. “To entreat the favor of Yahweh” literally meant “to make sweet or appease [the face of] Yahweh.” Its meaning is more generally that of seeking favor, as is evident from one occurrence in reference to a man.
When the king, or God, with whom one has an audience recognizes the person, he turns his face toward the person. This is a way of expressing the king’s attention and usually his positive response. Turning away the face, or turning the back and not the face, is a lack or attention and response; it is normally a sign of rejection. Hiding the face normally has a similar meaning. When, however, Yahweh hides his face from one’s sins, it is a gracious act. Also, one response of mankind to the presence of God is to hide the face, usually out of fear. Strong determination was shown by the phrase “to set the face” or “to set one’s face like flint.” When Yahweh set his face on one it was usually set against one in judgment.
The face could be either cheerful or sad, or even tearful. The light of one’s face represented a bright, beaming, or cheerful face and therefore one’s favor. A shining face speaks of a cheerful or joyful person. Thus when Yahweh caused his face to shine on someone or gave the light of his face, it represented Yahweh’s joy and, therefore, his blessing.
Bibliography
Dhorme, E. 1923. L’emploi métaphorique des noms de parties du corps en hébreu et en akkadien. Paris.
Johnson, A. R. 1964. The Vitality of the Individual in the Thought of Ancient Israel. Cardiff.
Nötscher, F. 1969. “Das Angesicht Gottes schauen” nach biblischer und babylonischer Auffassung. Darmstadt.
Reindl, J. 1970. Das Angeschicht Gottes im sprachgebrauch des Alten Testaments. ErfThSt 25. Leipzig.
Joel F. Drinkard, Jr.
Freedman, D. N. (1996, c1992). The Anchor Bible Dictionary (2:744). New York: Doubleday.
2:
Face — means simply presence, as when it is recorded that Adam and Eve hid themselves from the “face [R.V., ‘presence’] of the Lord God” (Gen. 3:8; comp. Ex. 33:14, 15, where the same Hebrew word is rendered “presence”). The “light of God’s countenance” is his favour (Ps. 44:3; Dan. 9:17). “Face” signifies also anger, justice, severity (Gen. 16:6, 8; Ex. 2:15; Ps. 68:1; Rev. 6:16). To “provoke God to his face” (Isa. 65:3) is to sin against him openly.
The Jews prayed with their faces toward the temple and Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:38, 44, 48; Dan. 6:10). To “see God’s face” is to have access to him and to enjoy his favour (Ps. 17:15; 27:8). This is the privilege of holy angels (Matt. 18:10; Luke 1:19). The “face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6) is the office and person of Christ, the revealer of the glory of God (John 1:14, 18).
Easton, M. (1996, c1897). Easton's Bible dictionary. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
3:
FACE. There is nothing peculiar in the use of this word in Scripture, except with reference to God. Applied to God, it denotes His presence. In such phrases as seeing the Lord “face to face,” “the face of the Lord is against evildoers,” it is evidently all one with God’s manifested presence. The declaration made by Jehovah to Moses, “No man can see Me and live” (Ex. 33:20), seems to contradict the joyful assertion of Jacob, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved” (Gen. 32:30). The apparent discrepancy is to be explained by the different respects in which the expression is used in the two cases. The face of God, as involving the full blaze of His manifested glory, no mortal can see and survive; but when veiled and appearing with the softened radiance of the human countenance, revived and quickened life is the natural result. The word is also used in the sense of favor (Ps. 67:1; Dan. 9:17) and signifies also anger, justice, severity (Gen. 16:6, 8; Ex. 2:15; Rev. 6:16, KJV; NASB, “presence”), it being natural to express these feelings in one’s countenance. “To set one’s face” denotes to determine fully and resolve, and “to fall on the face” is an attitude of fear and reverence. To see one “face to face” is to enjoy a direct, clear sight of him and not a reflection in a mirror.
Unger, M. F., Harrison, R. K., Vos, H. F., Barber, C. J., & Unger, M. F. (1988). The new Unger's Bible dictionary. Revision of: Unger's Bible dictionary. 3rd ed. c1966. (Rev. and updated ed.). Chicago: Moody Press.
4:
FACE. The Eng. word usually translates Heb. pānı̂m or Gk. prosōpon. The Heb. word is used in many Eng. senses-of the faces of people and animals, and metaphorically of the sky; it could refer to the front of something, or its outward appearance. Then the ‘face’ of a person became synonymous with his ‘presence’, and the Heb. lip̱enê (lit.‘to the face of’, and so ‘to the presence of’, and ‘in front of’) is a very common preposition.
The face, of course, gives visable indication of inward emotions, and a variety of adjectives accompany the word in Scripture, such as ‘sad’, ‘tearful’, ‘ashamed’ or ‘pale’. The face could change colour, darkening or blushing.
Modesty or reverence demanded the veiling of the face, as did Rebekah before Isaac. God’s face might not be seen by man for fear of death (Ex. 33:20); in Isaiah’s visions, seraphim veiled the Almighty’s face. It was a sign of humility to bow the face to the ground; and falling on the face betokened great fear. Utter contempt, on the other hand, could be shown by spitting in somebody’s face. Metaphorically, determination could be shown by ‘setting’ one’s face—note the graphic phrase of Is. 50:7, denoting unswerving purpose. Determined opposition was made by withstanding someone to his face. Intimacy and understanding were conveyed by the phrase ‘face to face’. This phrase has, of course, passed into English, as has also ‘his face fell’ (Gn. 4:5).
The face of the dead was covered (Jn. 11:44), and so this action to Haman made it clear that he was doomed (Est. 7:8).
When a man prostrated himself to make a request, his superior would raise the supplicant’s head as a sign that the favour would be granted. To lift someone’s face thus meant primarily to grant a favour (cf. Gn. 19:21), and then to make a favourite of (Dt. 10:17). This concept is also found in NT Greek, in the words prosōpolēptēs (‘respecter of persons’; literally,‘face-taker’) and prosōpolēpsia, the abstract noun (cf. Acts 10:34; Rom. 2:11).
The ‘face of God’, i.e., his gracious presence, is an important OT theme, as, e.g., in the *showbread.
Bibliography. THAT, s.v. pānı̂m; E. Tiedke, NIDNTT 1, pp. 585–587; E. Lohse, TDNT 6, pp. 768–780. d.f.p.
Wood, D. R. W., Wood, D. R. W., & Marshall, I. H. (1996, c1982, c1962). New Bible Dictionary. Includes index. (electronic ed. of 3rd ed.) (357). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press.
5:
Face
In numerous contexts “face” (Heb. panɩ̂m) is a synonym for “surface,” as in “the face of the earth” (Gen. 1:29), “the face of the ground” (2:6), and the “face of the deep” (1:2). In other contexts it assumes a close relationship with a person, so that “seeing the face of …” (Gen. 32:20) and “hiding the face from …” (Ps. 27:9) are both indicators of presence and nonpresence, acceptance and rejection. The latter is also an attempt to hide one’s identity (Ps. 102:2 [MT 3]; Isa. 53:3).
To “bow the face” (Luke 5:12; Gk. prósōpon) and “fall on the face” (Ezek. 1:28) are signs of humility and obeisance. To “turn the face” (2 Kgs. 20:2) and “set the face toward/against …” (Ezek. 35:2) are indicators of determination and intention. Further, to “lower the face” (Gen. 40:7) and to have a “fallen face” are signs of disrespect and dishonor, as is striking someone in the face (John 18:22). In a similar fashion, to mutilate the face (Lev. 21:18) or have a soiled face (2 Sam. 19:4–5) is an indicator of loss, mourning, and shame. By way of contrast, to “lift the face” (2 Kgs. 5:1) or converse with someone “face to face” (1 Thess. 3:10) is a sign of respect and honor in treating someone as one’s equal.
In traditional Mediterranean society, which maintains a strong sense of honor among males, the face is the most obvious public expression of a person’s character and standing in the social group. Thus, bowing the face or falling on the face is an appropriate gesture of obeisance to a superior. To have one’s face lifted is a bestowal of honor by a superior on an inferior. The hope of believers is that they too shall see God “face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12), having received the ultimate gift of acceptance by God in Christ.
T. R. Hobbs
Freedman, D. N., Myers, A. C., & Beck, A. B. (2000). Eerdmans dictionary of the Bible (452). Grand Rapids, Mich.: W.B. Eerdmans.
