Faithful Recognition: Φανουήλ (Strong’s G5323: Phanouēl) Sees God’s Promise

Strong’s G5323: A proper noun of Hebrew origin (פְּנוּאֵל Penuel) meaning “face of God.” The name of Anna’s father mentioned in Luke’s Gospel. Significant in connecting the recognition of infant Jesus to Old Testament themes of seeing God’s face and receiving blessing.

U- Unveiling the Word

The name Φανουήλ carries deep theological significance as it means “face of God” in Hebrew. In Luke’s Gospel, it appears as the patronymic of Anna, the prophetess who recognized the infant Jesus as the Messiah. This connection is particularly meaningful as Anna, daughter of one whose name means “face of God,” was blessed to see God incarnate in the face of the infant Jesus. The early church recognized this beautiful symbolism, seeing in it a fulfillment of the Old Testament theme of seeking and seeing God’s face. Today, Φανουήλ reminds us of the privilege believers have in seeing God revealed in Jesus the Messiah, and the blessing of recognizing His presence in our lives.

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N – Necessary Information

• Greek Word: Φανουήλ, Phanouēl, fan-oo-ale’
• Pronunciation Guide: fan (as in “fantastic”) + oo (as in “boot”) + ale (as in “pale”)
• Part of Speech: Proper Noun

Etymology:

• Transliteration of Hebrew פְּנוּאֵל (Penuel)
• פְּנֵי (pene): “face of”
• אֵל (el): “God”
  Combined to mean “face of God”

D – Defining Meanings

• Face of God (literal meaning)
• Place of divine encounter
• Name signifying divine presence

For compound words:
The Hebrew original is a compound, though the Greek transliteration is treated as a single unit

Translation Options:

• “Phanuel” – direct transliteration
• “Penuel” – Hebrew form
• “Face of God” – translation of meaning

E – Exploring Similar Words

• πρόσωπον (prosōpon, pros’-o-pon) – face See G4383
• θεός (theos, theh’-os) – God See G2316
• ὄψις (opsis, op’-sis) – appearance, face See G3799

R – Reviewing the Word’s Morphology

As a proper noun:

• Indeclinable
• Always maintains the same form
• Used in genitive construction as patronymic

The word remains unchanged morphologically:

• Nominative: Φανουήλ
• Genitive: Φανουήλ
• Dative: Φανουήλ
• Accusative: Φανουήλ

S – Studying Lexicon Insights

The lexicons provide important context for understanding Φανουήλ. BDAG notes its appearance in Luke’s Gospel as a patronymic. Thayer’s connects it to the Hebrew פְּנוּאֵל and its meaning of “face of God.” Strong’s emphasizes the theological significance of the name’s meaning. The LEH provides insight into its usage in the Septuagint, where it appears as both a personal name and a place name. While the name appears only once in the New Testament, its rich Old Testament background adds layers of meaning to Luke’s account, particularly in the context of seeing and recognizing God’s presence.

T – Tracing the Scriptures

First appearance:
Luke 2:36: “Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel [Φανουήλ], of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity.”

A – Analyzing Classical Usage

N – Noteworthy Summary

The name Φανουήλ beautifully connects the Old Testament theme of seeing God’s face with the New Testament recognition of Jesus as the Messiah. That Anna, daughter of one whose name means “face of God,” was among the first to recognize the infant Jesus carries profound significance. This reminds us that in King Jesus, we see God’s face revealed, fulfilling the ancient longing to behold God’s presence. The good news is that through Jesus, we all have access to see and know God face to face.

D – Did You Know?

1. Φανουήλ shares its meaning with Peniel, where Jacob wrestled with God.
2. The name appears in early Christian art depicting the presentation of Jesus.
3. Early church writers saw prophetic significance in Anna’s father bearing this name.

Strong’s G5323: A proper noun of Hebrew origin (פְּנוּאֵל Penuel) meaning “face of God.” The name of Anna’s father mentioned in Luke’s Gospel. Significant in connecting the recognition of infant Jesus to Old Testament themes of seeing God’s face and receiving blessing.

Part of speech: Proper Noun

Tags: Anna, prophetess, presentation-of-Jesus, temple, recognition, divine-presence, face-of-God, Hebrew-names, Luke’s-Gospel, prophecy, messianic-recognition, divine-encounter, seeing-God, temple-worship, blessing​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​