פָּנֶה (pa.neh)
pa.neh
face: before
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 1,612 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew word panim literally means "face," but it functions as a plural noun that always takes singular grammar. This unique form likely reflects the two eyes and features that make up a face, yet the word consistently refers to a single entity. It appears over sixteen hundred times in the Old Testament, serving as a foundational term for describing physical appearance, personal presence, and spatial orientation.
Its meaning extends far beyond the physical visage. Panim frequently denotes the "presence" or "person" of an individual, especially when referring to God. To seek someone's face is to desire their attention and favor, while turning one's back signifies rejection. The sources note its use for the faces of cherubim and even the surface of the ground, illustrating how the word bridges the concrete and the abstract.
A key feature of panim is its ability to function as a preposition meaning "before" or "in front of." When combined with prefixes, it indicates location or time, such as "from before" or "in the presence of." This spatial usage underpins many theological concepts, including standing before God in judgment or appearing before Him in worship, making it central to understanding biblical encounters.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word panim literally means "face," yet it carries a rich depth that goes far beyond physical features. In Scripture, it often signifies presence, attention, and favor. When we speak of someone's face, we are speaking of their whole person—their character, their gaze, and their willingness to engage with us. This word appears over sixteen hundred times in the Old Testament, showing how central personal relationship is to biblical faith.
For your daily life, this means that God is not a distant force but a personal presence who sees you and responds to you. To seek His face is to desire His attention and favor, while turning away signifies rejection. When Cain’s expression fell, it revealed his inner state; similarly, our spiritual posture is visible in how we orient ourselves toward God. You can find comfort in knowing that He invites you into open communion, not hidden judgment.
Whether you are standing before Him in worship or walking through difficult seasons, panim reminds us that relationship is key. Christians have understood this passage to mean that God’s presence is accessible to those who approach Him with humility. The hope of resurrection and the promise of eternal fellowship with Christ anchor this truth across all traditions.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 1,612 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- <to>/ before545×
- [the] face of128×
- <to>/ before/ you116×
- from/ before78×
- <to>/ before/ him75×
- [the] surface of69×
- face/ his64×
- <from>/ because of60×
- face/ my55×
- <to>/ before/ me54×
- <to>/ before/ them40×
- from/ before/ you38×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לִ/פְנֵ֣י194×
- לִ/פְנֵ֥י158×
- פְּנֵ֣י78×
- פְּנֵ֥י73×
- לִ/פְנֵ֖י66×
- מִ/פְּנֵ֖י48×
- מִ/פְּנֵ֣י40×
- לִ/פְנֵי֙28×
- לִ/פְנֵ֤י25×
- לְ/פָנֶ֔י/ךָ23×
- לְ/פָנָֽי/ו\׃22×
- מִ/פְּנֵ֥י21×
Key Verses
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Genesis 3:8
They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.
This verse shows panim denoting God's personal presence, as Adam and Eve hid from Him after sinning.
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Genesis 4:6
Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?
Here the phrase 'expression of your face' reveals Cain’s inner anger and spiritual decline before God.
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Genesis 7:1
Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.
Noah’s righteousness is seen 'before me,' illustrating panim as a preposition indicating standing in God's presence.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does panim mean in the Old Testament?
Why is panim always plural in form?
How is panim used as a preposition?
Every Occurrence (1,612 verses across 36 books)
Genesis 120 verses
The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the…
Genesis 1:20God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the…
Genesis 1:29God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree,…
Genesis 2:6but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground.
Genesis 3:8They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves…
Genesis 4:5but he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell.
Genesis 4:6Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?
Genesis 4:14Behold, you have driven me out today from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a…
Genesis 4:16Cain left Yahweh’s presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Genesis 6:1When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,
Genesis 6:7Yahweh said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground—man, along with animals, creeping…
Genesis 6:11The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
Genesis 6:13God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will…
Genesis 7:1Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in…
Genesis 7:3Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth.
Genesis 7:4In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy every living thing…
Genesis 7:7Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters.
Genesis 7:18The waters rose, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters.
Genesis 7:23Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and…
Genesis 8:8He himself sent out a dove to see if the waters were abated from the surface of the ground,
Genesis 8:9but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned into the ship to him, for the waters were on the surface…
Genesis 8:13In the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth.…
Genesis 9:23Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it on both their shoulders, went in backwards, and covered the nakedness of…
Genesis 10:9He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it is said, “like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh”.
Genesis 11:4They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for…
Genesis 11:8So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.
Genesis 11:9Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh…
Genesis 11:28Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees, while his father Terah was still alive.
Genesis 13:9Isn’t the whole land before you? Please separate yourself from me. If you go to the left hand, then I will go to the…
Genesis 13:10Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw all the plain of the Jordan, that it was well-watered everywhere, before Yahweh…
Genesis 16:6But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your hand. Do to her whatever is good in your eyes.” Sarai dealt…
Genesis 16:8He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where did you come from? Where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the face…
Genesis 16:12He will be like a wild donkey among men. His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. He will…
Genesis 17:1When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and…
Genesis 17:3Abram fell on his face. God talked with him, saying,
Genesis 17:17Then Abraham fell on his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to him who is one hundred…
Genesis 17:18Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!”
Genesis 18:8He took butter, milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them. He stood by them under the tree, and…
Genesis 18:16The men rose up from there, and looked toward Sodom. Abraham went with them to see them on their way.
Genesis 18:22The men turned from there, and went toward Sodom, but Abraham stood yet before Yahweh.
Genesis 19:13for we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown so great before Yahweh that Yahweh has sent…
Genesis 19:21He said to him, “Behold, I have granted your request concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow the city of…
Genesis 19:27Abraham went up early in the morning to the place where he had stood before Yahweh.
Genesis 19:28He looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and saw that the smoke of the land went up…
Genesis 20:15Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you. Dwell where it pleases you.”
Genesis 23:3Abraham rose up from before his dead and spoke to the children of Heth, saying,
Genesis 23:4“I am a stranger and a foreigner living with you. Give me a possession of a burying-place with you, that I may bury my…
Genesis 23:8He talked with them, saying, “If you agree that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me to…
Genesis 23:12Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land.
Genesis 23:17So the field of Ephron, which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field, the cave which was in it, and all…
Genesis 23:19After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Mamre (that is, Hebron), in the…
Genesis 24:7Yahweh, the God of heaven—who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who…
Genesis 24:12He said, “Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
Genesis 24:33Food was set before him to eat, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told my message.” Laban said, “Speak on.”
Genesis 24:40He said to me, ‘Yahweh, before whom I walk, will send his angel with you, and prosper your way. You shall take a wife…
Genesis 24:51Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her, and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as Yahweh has spoken.”
Genesis 25:9Isaac and Ishmael, his sons, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar the Hittite,…
Genesis 25:18They lived from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt, as you go toward Assyria. He lived opposite all his relatives.
Genesis 27:7‘Bring me venison, and make me savory food, that I may eat, and bless you before Yahweh before my death.’
Genesis 27:10You shall bring it to your father, that he may eat, so that he may bless you before his death.”
Genesis 27:20Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He said, “Because Yahweh your God gave me…
Genesis 27:30As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had just gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau…
Genesis 27:46Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob takes a wife of the daughters…
Genesis 29:26Laban said, “It is not done so in our place, to give the younger before the firstborn.
Genesis 30:30For it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased to a multitude. Yahweh has blessed you wherever I…
Genesis 30:33So my righteousness will answer for me hereafter, when you come concerning my hire that is before you. Every one that…
Genesis 30:40Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the black in Laban’s flock. He…
Genesis 31:2Jacob saw the expression on Laban’s face, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.
Genesis 31:5and said to them, “I see the expression on your father’s face, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my…
Genesis 31:21So he fled with all that he had. He rose up, passed over the River, and set his face toward the mountain of Gilead.
Genesis 31:35She said to her father, “Don’t let my lord be angry that I can’t rise up before you; for I’m having my period.” He…
Genesis 33:3He himself passed over in front of them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
Genesis 33:10Jacob said, “Please, no, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present at my hand, because I have…
Genesis 33:14Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on gently, according to the pace of the livestock that…
Genesis 33:18Jacob came in peace to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan Aram; and encamped…
Genesis 34:10You shall dwell with us, and the land will be before you. Live and trade in it, and get possessions in it.”
Genesis 34:21“These men are peaceful with us. Therefore let them live in the land and trade in it. For behold, the land is large…
Genesis 35:1God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there. Make there an altar to God, who appeared to you when you…
Genesis 35:7He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the…
Genesis 36:6Esau took his wives, his sons, his daughters, and all the members of his household, with his livestock, all his…
Genesis 36:7For their substance was too great for them to dwell together, and the land of their travels couldn’t bear them because…
Genesis 36:31These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before any king reigned over the children of Israel.
Genesis 38:15When Judah saw her, he thought that she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face.
Genesis 40:7He asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in custody in his master’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?”
Genesis 40:9The chief cup bearer told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, “In my dream, behold, a vine was in front of me,
Genesis 41:31and the plenty will not be known in the land by reason of that famine which follows; for it will be very grievous.
Genesis 41:43He made him ride in the second chariot which he had. They cried before him, “Bow the knee!” He set him over all the…
Genesis 41:46Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh,…
Genesis 41:56The famine was over all the surface of the earth. Joseph opened all the store houses, and sold to the Egyptians. The…
Genesis 43:3Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is…
Genesis 43:5but if you don’t send him, we won’t go down, for the man said to us, ‘You shall not see my face, unless your brother is…
Genesis 43:9I’ll be collateral for him. From my hand will you require him. If I don’t bring him to you, and set him before you,…
Genesis 43:14May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am…
Genesis 43:15The men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and got up, went down to Egypt, and…
Genesis 43:31He washed his face, and came out. He controlled himself, and said, “Serve the meal.”
Genesis 43:33They sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth, and the men…
Genesis 43:34He sent portions to them from before him, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. They drank,…
Genesis 44:14Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there. They fell on the ground before him.
Genesis 44:23You said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.’
Genesis 44:26We said, ‘We can’t go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down: for we may not see the man’s…
Genesis 44:29If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’
Genesis 45:3Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Does my father still live?” His brothers couldn’t answer him; for they were…
Genesis 45:5Now don’t be grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.
Genesis 45:7God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to save you alive by a great deliverance.
Genesis 46:28Jacob sent Judah before him to Joseph, to show the way before him to Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen.
Genesis 46:30Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, that you are still alive.”
Genesis 47:2From among his brothers he took five men, and presented them to Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:6The land of Egypt is before you. Make your father and your brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in…
Genesis 47:7Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:10Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
Genesis 47:13There was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan…
Genesis 47:18When that year was ended, they came to him the second year, and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord how our…
Genesis 48:11Israel said to Joseph, “I didn’t think I would see your face, and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.”
Genesis 48:15He blessed Joseph, and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my…
Genesis 48:20He blessed them that day, saying, “Israel will bless in your name, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh’”…
Genesis 49:30in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with…
Genesis 50:1Joseph fell on his father’s face, wept on him, and kissed him.
Genesis 50:13for his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham…
Genesis 50:16They sent a message to Joseph, saying, “Your father commanded before he died, saying,
Genesis 50:18His brothers also went and fell down before his face; and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”