פָּנָ֖י/ו

𐤐𐤍𐤉/𐤅

panayv

his face

plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun פָּנֶה; from פָּנָה); the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.); [phrase] accept, a-(be-) fore(-time), against, anger, [idiom] as (long as), at, [phrase] battle, [phrase] because (of), [phrase] beseech, countenance, edge, [phrase] employ, endure, [phrase] enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, [idiom] him(-self), [phrase] honourable, [phrase] impudent, [phrase] in, it, look(-eth) (-s), [idiom] me, [phrase] meet, [idiom] more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), [idiom] on, open, [phrase] out of, over against, the partial, person, [phrase] please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, [phrase] regard, right forth, [phrase] serve, [idiom] shewbread, sight, state, straight, [phrase] street, [idiom] thee, [idiom] them(-selves), through ([phrase] -out), till, time(-s) past, (un-) to(-ward), [phrase] upon, upside ([phrase] down), with(-in, [phrase] -stand), [idiom] ye, [idiom] you.

H6440

Genesis 31:21 · Word #12

Lexicon H6440

Lemmaפָּנִים
Lemma (Paleo)𐤐𐤍𐤉𐤌
Transliterationpânîym
Strong'sH6440
In-contexthis face

Morphology HNcbpc/Sp3ms All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype c — Common — Common noun
Gender b — Both — Both (masculine and feminine)
Number p — Plural — Plural
State c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word

SIBI-P1 H6440-51

his faces

Rootפ-נ-ה (p-n-h)
Core Meaningsto turn, to face, to orient, to direct attention, to regard
Semantic RangeThe root פנה (to turn, to face) generates the noun פנים, which denotes the face as the turning part of the body, but extends metaphorically to presence, countenance, surface, front, sight, and attention. It can mean literal face, divine presence, favor or disfavor, and serves prepositionally to mean 'before' or 'in front of.' The word appears over 2,100 times in the Hebrew Bible.
Conceptual SignificanceIn biblical theology, פנים carries profound relational weight. The 'face' of God represents His presence, attention, and favor—blessing comes when God's face 'shines upon' someone (Numbers 6:25), while judgment comes when He 'hides His face' (Deuteronomy 31:18). Human orientation toward God's face marks covenant fidelity and spiritual turning (2 Chronicles 7:14). The word functions as a hinge in narrative, marking pivotal moments of obedience or rebellion, and embodies the biblical principle that one's orientation—whether toward God or away—determines blessing or curse.
Morphological NotesHNcbpc/Sp3ms: H=Hebrew, N=Noun, c=construct state, b=both genders (common), p=plural, c=construct, S=with suffix, p3ms=third masculine singular suffix. The word פנים appears only in plural form in biblical Hebrew, though it frequently functions with singular meaning. The construct form פני- appears before pronominal suffixes.
Rendering RationaleThe morphology HNcbpc/Sp3ms indicates a masculine plural construct noun with a third masculine singular pronominal suffix, literally 'faces of him.' While English typically renders this idiomatically as 'his face' (treating the plural as a collective singular), a faithful rendering preserves the plural form that underlies the Hebrew, reflecting how פנים functions as a plural noun that often carries singular meaning. The suffix -ו (his) is third masculine singular, matching the pronominal reference.

AI-generated (perplexity/sonar-pro)

Words from Root פ-נ-ה (to turn, to face, to orient, to direct attention, to regard)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H6440-12 faneykha your faces
H6440-16 feneyhem their faces
H6440-61 ufaneyha and her faces
H6440-71 umipaneykha and from your face

Word Usage (2127 occurrences of H6440)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 1:2 פְּנֵ֣י peney the surface of
Genesis 1:2 פְּנֵ֥י peney-2 the surface of
Genesis 1:20 פְּנֵ֖י peney the face of
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