Φανουήλ
Phanouḗl
G5323 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A proper name referring to an Israelite male, specifically the father of Anna mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. The name corresponds to the Hebrew place-name Penûʾēl or Penuel, signifying 'face of God.' In the New Testament, Φανουήλ is used only as a personal name, without reference to the place in Hebrew Scripture. The primary lexical meaning does not extend beyond its use as a personal name in Greek texts.
Semantic Range
a personal name, specifically the father of Anna; transliteration of the Hebrew name Penuel or Peniel; no attested broader usage in Greek
Root / Etymology
Greek transliteration of Hebrew פְּנוּאֵל (Pĕnûʾēl, meaning 'face of God'). The Greek form renders the final Hebrew letter as lambda (λ), following the Septuagint practice of representing names and places. The name is rooted in the Hebrew elements פָּנֶה (pāneh, ‘face’) + אֵל (ʾēl, ‘God’).
Historical & Contextual Notes
In the Greek New Testament, Φανουήλ appears only in Luke 2:36, identifying the father of Anna. The name originally refers in the Hebrew Bible to both a man (Genesis 32:30–31) and a location (Judges 8:8–17), consistently associated with the episode where Jacob/Israel encounters God 'face to face.' By the Second Temple period, it was occasionally used as a personal name among Israelites, as evidenced in the Gospel of Luke. The Septuagint transliterates the place-name as Φανουηλ (Judges 8:8), utilizing the same Greek spelling. English translations have traditionally rendered the name as 'Phanuel,' but the Greek is simply a phonetic representation of the underlying Hebrew. The use in Luke does not connect to the place-name meaning or story but is simply a personal identifier. There is no evidence of broader usage, religious significance, or development of meaning beyond this referential function in the New Testament or Koine Greek literature. The translation tradition as 'Phanuel' or 'Penuel' reflects attempts to maintain continuity with the Hebrew name; it is not used as a title or substantive noun in the Greek corpus.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
of Hebrew origin (פְּנוּאֵל); Phanuel (i.e. Penuel), an Israelite:--Phanuel.
Root Family
Φανουήλ (Phanouēl) — personal name, Face-of-El (face of God)
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5323-01 |
Φανουήλ | phanouel | N GEN M SG |
of Phanuel | of Phanuel | Phanouel | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5323-01 |
Luke 2:36 | Φανουήλ | phanouel | N GEN M SG |
of Phanuel | of Phanuel | Phanouel |