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FACE is used freely of animals, as well as of men; also of the surface of the wilderness (Exo_16:4), of the earth, of the waters or deep, of the sky. It is used of the front of a house (Eze_41:14), of a porch (Eze_40:15, Eze_41:25), of a throne (Job_26:9). Covering the face in 2Sa_19:4 is a sign of mourning (cf. covering the head); it is also a mark of reverence (Exo_3:6, 1Ki_19:13, Isa_6:2). In Gen_24:65 it indicates modesty. Otherwise it is used simply of blindfolding, literal (Mar_14:65), or metaphorical (Job_9:24). To fall on the face is the customary Eastern obeisance, whether to man or to God. Spitting in the face is the climax of contempt (Num_12:14, Deu_25:9, Mat_26:67). The Oriental will say, ‘I spit in your face,’ while he actually spits on the ground. The face naturally expresses various emotions,—fear, sorrow, shame, or joy. The ‘fallen face’ (Gen_4:5) is used of displeasure; ‘hardening the face’ of obstinate sin (Pro_21:29, Jer_5:3). The face was ‘disfigured’ in fasting (Mat_6:16). It may be the expression of favour, particularly of God to man (Num_6:25, Psa_31:16), or conversely of man turning his face to God (Jer_2:27; Jer_32:33); or of disfavour, as in the phrase ‘to set the face against’ (Psa_34:16, Jer_21:10, and often in Ezk.), or ‘to hide the face.’ [N.B. In Psa_51:9 the phrase is used differently, meaning to forget or ignore, cf. Psa_90:8]. Closely related are the usages connected with ‘beholding the face.’ This meant to be admitted to the presence of a potentate, king, or god (Gen_33:10; Gen_43:3; Gen_43:5, 2Ki_25:19, Est_1:14; Est_4:11; Est_4:16; cf. ‘angel (s) of the face or presence,’ Isa_63:9, Tob_12:15, Rev_8:2, and often in apocalyptic literature). So ‘to look upon the face’ is to accept (Psa_84:9), ‘to turn away the face’ is to reject (Psa_132:10, 1Ki_2:16 RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] ). To ‘behold the face’ of God may be used either literally of appearing before His presence in the sanctuary or elsewhere (Gen_32:30 [Peniel is ‘the face of God’], Exo_33:11, Psa_42:2; the ‘shew-bread’ is ‘the bread of the face or presence’), or with a more spiritual reference to the inward reality of communion which lies behind (Psa_17:15); so ‘seeking the face’ of God (Psa_24:6; Psa_27:8). On the other hand, in 2Ki_14:8 ‘see face to face’ is used in a sinister sense of meeting in battle.
The Heb. word for ‘face’ is used very freely, both alone and in many prepositional phrases, as an idiomatic periphrasis, e.g. ‘honour the face of the old man’ (Lev_19:32), ‘grind the face of the poor’ (Isa_3:15), or the common phrase ‘before my face’ (Deu_8:20, Mar_1:2), or ‘before the face of Israel’ (Exo_14:25). Many of these usages are disguised in our versions, not being in accordance with English idioms; the pronoun is substituted, or ‘presence,’ ‘countenance’ are used, ‘face’ being often indicated in AVm [Note: Authorized Version margin.] or RVm [Note: Revised Version margin.] (Gen_1:20, 1Ki_2:16); so in the phrase ‘respect persons’ (Deu_1:17). On the other hand, ‘face’ is wrongly given for ‘eye’ in AV [Note: Authorized Version.] of 1Ki_20:38; 1Ki_20:41, where ‘ashes on face’ should be ‘headband over eye’; in 2Ki_9:30, Jer_4:30, the reference is to painting the eye; in Gen_24:47 RV [Note: Revised Version.] substitutes ‘nose,’ in Eze_38:18 ‘nostrils.’
C. W. Emmet.