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faÌ„s: In Hebrew the translation of three expressions: (1) ×¤× ×™×, paÌ„nı̄m (2) עין, ‛ayin, literally, “eye†and (3) ××£, 'aph, literally, “nose,†“nostril,†already noted under the word COUNTENANCE. The first and second of these words are used synonymously, even in metaphorical expressions, as, e.g. in the phrase “the face of the earth,†where paÌ„nı̄m is used ( et passim) and ‛ayin ( et passim). The third expression preserves more clearly its original meaning. It is generally used in the phrases “to bow one's self to the earth,†“to fall on one's face,†where the nose actually touched the ground. Often “my face,†“thy face†is mere oriental circumlocution for the personal pronoun “I,†“me,†“thou,†“thee.†“In thy face†means “in thy presence;†and is often so translated. A very large number of idiomatic Hebrew expressions have been introduced into our language through the medium of the Bible translation. We notice the most important of these phrases.
“To seek the face†is to seek an audience with a prince or with God, to seek favor (; bis; ; ; ; compare , where the Revised Version (British and American) translates “Many seek the ruler's favor,†literally, many seek the face (Hebrew penē) of a ruler).
If God “hides his face†He withdraws His presence, His favor (; ; ; ; ; ; ; , ; ). Such withdrawal of the presence of God is to be understood as a consequence of man's personal disobedience, not as a wrathful denial of God's favor (). God is asked to “hide his face,†i.e. to disregard or overlook (; compare ). This is also the idea of the prayer: “Cast me not away from thy presence†(literally, “face,†), and of the promise: “The upright shall dwell in thy presence†(literally, “face,†). If used of men, “to hide the face†expresses humility and reverence before an exalted presence (; ); similarly Elijah “wrapped his face in his mantle†when God passed by (). The “covering of the face†is a sign of mourning ( = , ); a “face covered with fatness†is synonymous with prosperity and arrogance (); to have one's face covered by another person is a sign of hopeless doom, as if one were already dead. This was done to Human, when judgment had been pronounced over him ().
“To turn away one's face†is a sign of insulting indifference or contempt (; ; Sirach 4:4; compare ; ; ); on the part of God an averted face is synonymous with rejection (; ; ).
“To harden the face†means to harden one's self against any sort of appeal (; ; ; compare ). See also SPIT.
In this connection we also mention the phrase “to respect persons,†literally, to “recognize the face†(, or, slightly different in expression, ; ; Prov 24; 23; ), in the sense of unjustly favoring a person, or requiting him with undue evil. Compare also the Hebrew hādhar ( the King James Version), “to countenance†(see under the word).
The “showbread†meant literally, “bread of the face,†“of the presence,†Hebrew lehÌ£em paÌ„nı̄m; Greek aÌrtoi enō̇pioi, aÌrtoi teÌ„Ìs protheÌseÌ„osÌŒ.