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Phanuel

Pronounced FAN-yoo-el

boy

✓ In the King James Bible — Yes — Phanuel appears in the King James Bible, including Luke 2:36.

Meaning: "Face of God; Vision of God"
Origin: Hebrew

Phanuel means "face of God" in Hebrew — the same meaning as Peniel, where Jacob wrestled with God. In the New Testament, Phanuel is known as the father of Anna the prophetess, the elderly woman who recognized the infant Jesus in the temple. Anna "was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day." When she saw the baby Jesus, she "gave thanks likewise unto the LORD, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem." That Luke identifies Anna as "the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser" provides several important details. The tribe of Asher was part of the northern kingdom — demonstrating that faithful Israelites from all tribes still worshipped in Jerusalem. The name Phanuel connects Anna's prophetic recognition of Christ to the patriarchal tradition of encountering God face to face. Phanuel's daughter became one of only two people (alongside Simeon) who publicly recognized the newborn Messiah — a privilege born from decades of faithful prayer and temple service.

Spiritual meaning

Phanuel — 'face of God' — raised a daughter who spent 84 years seeking that very face in the temple. When the face of God finally appeared in a baby's form, Anna recognized Him instantly.

Related verses (KJV)

"And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age."
Luke 2:36 (KJV) →
"And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem."
Luke 2:38 (KJV) →

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