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Phanuel (Greek: Φανουήλ Phanouēl) or Penuel (Hebrew: פְּנוּאֵל Pənū’êl) was the father of Anna the prophetess. He is mentioned once only in the New Testament, in Luke 2:36. He was a member of the Tribe of Asher and his name means "Face of God".
Theologian John Gill supposed that "this man might be a person of some note, or he may be mentioned for the sake of his name, which signifies the face of God, and is the name Jacob gave to a certain place where he had seen God face to face" (Genesis 32:30). As Anna was herself 'very old', it can be assumed that Phanuel was not still alive at the time of Anna's encounter with the child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:38).
References
- Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible on Luke 2, accessed 24 December 2015
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