Phanuel

{{Short description|Biblical character from the Gospel of Luke}} {{About|the name and Biblical father of Anna|the angel|Phanuel (angel)}}

{{notability|Biographies|date=July 2011}} '''Phanuel''' ({{Langx|el|Φανουήλ}} ''Phanouēl'') or '''Penuel''' ({{Langx|he|פְּנוּאֵל}} ''Pənū’êl'') was the father of Anna the Prophetess. He is mentioned once only in the New Testament, in Luke 2 ({{bibleverse||Luke|2:36|NKJV}}). 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" ({{bibleverse||Genesis|32:30|HE}}).<ref>[http://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/luke/2.htm Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible] on Luke 2, accessed 24 December 2015</ref> 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 ({{bibleverse||Luke|2:38|NKJV}}).

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:People in the Gospel of Luke