Word study
Presence
9 Hebrew and 5 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with “presence”. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “presence” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- פָּנִים pânîmface, beforetranslated this way 149 times of its 1,836 uses · Strong’s H6440Noun · Translated: before 448, face 222, presence 147, before you 123Full study and all 1,671 verses →
Genesis 3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Exodus 6:12 But in the LORD’s presence Moses replied, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I am unskilled in speech?”
- עַיִן ayineyetranslated this way 13 times of its 764 uses · Strong’s H5869Noun · Translated: eyes 383, sight 186, eye 38, presence 13Full study and all 731 verses →
Genesis 23:11 “No, my lord. Listen to me. I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”
Exodus 7:20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded; in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials, Aaron raised the staff and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was turned to blood.
- נֶגֶד negedwhat is conspicuous or in fronttranslated this way 9 times of its 142 uses · Strong’s H5048Preposition · Translated: before 24, before me 11, opposite 11, presence 9Full study and all 135 verses →
Genesis 31:32 If you find your gods with anyone here, he shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself if anything is yours, and take it back.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.
Ruth 4:4 I thought I should inform you that you may buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do so. But if you will not redeem it, tell me so I may know, because there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.” “I will redeem it,” he replied.
- קֳדָם qŏdâmbeforetranslated this way 4 times of its 28 uses · Strong’s H6925Preposition · Translated: before 5, presence 4, to 4, before me 3Full study and all 26 verses →
Ezra 4:18 The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence.
Daniel 4:8 But at last, into my presence came Daniel (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods). And I told him the dream:
- תָּוֶךְ tâvekmidsttranslated this way 3 times of its 379 uses · Strong’s H8432Noun · Translated: among 70, middle 31, within 30, among them 27Full study and all 361 verses →
Genesis 23:9 to sell me the cave of Machpelah that belongs to him; it is at the end of his field. Let him sell it to me in your presence for full price, so that I may have a burial site.”
Deuteronomy 32:51 For at the waters of Meribah-kadesh in the Wilderness of Zin, both of you broke faith with Me among the Israelites by failing to treat Me as holy in their presence.
- אֹזֶן ôzeneartranslated this way 3 times of its 151 uses · Strong’s H241Noun · Translated: ears 54, ear 38, hearing 31, heard 6Full study and all 146 verses →
Genesis 23:10 Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth. So in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city, Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham,
Judges 9:3 And when his mother’s brothers spoke all these words about him in the presence of all the leaders of Shechem, their hearts were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”
- עַל alheighttranslated this way 3 times of its 4,859 uses · Strong’s H5921Preposition · Translated: on 777, over 297, in 218, against 216Full study and all 3,996 verses →
Numbers 6:9 If someone suddenly dies in his presence and defiles his consecrated head of hair, he must shave his head on the day of his cleansing — the seventh day.
Numbers 6:11 And the priest is to offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering to make atonement for him, because he has sinned by being in the presence of the dead body. On that day he must consecrate his head again.
- עִם imwithtranslated this way 2 times of its 940 uses · Strong’s H5973Preposition · Translated: with 246, with you 84, with him 61, against 39Full study and all 838 verses →
Exodus 11:8 And all these officials of yours will come and bow before me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that, I will depart.” And hot with anger, Moses left Pharaoh’s presence.
1 Samuel 2:21 So the LORD attended to Hannah, and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.
- קֶרֶב qerebinward part, midsttranslated this way 2 times of its 213 uses · Strong’s H7130Noun · Translated: within 27, among you 18, among 16, midst 16Full study and all 211 verses →
1 Samuel 16:13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and went to Ramah.
Zechariah 14:1 Behold, a day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence.
Greek words (New Testament)
- ἐνώπιον enṓpionbefore the face of, in the presence oftranslated this way 10 times of its 85 uses · Strong’s G1799Preposition · Translated: before 44, sight 11, presence 10, front 5Full study and all 79 verses →
Luke 1:19 “I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
John 20:30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.
- πρόσωπον prósōponthe face, countenance, surfacetranslated this way 7 times of its 56 uses · Strong’s G4383Noun · Translated: face 25, presence 7, faces 6, facedown 4Full study and all 52 verses →
Acts 2:28 You have made known to me the paths of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence.’
2 Corinthians 2:10 If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it in the presence of Christ for your sake,
- ἔμπροσθεν émprosthenin front, before the facetranslated this way 3 times of its 46 uses · Strong’s G1715Preposition · Translated: before 25, ahead 5, front 4, presence 3Full study and all 43 verses →
John 12:37 Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him.
1 Thessalonians 2:19 After all, who is our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting, if it is not you yourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
- κατενώπιον katenṓpionbefore the face oftranslated this way 3 times of its 3 uses · Strong’s G2714Preposition · Translated: presence 3Full study and all 3 verses →
Ephesians 1:4 For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love
Colossians 1:22 But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence —
- παρουσία parousíapresence, a coming, arrival, adventtranslated this way 2 times of its 24 uses · Strong’s G3952Noun · Translated: coming 18, arrival 3, presence 2, arrived 1Full study and all 24 verses →
2 Corinthians 10:10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account.”
Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.