Who Was Anna the Prophetess in the Bible?

“There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage.” - Luke 2:36

Anna is one of those people in Scripture who do not receive a lot of ‘page space;’ she is only mentioned in three verses, one in the Gospel of Luke. So, what is it about these few verses that merit her being considered an important figure in the life of Jesus?

Most of us are familiar with Luke chapter 2. Luke 2 is read every year at Christmas, as it is a beautiful account of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Here we read of angels proclaiming his birth, shepherds responding, Mary pondering these things in her heart, and then she and Joseph taking Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised eight days later, according to the Law (Luke 2:21). Upon the Holy Family’s visit to the Temple, Jesus is immediately recognized as the Messiah by a devout man named Simeon (Luke 2:25-34), who was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. When he saw Jesus, he knew this amazing promise had now been fulfilled. It is after this moment that Anna enters the narrative.

The Importance of Names

Throughout the Bible, names have significant meanings. Names give us an indication of who that person was and what role they served. For starters, ‘Anna’ is the Greek form of the Hebrew name ‘Hannah’ (The New Testament was written in Greek, and the Old Testament primarily in Hebrew). Anna’s name echoes the name of Hannah, an important woman in the Old Testament. Hannah’s life is recorded in the book of I Samuel, which is fitting, as she is Samuel’s mother. Like Anna, Hannah also awaited a child. Both names translate to mean “favor” or “grace”, and God’s grace was clearly upon both devout women.

In the Old Testament, Hannah was barren, yet desperately prayed for a son who would be devoted to the Lord. Her response to the birth of her son Samuel is recorded in I Samuel 1:27-28: “‘I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD.’ And he worshiped the LORD there.” Just as Hannah presented Samuel to serve God in the Temple, Mary presented her son Jesus. Anna knew exactly who he was. These Godly women awaited the coming of a promised child, and they both saw that promise fulfilled.

The Daughter of Penuel, of the Tribe of Asher

The name Phanuel is a Hebrew name that translates, as ‘face of God’. How fitting a woman born to a man with this name would come to be known as a prophetess and see the very face of God before her own eyes, in the Temple that had been the center of worship for centuries. When looking at Jesus, we see the face of God. It is astonishing to consider that God walked among us as a human, as a child, so we may know him fully for eternity.

It is rare in the New Testament to discuss what tribe a person belonged to (exceptions include Paul, from the tribe of Benjamin, Barnabas, from the tribe of Levi, and Jesus, from the tribe of Judah). So why are we given this information about Anna? And why did Luke know this in the first place? As we are told, she had been serving in the Temple since she had become a widow many years earlier. It is likely many people knew her and were familiar with her. Anna is not just a random person who attended the temple that day. She was a well-known and likely well-respected figure, which would make her story and background known to many.

Asher was one of Jacob’s sons, becoming one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Asher became part of the northern kingdom of Israel after Solomon’s rule, and after being defeated by the Assyrians in 723 BC, they were taken into exile. Many members of the tribe never returned but assimilated into the lands where they were taken. The fact Anna traced her lineage through this tribe is an indication that some of these Israelites did indeed return to the land, and now one of their descendants stood praying and fasting on the Temple Mount, seeing the Messiah promised so long ago. It is a reminder that God is faithful to ensuring a remnant of his people remained, and that they were strong in his power.

The Necessity of Two Witnesses

“In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true”. - John 8:17

Finally, Anna’s importance extends to serving as one of two witnesses to proclaim Jesus as the promised Messiah. Along with Simeon, a righteous and devout man who “had the Holy Spirit on him” (Luke 2:25), Anna witnessed the truth of God’s promise being fulfilled. The beauty lies in the fact that God himself revealed this to them, and they testified this child was indeed the Son of God.

A Woman to Be Praised

Anna is the only woman in the New Testament to be referred to as a prophetess, and the only woman to have her tribe named. This woman of faith, who served the Lord and his people, recognized Jesus as the savior of the world the first time he entered the temple – the temple he would one day replace as he became the redemption for our sins, and our means to know God.

Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Jacek_sopotnicki

Jason Soroski is a homeschool dad and member of the worship team at matthias lot church in St. Charles, MO. He spends his free time hanging out with his family, exploring new places, and writing about the experiences. Connect on Facebook or at JasonSoroski.net.