Who is…
Anna

also known as: Anna the Prophetess Hanna

Greek: Ἅννα —transliteration: Hanna —meaning: grace or favor

This is the name of an elderly widow mentioned in the Bible. She was the daughter of Phanuel and a member of the Tribe of Asher.

The name of Anna’s husband is not recorded in Scripture.

She was a “prophetess,” like Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah (2 Chronicles 34:22).

After 7 years of married life her husband died, and during her long widowhood she daily attended the temple services.

Anna immediately recognized the Messiah when she saw Him as an infant with his parents.

When she was 84 years old, she entered the temple at the moment when the aged Simeon uttered his memorable words of praise and thanks to God that he had fulfilled his ancient promise in sending His Son into the world.

This is record in The Gospel According to Luke…

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms and blessed God…

Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. —Luke 2:25-28, 36–38 NKJV excerpt

The Greek text states καὶ αὐτὴ χήρα ὡς ἐτῶν ὀγδοηκοντατεσσάρων, generally translated as “she was a widow of eighty four years”. Some feel that this passage is ambiguous: it could mean that she was 84 years old, or that she had been a widow for 84 years. If the later is true, she could not have married younger than about age 14, and so she would have been at least 14 + 7 + 84 = 105 years old.

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Article Version: December 14, 2024