פָּ֭נֶיךָ (pā·ne·ḵā) in Psalms 51:9: Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
פָּ֭נֶיךָ (pā·ne·ḵā) in Psalms 51:9
Source Word
The BSB+ row for Psalms 51:9 links the English rendering "Your face" with the Hebrew surface in the source row, Strong's H6440, and the morphology tag N-cpc | 2ms.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The form focuses the plea on God's relational regard toward the speaker's sins: the request is that God would hide His face from the sins named in the confession.
How To Communicate It
When teaching Psalm 51:9, use this form to show how the phrase "Your face" is relational language inside a plea for mercy, not an isolated anatomical claim about God.
What Not To Say
- Grammar should serve context, not override it.
- Do not press the plural construct form into a separate doctrine; this expression functions idiomatically in context.
- Do not treat face language as a claim that the verse is teaching divine anatomy.
- Do not detach the phrase from Psalm 51's confession and cleansing frame.
- Do not treat this occurrence as a complete word study for every use of H6440.
- Do not use the grammar profile as a shortcut around the wording and logic of the verse.
What Does The Label Mean?
Hebrew-nominal
Noun
Noun - common plural construct | second person masculine singular
Second person masculine singular
Common
Plural
Construct
This form carries the BSB rendering "Your face" within Psalms 51:9. Psalm 51 gives language for confession, cleansing, restoration, renewed joy, and renewed praise before God.
What The Form Does In This Verse
The plea for God to hide His face from the speaker's sins in Psalm 51:9
The prayer for cleansing and forgiveness after confession
The suffixed construct noun addresses God directly and names His face as the relational focus of the plea.
The form does not describe divine anatomy or settle the full theology of forgiveness; Psalm 51 supplies the confession and cleansing frame.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The form shapes a central mercy plea in Psalm 51:9 by identifying the relational phrase "Your face."
Second-person suffixed construct noun in a plea. names God relationally as the one addressed in the plea. Attached to the request for God to hide His face from the speaker's sins. Governed by the prayer for cleansing and forgiveness after confession. The form functions as relational face language inside the prayer, not as a standalone anatomy claim.
Whose face is named in the plea? God's face, addressed directly as "Your face."
Direct: The second-person suffix directly supports the English phrase "Your face."
The plural construct form belongs to an idiomatic face or presence expression and should not be pressed as though plural faces were the point. The form identifies the relational phrase; Psalm 51 supplies the larger theology of confession, mercy, and cleansing.
Face language proves a physical description of God: The phrase functions relationally inside a prayer for mercy; the verse is not making an anatomical claim. suffix alone settles forgiveness theology: The suffix identifies the direct address, while the psalm supplies the forgiveness and cleansing context.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The BSB+ row for Psalms 51:9 links the English rendering "Your face" with the Hebrew surface in the source row, Strong's H6440, and the morphology tag N-cpc | 2ms.
H6440 is represented here by the lemma often used for face or presence. This guide is limited to the occurrence rendered "Your face" in Psalm 51:9.
The second-person suffixed construct noun forms a direct relational phrase in the plea. In the verse, the speaker asks God to hide His face from the speaker's sins.
Psalm 51 gives language for confession, cleansing, restoration, renewed joy, and renewed praise before God.
The form fits Scripture's language of confession, mercy, cleansing, restored joy, and renewed obedience.
When teaching Psalm 51:9, use this form to show how the phrase "Your face" is relational language inside a plea for mercy, not an isolated anatomical claim about God.
Do not derive a full word study, grammar doctrine, or theology of forgiveness from N-cpc | 2ms alone. The form helps the reader see one phrase in this verse.