Anna Proclaims the Messiah, Luke 2:36-39
36 And there was a prophetess14, [f]Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher15. She was advanced in [g]years and had lived with her husband seven years after her [h]marriage16, 37 and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers17. 38 At that very [i]moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak14 of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem7. 39 When they had performed everything according to the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth18.
Footnotes:
Commentary
This passage actually took place simultaneously with Simeon’s utterance in the temple. However, I wanted to take a closer look at Anna’s position as a prophetess, as well as some other, finer points of this passage, and the last post would have gotten too long.
The first thing I thought must be of importance is that Luke offers Anna’s genealogy to add credibility to her testimony. I thought the tribe of Asher must have been of some significance, but when I looked into it, Anna seems to be the only figure of note from this line of Jacob’s sons. In Deuteronomy 33:24, Moses blessed the tribes of Israel and said, “More blessed than sons is Asher; May he be favored by his brothers, And may he dip his foot in oil.” The oil was a reference to the territory that was designated for the tribe of Asher in Joshua 19:24-31. This property was very fertile and is still known for its olive production today (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol 1, pg. 354). Moses also said, in Deuteronomy 33:25 “your strength will equal your days”, which was certainly true of Anna, who was advanced in age and still faithfully serving in the temple daily (https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/people-in-the-bible/anna-in-the-bible/).
However, despite these blessings, the tribe was later taken into Assyrian captivity and was never officially returned to the promised land. Anna’s family, still faithful to God and claiming their heritage, resumed residence in Jerusalem (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol 1, pg. 169). Despite the fact that the tribe of Asher wasn’t notably set apart for greatness, a couple of things occur to me. In the same way that Jesus’ genealogy contains women who were not natural-born Israelites, Asher himself was a product of Jacob’s union with his wife Leah’s slave girl, Zilpah. Zilpah’s heritage notwithstanding, her sons Asher and Gad were given the same inheritance as Jacob’s other children who were born of Rachel and Leah, whose offspring, along with Zilpah’s, became the twelve tribes of Israel. The fact that Anna (whose name means “grace”), daughter of Phanuel (whose name means “face of God”), of the tribe of Asher (whose name means “happy” or “blessed”), was one of the first witnesses to the arrival of the Messiah further speaks to Jesus’ purpose to redeem Jews and Gentiles alike.
The next point of interest I wanted to explore is the fact that she is female. Anna appears to have been given the same revelation as Simeon, and Luke’s inclusion of her testimony is another example of the way Luke’s gospel elevates the role of women, in this case attributing credibility to a female testimony (The Word in Life Study Bible pg. 1771). Anna follows behind other OT female prophets, such as Miriam, Deborah, and Huldah. God had been demonstrating the value of women throughout the Old Testament, but mankind had continued to devalue the lives and importance of females. Luke makes a concerted effort to take every opportunity to dispel this misconception.
It’s interesting that she was called a prophetess, though, because weren’t there 400 years of silence prior to John the Baptist? “The book of 1 Maccabees, which is on the whole a sober history of events during the Jewish revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes, brings out clearly in three places the fact that it was felt that there then was no prophet in Israel and that this had been true for a considerable length of time (1 Macc 9:27). This situation, however, was not accepted as final (4:46, 14:41)” (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol 4, pg 884). I wonder if Luke refers to her as a prophetess because that’s how people came to know her once she began telling the faithful of Jerusalem that the Messiah had come. There are other prophets in the Bible who only received a prophetic word one or two times, so it isn’t a position that the person necessarily fills for an entire lifetime in order to be called a prophet (Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol 4, pg. 876). In any case, her closeness with God, as evidenced by Luke’s narration of her life, is unimpeachable, making her an ideal candidate for receiving a special message through the Holy Spirit.
See the next post here https://onthepath.online/2019/01/31/the-visit-of-the-magi/
Scripture References
7Mk 15:43 Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus.
7Lk 1:68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
7Lk 23:51 (he had not consented to their plan and action), a man from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who was waiting for the kingdom of God;
14Ac 21:9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses.
15Jos 19:24 Now the fifth lot fell to the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families. 25 Their territory was Helkath and Hali and Beten and Achshaph, 26 and Allammelech and Amad and Mishal; and it reached to Carmel on the west and to Shihor-libnath. 27 It turned toward the east to Beth-dagon and reached to Zebulun, and to the valley of Iphtahel northward to Beth-emek and Neiel; then it proceeded on north to Cabul, 28 and Ebron and Rehob and Hammon and Kanah, as far as Great Sidon. 29 The border turned to Ramah and to the fortified city of Tyre; then the border turned to Hosah, and it ended at the sea by the region of Achzib. 30 Included also were Ummah, and Aphek and Rehob; twenty-two cities with their villages. 31 This was the inheritance of the tribe of the sons of Asher according to their families, these cities with their villages.
161 Ti 5:9 A widow is to be put on the list only if she is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man,
17Lk 5:33 And they said to Him, “The disciples of John often fast and offer prayers, the disciples of the Pharisees also do the same, but Yours eat and drink.”
17Ac 13:3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
17Ac 14:23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
171 Ti 5:5 Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day.
18Mt 2:23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
18Lk 1:26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
18Lk 2:51 And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
18Lk 4:16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
Apocryphal References
1 Macc 9:27 So there was great distress in Israel, the worst since the time when prophets ceased to appear among them.
1 Macc 4:46 They stored the stones in a convenient place on the temple mount until a prophet should arise who could say what to do with them.
1 Macc 14:41 The Jews and their priests have resolved that Simon should be their leader and high priest forever, until a trustworthy prophet should arise.
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