The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27 ESV)
Countenance can mean a look or an expression. He had a countenance which expressed both good humour and intelligence (Sir Walter Scott 1771-1832). The word can also imply a face or visage. The photograph showed her somber countenance.
Countenance comes from the Latin word continere, meaning to hold together. The present participle of continere was continens. The Anglo-French used cuntenance. The connection becomes clearer when we think of the figurative ‘holding together’ in the idea of restraint. When countenance was first used in English (in the 1200s) it referred to a person’s appearance or demeanour, which is a product of restraint, or lack thereof. The word soon morphed into a simple description of facial expression.
Jeannie Suk Gersen wrote in The New Yorker (April 26, 2024), “When the Justices took the bench at 10 A.M. and looked out at the not-quite-full courtroom, their grumpy countenances seemed to reflect the Trump fatigue that many Americans are feeling.”
In the late 1500s countenance was used as a verb, meaning to extend approval or toleration to someone or something. She countenanced her children’s behaviour at the public fair despite the neighbour’s concerns. The prince refused to countenance any changes in the work schedule for the labourers in the fields.
Jane Austen (1775-1817) in her book Mansfield Park (1814) uses the noun countenance in this sense of approval. “He could not help giving Mrs. Norris a hint of his having hoped that her advice might have been interposed to prevent what her judgment must certainly have disapproved. The young people had been very inconsiderate in forming the plan; they ought to have been capable of a better decision themselves; but they were young; and, excepting Edmund, he believed, of unsteady characters; and with greater surprise, therefore, he must regard her acquiescence in their wrong measures, her countenance of their unsafe amusements, than that such measures and such amusements should have been suggested.”
The ancient Hebrew blessing from Numbers 6:22-27 (see above) is still used in many Christian churches to this day. In the Hebrew the word ‘face’ is used two times in the blessing. The first instance the Lord’s face is connected with the verb to shine or brighten. According to Hebrew scholar Dr. Andrew Hill (a friend of mine) it is an idiom for “brightening the face” which means to look upon favourably, or display a friendly disposition, or offer a welcoming smile, acceptance, recognize someone as kindly. In the second phrase, often translated by countenance, the Hebrew verb used means to raise or lift up. Dr Hill explains, “when used with face it is an idiom for ‘raising the head’ which means acknowledge favourably, a nod of approval, special attention.” So, in the blessing countenance implies a bearing or expression that offers approval.
You can make use of countenance in two main ways. I countenance your sharing this weekly column with others interested in words. My countenance beams whenever I hear that people are avid readers of my articles.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected]. Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
