There
was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day. Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
Luke 2:36-38
Luke 2 [33.] Joseph and his mother were marveling at the things which were spoken concerning him, and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
Luke 2 [36.] There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity, and she had been a widow for about eighty-four years), who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day. Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
Luke 2 [39.] When they had accomplished all things that were according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. His parents went every year to Jerusalem at the feast of the Passover.
Meaning:
While Simeon was still speaking with Joseph and Mary in the temple (Luke 2:33-35), a second witness arrived. The law required that a matter be confirmed by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15), and Luke presents an old man and an old woman, both full of faith, who recognised the child Jesus as God’s promised Redeemer. Luke often pairs a man and a woman in this way: Zacharias and Mary, Simeon and Anna, the shepherd with his sheep and the woman with her coin.
- “Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher”
Anna’s name is the Greek form of Hannah, the name of Samuel’s mother. Luke calls her a prophetess, placing her among the women of Israel through whom God spoke, such as Deborah, who judged Israel (Judges 4:4). Prophecy had been rare for centuries, and its return around the birth of Jesus was a sign that a new age was dawning. Peter would later quote Joel: “Your sons and your daughters will prophesy” (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28). Asher was one of the northern tribes. Most of the north had been scattered by Assyria, but some families kept their tribal records and returned to worship in Jerusalem. Anna’s presence shows that God had not forgotten any part of his people.
- “She had been a widow for about eighty-four years”
The Greek can mean that she had been a widow for eighty-four years, which would make her over a hundred, or that she was a widow aged eighty-four. Either way she had lived most of her life alone. After only seven years of marriage she was bereaved, yet her loss did not make her bitter. She turned her grief into a life of devotion. In Israel a widow was often poor and vulnerable, and God repeatedly commanded his people to protect widows. Anna is a widow rich toward God.
- “Who didn’t depart from the temple, worshiping with fastings and petitions night and day”
Anna may have lived in one of the rooms around the temple courts, or she was simply there at every hour of prayer. Fasting and prayer were the marks of someone longing for God to act. Paul later described the true widow as one who “has her hope set on God, and continues in petitions and prayers night and day” (1 Timothy 5:5). Her whole life was a waiting prayer.
- “Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord”
God’s timing brought her to the right place at the right moment. Decades of faithful waiting were rewarded in a single hour. Her first response was thanksgiving. Like Simeon, she did not see miracles or hear the child speak; she saw a baby in his mother’s arms and believed.
- “Spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem”
Anna became one of the first to tell others about Jesus. There was a faithful group in Jerusalem waiting for God to redeem his people, as Zacharias had sung: “for he has visited and redeemed his people” (Luke 1:68). Isaiah had promised that Yahweh would comfort his people and redeem Jerusalem (Isaiah 40:1). Years later the two disciples on the road to Emmaus would say that they had hoped Jesus was the one “who would redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). Anna already knew that the Redeemer had come.
The Significance of Luke 2:36-38
- Faithful waiting is never wasted
Anna waited through long years of loss and loneliness. Her faithfulness was rewarded when she saw the Lord’s Christ. God sees those who keep praying when nothing seems to change.
- Age is no barrier to service
An elderly widow became a prophetess and an evangelist. Older believers have a precious ministry of prayer and witness in the church.
- From thanksgiving to testimony
Anna gave thanks and then spoke of Jesus to others. Gratitude for Christ naturally overflows into telling others about him.
Cross-References:
Luke 2:33-35: Simeon’s prophecy to Mary, just before Anna arrived.
Luke 1:68: “for he has visited and redeemed his people;” The redemption Anna announced.
Acts 2:17: “Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.” The Spirit given to men and women alike.
Isaiah 40:1: “Comfort, comfort my people,” says your God. God’s promise of comfort for Jerusalem.
Conclusion: In Luke 2:36-38 Anna, an aged widow and prophetess of the tribe of Asher, who spent her days and nights in the temple with fasting and prayer, arrives as Simeon speaks to Mary. She gives thanks to God and speaks about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. Her story shows that faithful prayer and patient waiting are honoured by God, and that those who meet Jesus are moved to thank God and tell others about him.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible