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Countenance divine or divine countenance, is a phrase that refers to approval from the face of the Judæo-Christian God. In other words it means: "God is smiling down on us." Countenance means to give approval, either with a word, gesture, or specifically with a facial expression - a look of approval. Divine refers to God, heaven, holiness, spirituality, purity or godliness. Therefore divine countenance is the approval of God, or more specifically; approval given from His face. In Judaism and Christianity; to see the face of God is traditionally considered to be impossible; since God is beyond comprehension and holds no physical form. Therefore to be able to see His face would be the highest possible honour . In the Book of Exodus, Moses is permitted to see God's 'back but not my face' (33:23). Another theory reckons that God exists inside every atom in the universe, and that everything, in fact, is God or part of God. Therefore everything that can be seen or sensed is God, and so every face and physical surface is a face, or part of, the face of God. So in this sense it would be possible to see part of the face of God. Yet even with this theory, it remains impossible for a person to view the face of god in its entirety, because the universe is too large to be comprehended by the human mind or eye. A maxim that describes this concept is: "The part cannot comprehend the whole." To receive Divine Countenance is generally taken to mean; to receive the approval of God Almighty; in that whatever endeavour you are hoping to undertake; it will succeed if God is smiling down upon it. This is what is hoped for in William Blake's poem Jerusalem; that the holy city may be built, God-willing, in England's green and pleasant lands, in place of the dark Satanic mills of mass-production and pollution. Biblical tradition holds that in the absence of God's approval (or Countenance Divine), any project is destined to fail. Divine Countenance may be used as a synonym for such phrases as "God-willing", and "His will be done".
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