Bible Lexicons

προφήτης, προφήτου, ὁ (προφημι, to speak forth, speak out; hence, properly, 'one who speaks forth'; see πρό, d. ἆ.), the Sept. for נָבִיא (which comes from the same root as , 'to divulge,' 'make known,' 'announce' (cf. Fleischer in Delitzsch, Com. ü. d. Gen, 4te Aufl., p. 551f), therefore properly, equivalent to interpreter, Exodus 7:1, cf. 4:16; hence, an interpreter or spokesman for God; one through whom God speaks; cf. especially Bleek, Einl. in d. A. T. 4te Aufl., p. 309 (B. D. under the word and references there; especially also Day's note on Oehler's O. T. Theol. § 161, and Winers Grammar, Robertson Smith, Prophets of Israel, p. 389 (note on Lect. ii.))), one who speaks forth by divine inspiration;

I. In Greek writings from Aeschylus, Herodotus, and Pindar down:

1. an interpreter of oracles (whether uttered by the gods or the μάντεις), or of other hidden things.

2. a foreteller, soothsayer, seer.

II. In the N. T.

1. "one who, moved by the Spirit of God and hence, his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially future events, and in p*articular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and to human salvation. The title is applied to a. the O. T. prophets" — and with allusion to their age, life, death, deeds: Matthew 5:12; Matthew 12:39; Matthew 13:17; Matthew 23:29-31; Mark 6:15; Luke 4:27; Luke 10:24; Luke 11:47; Luke 13:28; John 8:52, 55 Acts 3:25; Acts 7:52; Acts 13:20; Romans 11:3; 1 Thessalonians 2:15; Hebrews 11:32; James 5:10; appeal is made to their utterances as having foretold the kingdom, deeds, death, of Jesus the Messiah: Matthew 1:22; Matthew 2:5, 15, 17, 23; Matthew 3:3; Matthew 4:14; Matthew 8:17; Matthew 11:13; Matthew 12:17; Matthew 13:35; Matthew 21:4; Matthew 24:15; Matthew 26:56; Matthew 27:9; Mark 13:14 Rec.; Luke 1:70; Luke 3:4; Luke 4:17; Luke 18:31; Luke 24:25; John 1:23, 45(46); ; Acts 2:16; Acts 3:18, 21, 24; Acts 7:37, 48; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:27; Acts 15:15; Acts 26:22; Romans 1:2; Hebrews 1:1; 1 Peter 1:10; 2 Peter 3:2; Revelation 10:7; in the number of prophets David also is reckoned, as one who predicted the resurrection of Christ, Acts 2:30f; so too is Balaam, 2 Peter 2:16 (see Βαλαάμ). by metonymy, προφῆται is put for the books of the prophets: Luke 24:27, 44; Acts 8:28; Acts 13:15; Acts 24:14; Acts 28:23; ἐν τοῖς προφήταις, equivalent to ἐν βίβλῳ τῶν προφητῶν, (Acts 7:42), in the volume of the prophets (which in Hebrew has the title נְבִיאִים), John 6:45; Acts 13:40; — or for the teaching set forth in their books: Matthew 5:17; Matthew 7:12; Matthew 22:40; Luke 16:29, 31; Acts 26:27. See νόμος, 4.

b. John the Baptist, the herald of Jesus the Messiah: Matthew 21:26; Mark 6:15; Mark 11:32; Luke 1:76; Luke 20:6, whom Jesus declares to be greater than the O. T. prophets, because in him the hope of the Jews respecting Elijah as the forerunner of the Messiah was fulfilled: Matthew 11:9-11, 14 (cf. Matthew 17:11, 12; Mark 9:12f); Luke 7:28 (R G T Tr brackets).

c. That illustrious prophet whom the Jews (apparently on the ground of Deuteronomy 18:15) expected to arise just before the Messiah's advent: John 1:21, 25; John 7:40. those two illustrious prophets, the one Elijah, the other Enoch or Moses (but compare the commentaries; e. g. Stuart, commentary vol. ii, p. 219f), who according to the writer of the Apocalypse will publicly appear shortly before the visible return of Christ from heaven: Revelation 11:10 (cf. 3).

d. the Messiah: Acts 3:22, 23; Acts 7:37, after Deuteronomy 18:15; Jesus the Messiah, inasmuch as he is about to fulfil the expectation respecting this Messiah, Matthew 21:11; John 6:14.

e. universally, "a man filled with the Spirit of God, who by God's authority and command in words of weight pleads the cause of God and urges the salvation of men": Matthew 21:46; Luke 13:33; Luke 24:19; John 7:52; in the proverb that a prophet is without honor in his own country, Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24; John 4:44. he may be known — now by his supernatural knowledge of hidden things (even though past), Luke 7:39; John 4:19 (προφήτης ἀληθείας ἐστιν ὁ πάντοτε πάντα εἰδώς, τά μέν γεγοντα ὡς ἐγένετο, τά δέ γινόμενα ὡς γίνεται, τά δέ σεομενα ὡς ἔσται, Clement, hom. 2, 6) — now by his power of working miracles, Luke 7:16; Luke 24:19; John 9:17; such g prophet Jesus is shown to have been by the passages cited, nor is it denied except by his enemies, Luke 7:39; John 7:52.

f. The prophets that appeared in the apostolic age among the Christians: Matthew 10:41; Matthew 23:34; Acts 15:32; 1 Corinthians 14:29, 37; Revelation 22:6, 9; they are associated with apostles in Luke 11:49; 1 Corinthians 12:28, 29; Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 3:5; Ephesians 4:11; Revelation 18:20; they discerned and did what was best for the Christian cause, Acts 13:1f; foretold certain future events, Acts 11:27; Acts 21:10ff; and in the religious assemblies of the Christians, being suddenly seized by the Spirit (whose promptings, however, do not impair their self-government, 1 Corinthians 14:32), give utterance in glowing and exalted but intelligible language to those things which the Holy Spirit teaches them, and which have power to instruct, comfort, encourage, rebuke, convict, stimulate, their hearers, 1 Corinthians 14:3, 24. (Cf. Harnack, Lehre der Zwölf Apostel, Proleg. § 5 i. 2, p. 93ff, 119ff; Bonwetsch in (Luthardt's) Zeitschr. f. kirchl. Wissen. as above with 1884, pp. 408ff, 460ff) g. Prophets both of the Old Testament and of the New Testament are grouped together under the name προφῆται in Revelation 11:18; Revelation 16:6; Revelation 18:24.

2. a poet (because poets were believed to sing under divine inspiration): so of Epimenides, Titus 1:12.