Prophet in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, a prophet is a person who conveys a message from God to the people.
Terminology
The word “prophet” is a translation of the Hebrew term navi, which is the most common term for prophet in the Old Testament. There are two other words used for people with an occupation similar to prophets:
- A seer (hozeh or roeh): according to 1 Samuel 9:9-11
, a prophet used to be called a “seer”. - A man of God (ish elohim).
Prophecy in the Ancient Near East
Prophecy was common, not just in ancient Israel, but also in the surrounding nations. References to prophets have been found in the writings of different peoples from the ancient Near East, for example in Ugaritic and Mesopotamian texts.
How Did Someone Become a Prophet?
A prophet was someone who could speak on God’s behalf. Divine inspiration was the only prerequisite for becoming a prophet. Therefore, the background of the prophets was very varied. There are examples in the Bible of prophets who used to be shepherds, priests
Which Books in the Bible Mention Prophets?
We can find prophets in different sections of the Old Testament:
- In the Pentateuch
: certain people in the first five books of the Bible are called “prophets”, the best-known example being Moses (Deuteronomy 18:20-22 ). The Pentateuch also gives guidelines for prophecy (for example in Deuteronomy 13:2-6 ). - In the historical books: particularly from Joshua
to 2 Kings , there are many stories about prophets, for example about Elijah and Elisha. - In the prophetic books: these books largely consist of prophecies. They have been named after a prophet, such as Isaiah
or Amos . The book of Jonah is an exception, as it is a story about a prophet.
Classification of the Prophetic Texts
Based on the time period when the prophets were active, they are usually divided into two groups:
- Early prophets
: the prophets who occur in the first seven historical books of the Bible (Joshua to 2 Kings ). - Late prophets: the prophets that a prophetic book is named after.
The late prophets can be subdivided into:
- Classic prophets
: prophets from before the exile . - Post-exilic prophets
: prophets who were alive after the exile.
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