Reference: Prophecy, Prophets
Hastings
Hebrew prophecy represents a religious movement of national and worldwide importance, not paralleled elsewhere in history. Most significant in itself, it has acquired deeper and wider import through its connexion with Christianity and the philosophy of religion generally. The present article will deal in brief outline with (1) the history, (2) the inspiration, and (3) the functions and specific teaching, of the prophets of the OT; also (4) with the special topic of Messianic prophecy and its fulfilment in the NT.
1. History and prophecy.
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Now, therefore restore the man's wife, for a prophet, is he, that he may pray for thee and live thou, - But if thou art not going to restore her, know, that thou shalt die, thou - and all that are thine.
And, Moses said, Let me turn aside, pray, and see this great sight, - why the thorn-bush, doth not burn up.
Then said Yahweh unto Moses - See! I have appointed thee to be God unto Pharaoh, - and, Aaron thy brother, shall be thy prophet! Thou, shalt speak all that which I may command thee, and, Aaron thy brother, shall speak unto Pharaoh, and he shall let the sons of Israel go out of his land. read more. But, I, will suffer Pharaoh to harden his heart, - so will I multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt.
Yahweh, shall reign unto times age-abiding and beyond.
And Moses besought the face of Yahweh his God, - and said - Wherefore, O Yahweh, should thine anger kindle upon thy people, whom thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great might and with a firm hand?
Now, therefore, if thou wilt forgive their sin, -- but if not, blot me I pray thee out of thy book, which thou hast written,
Then Yahweh came down, in the cloud, and spake unto him, and took e of the spirit that was upon him, and gave unto the seventy men - the elders. And it came to pass that when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and then did so no more. Now there were two men left behind in the camp - the name of the one, was Eldad and the name of the other, Medad, so then the spirit, rested on them - they, being among them who were written, though they hint not gone forth unto the tent, - but they prophesied in the camp. read more. And there ran a young man, and told Moses and said, - Eldad and Medad, are prophesying in the camp! Then responded Joshua son of Nun the attendant of Moses from his youth, and said, - My lord Moses forbid them! But Moses said unto him, Art, thou, jealous for, me? Oh would that, all the people of Yahweh, were prophets! Yea let Yahweh put his spirit upon them!
Then Yahweh came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent, - and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both went forth. Then said he Hear, I beseech you my words. When ye have your prophet, As Yahweh in a vision, will I make myself known, unto him; In a dream, will I speak with him.
Then said he Hear, I beseech you my words. When ye have your prophet, As Yahweh in a vision, will I make myself known, unto him; In a dream, will I speak with him. Not so, my servant Moses, - In all my house, trusty, is he: read more. Mouth to mouth, do I speak with him And plainly - not in dark sayings, And the form of Yahweh, doth he discern, - Wherefore then, were ye not afraid to speak against my servant - against Moses?
When there shall arise in thy midst - a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, - and he shall give unto thee a sign or a wonder;
When there shall arise in thy midst - a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, - and he shall give unto thee a sign or a wonder; and the sign or the wonder shall come in, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, - Let us go after other gods, which ye know not and let us serve them
and the sign or the wonder shall come in, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, - Let us go after other gods, which ye know not and let us serve them
There shall not be found in thy midst - One who causeth his son or his daughter to pass through fire, - Or who useth divination, hidden arts or enchantments Or who muttereth incantations; Or who bindeth with spells, - Or who asketh of a familiar spirit or an oracle, Or who seeketh unto the dead. read more. For, an abomination unto Yahweh, is everyone who doeth these things, - and on account of these abominations, is Yahweh thy God dispossessing them from before thee. Blameless, shalt thou be with, Yahweh thy God; for, these nations whom thou art dispossessing, unto them who use hidden arts and unto diviners, do hearken, but as for thee, not so, doth Yahweh thy God suffer thee. A prophet out of thy midst of thy brethren like unto me, will Yahweh thy God, raise up unto thee - unto him, shall ye hearken:
And, when thou shalt say in thy heart, - In what manner shall we know the word which Yahweh hath not spoken!?,
And, Deborah, a woman who was a prophetess, wife of Lapidoth, she, was judging Israel, at that time:
then sent Yahweh a prophet unto the sons of Israel, - who said unto them - Thus, saith Yahweh, God of Israel, I, led you up out of Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of servants;
But, the spirit of Yahweh, clothed Gideon, - so he blew with a horn, and Abiezer was gathered after him.
Now, the boy Samuel, was ministering unto Yahweh, before Eli, - and, the word of Yahweh, had become rare in those days, there was no well-known vision.
Beforetime, in Israel, thus, said a man when he went to enquire of God, Come and let us go as far as the seer, - for, the prophet of to-day, used to be called, beforetime, the seer.
After that, shalt thou come unto the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines, - and it shall be, as thou comest in thither into the city, thou shalt light upon a band of prophets, coming down from the high place, and, before them, a harp, and a timbrel, and a flute, and a lyre, they having been moved to prophesy. Then will come suddenly upon thee, the Spirit of Yahweh, and thou shalt be moved to prophesy with them, - and shalt be changed into another man.
And, when they came thither to the hill, lo! a band of prophets coming to meet him, - then came suddenly upon him, the Spirit of God, and he was moved to prophesy in their midst.
And, when they came thither to the hill, lo! a band of prophets coming to meet him, - then came suddenly upon him, the Spirit of God, and he was moved to prophesy in their midst.
And, when they came thither to the hill, lo! a band of prophets coming to meet him, - then came suddenly upon him, the Spirit of God, and he was moved to prophesy in their midst. And it came to pass, that, all who knew him aforetime, looked, and lo! with the prophets, he did prophesy. So the people said, one to another - What, now, hath befallen the son of Kish? Is, even Saul, among the prophets? read more. Then responded one of that place, and said, But who is, their father? For this cause, it became a proverb, Is, even Saul, among the prophets? And, when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.
So, David, fled, and escaped, and came in unto Samuel in Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him, - and he and Samuel departed, and dwelt in Naioth.
The Spirit of Yahweh, spake in me, - And, his word, was on my tongue;
And, when David arose in the morning, the word of Yahweh, had come unto Gad the prophet, the seer of David, saying:
Was it not told my lord, what I did when Jezebel was slaying the prophets of Yahweh, - how I hid, of the prophets of Yahweh, a hundred men - by fifties - in caves, and sustained them with bread and water?
but, the hand of Yahweh, came upon Elijah, so he girded his loins, - and ran before Ahab, until thou enterest Jezreel.
Then said Jehoshaphat unto the king of Israel, - Seek, I pray thee, at once, the word of Yahweh. So the king of Israel gathered together the prophets, about four hundred men, and said unto them - Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead, to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said - Go up, that the Lord may deliver it into the hand of the king.
And Yahweh said unto him - Wherewith? And he said - I will go forth, and become a spirit of falsehood in the mouth of all his prophets, - So he said, - Thou mayest persuade, yea and prevail, go forth, and do so.
Now, the acts of David the king, first and last, behold them! written in the records of Samuel the seer, and in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the records of Gad the seer:
And he made the most holy house, the length whereof, was, according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and, the breadth thereof, twenty cubits, - and he covered it with fine gold, to the number of six hundred talents;
Now, the rest of the acts of Solomon, first and last, are they not written in the records of Nathan the prophet, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of Iddo the seer, concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?
But, the high places, were not taken away out of Israel, - only, the heart of Asa, was perfect, all his days.
If there come upon us calamity, the sword of judgment or pestilence or famine, we will stand before this house and before thee, for, thy Name, is in this house, - that we may make outcry unto thee out of our distress, that thou mayest hear and save.
And he caused the Levites to stand in the house of Yahweh, with cymbals and with harps and with lyres, by the commandment of David, and of Gad the seer of the king, and of Nathan the prophet, - for, by the hand of Yahweh, came the commandment by the hand of his prophets.
Wherefore, O God, hast thou cast off utterly? Shall thine anger smoke against the flock of thine own pasturing?
Our own signs, have we not seen, - There is no longer a prophet, - Neither is there with us, one who knoweth - How long!
Then said they, - Come ye and let us devise against Jeremiah devices, For the law shall not perish from the priest, Nor, counsel, from the wise, Nor, the word from the prophet: Come and let as smite him with the tongue, And let us not give ear to any of his words!
Lo! days are coming, Declareth Yahweh, when I will raise up to David A righteous Bud, And he shall reign as king, and prosper, And shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, - Do not hearken unto the words of the prophets who are prophesying unto you, They are filling you, with vain hopes, - The vision of their own hearts, do they speak, Not from the mouth of Yahweh!
Peradventure, their supplication, will fall prostrate, before Yahweh, and they return every man from his wicked way, - For, great, are the anger and the indignation which Yahweh hath spoken against this people.
in very deed came the word of Yahweh unto Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar, - yea the hand of Yahweh I came on him there I-
And I will pull down the wall which ye have coated with whitewash And will bring it unto the ground So shall be discovered its foundation, Yea it shall fall And ye shall come to an end in the midst thereof, So shall ye know that am Yahweh.
And it came to pass, when, I Daniel, had seen the vision, - and had sought discernment, that lo! there was standing before me, as the appearance of a man.
Come are the days of visitation, come are the days of recompense, Let Israel know! The prophet is foolish, the man of the spirit doth rave, because of the greatness of thine iniquity, therefore great is the prosecution.
And I raised up, of your sons, for prophets, and, of your young men, for Nazirites, - Was it not even so, ye sons of Israel? Demandeth Yahweh;
Surely My Lord Yahweh, will do, nothing, - except he have disclosed his secret unto his servants, the prophets!
Thus, saith Yahweh, concerning the prophets who are leading astray my people, - who bite with their teeth, and then cry - Prosper! and whoso holdeth not to their mouth, they hallow against him a war!
Her prophets, are reckless, treacherous men! her priests, have profaned the holy, done violence to law.
Yea it shall come to pass, in that day, that the prophets, will turn pale, every man by reason of his vision when he prophesieth, - neither will they put on a mantle of hair to deceive.
Being then, a prophet, and knowing that, with an oath, God had sworn unto him, of the fruit of his loins, to seat on his throne,
But, indeed, all the prophets, - from Samuel and those following after, as many as have spoken, have even announced these days.
Concerning which salvation, prophets - who concerning the favour for you, did prophesy - sought out and searched out,