Lexical Summary nabi: a spokesman, speaker, prophet Original Word: נָבִיאTransliteration: nabi Phonetic Spelling: (naw-bee') Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Short Definition: a spokesman, speaker, prophet Meaning: a spokesman, speaker, prophet Strong's Concordance prophecy, that prophesy, prophet From naba'; a prophet or (generally) inspired man -- prophecy, that prophesy, prophet. see HEBREW naba' Brown-Driver-Briggs H5030. nabi נָבִיא306 noun masculine spokesman, speaker, prophet — ׳נ Genesis 20:7 155t.; suffix נְבִיאֶ֑ךָ Exodus 7:1; plural נְבִיאִים Numbers 11:29 82t.; נְנִאִים Jeremiah 27:18 16t.; suffix נְבִיאַי Psalm 105:15; נְבִיָאו 1 Kings 22:22; נְבִיאָו֯ 2 Kings 17:13, etc.; — 1 genuine prophet of נביא ׳י,, anciently called רֹאֶה, 1 Samuel 9:9 (antiquarian note); change probably occurred in times of Elijah and is first reflected in Ehpraimitic source literally as applied to Abraham Genesis 20:7; Moses Deuteronomy 34:10, M. and other early prophets. Hosea 6:5; 12:11 (twice in verse); 12:14 (twice in verse); Amos 2:11-12, of prophets in ecstatic state Numbers 12:6 (E), 11:24 (JE). So in Judaic literature, of prophet like Moses Deuteronomy 18:15, 18 (D), of Aaron (as mouthpiece of Moses) Exodus 7:1 (P), of Samuel 1 Samuel 3:20, an unknown Judges 6:8; in time of Samuel prophets were organized in bands: נביאים חֶבֶל 1 Samuel 10:5, 10:10; הנ ׳להקת 19:20; and in time of Elijah were הַנְּבִיאִים בְּנֵי = members of prophets' guilds 1 Kings 20:35; 2 Kings 2:3, 5, 7, 15; 4:1, 38 (twice in verse); נָבִיא of Genuine prophets (besides phrases), in Judaic prophets, only Jeremiah, Jeremiah 1:5; Ezekiel, Ezekiel 2:5 = 33:33; of ancient prophets Jeremiah 28:8-9, (3 t. in verse); Zechariah 1:6; 8:9; especially הראשׁנים הנביאים 1:4; 7:7, 12, compare עבדי(וׅ הנביאים my (his) servants the prophets 2 Kings 9:7; 17:13, 23; 21:10; 24:2 (all RD) Ezra 9:11; Jeremiah 7:25; 25:4; 26:5; 29:19; 35:15; 44:4; Amos 3:7; Zechariah 1:6, compare Ezekiel 38:17; Daniel 9:6; הַנּ ׳עבדוֺ his servant the prophet 1 Kings 14:18; 2 Kings 14:25; הַנָּבִיא with proper name: Jerome, 2 Chronicles 36:12; Daniel 9:2 31t. Jeremiah (but ᵐ5 only 4 t., the rest probably redactional, see GieJer. xxvii); Elijah 1 Kings 18:36 (om ᵐ5), 2 Chronicles 21:12; Malachi 3:23; Nathan 2 Samuel 7:2 10t. Samuel and Kings; 4 t. Chronicles; Psalm 51:2 (title); Isaiah, 2 Kings 19:2; 20:1, 14 = Isaiah 37:2; 38:1; 39:1; 2 Kings 20:11; 2 Chronicles 26:22; 32:20, 32; Habakkuk Habakkuk 1:1; 3:1 (titles); Haggai, Haggai 1:1, 3, 12; 2:1, 10; Zechariah, Zechariah 1:1, 7 (titles); elsewhere several others in Samuel, Kings and Chronicles 15 t.; נביא is used elsewhere of Genuine prophecy only 1 Samuel 9:9 34t. Samuel and Kings; 1 Chronicles 16:22 = Psalm 105:15, + 13 t. Chronicles; 74:9 complains of absence of ׳נ; וְנָבִיא חָזוֺן לַחְתֹּם Daniel 9:24 see חתם 2 false prophets: prophets as official class, beside priests, character as false prophets: Isaiah 28:7; Jeremiah 2:26; 4:9; 6:13; 8:1, 10; 13:13; 14:18; 18:18; 23:11, 33, 34; 26:7-8, 11, 16; 32:32; Zechariah 7:3, app. also 2 Kings 23:2; Nehemiah 9:32; Lamentations 2:20; Jeremiah 29:1; Ezekiel 7:26 (in these not characterized); always false (except of ancient and special prophets given above) in Amos 7:14; Hosea 4:5; 9:7-8, Micah 3:5-6, 11; Isaiah 3:2; 9:14; 29:10; Jeremiah 2:8, 30; 5:13, 31; 14:13-14, 15 (twice in verse); 23:9 16t. 27:9, 14, 15, 16, 18; 29:8, 15; 37:19; Ezekiel 13:2 (twice in verse); 13:3-4, 9, 16; 14:4, 7, 9 (twice in verse); 14:10; 22:25, 28; Zephaniah 3:4; Lamentations 2:9, 14; 4:13; especially discredited Deuteronomy 13:2; 13:4; 13:6; 18:20 (twice in verse); 18:22 (twice in verse); Zechariah 13:2, 4, 5; such a prophet Hananiah called הַנָּבִיא Jeremiah 28:1, 5, 10, 12, 15, 17 ( ᵐ5 omits in all but 28:1, where ψευδοπροφήτης). Usage of prophets themselves gives such a bad flavour to נביא, that we are not surprised that it is absent from exilic Isaiah, the Wisdom Literature, and Psalms (except for special reasons in 3 Psalms given under 1). 3 heathen prophets 1 Kings 18:20; 19:1; 2 Kings 3:13 (twice in verse); האשׁדה נביאי 1 Kings 18:19; הבעל נביאי 18:19, 22, 25, 40; 2 Kings 10:19; 1 Kings 22:6, 10, 12, 13, 22, 23 2 Chronicles 18:5; 18:9; 18:11; 18:12; 18:21; 18:22. |