The meaning of the root and the form N'3: is uncertain. (1) The form is not likely a pans, ptcp., but more probably, like Tip harvester and many words of similar form, has active sense. The word itself )in6i' occurs in Arab., but may be a loan- word from Heb., as it is in other dialects (Noldeke, Oesch. d. Korans, p. 1). (2) The sense of the word is obscure. The root has probably no connexion with y3: to bubble up, as if JidW were one who bubbles up under inspiration (Ges., Kuenen, Prophets, 42, cf. Ps 4.'>i). The root naba'a in Arab, means to come forward or into prominence, and causative (conj
ii) to bring'forward, speciallv to do so by speech, to announce ; and in Etli. nababa means 'to speak (DiUm. AT Theut. p. 475). The word ndbV therefore would mean he who amuuiKes, or bruigs a message. The term, however, has not in usage the general sense of announcer or speaker, but always means one who speaks from God, i.e. a prophet, and the Hithp. frequently means to speak in an excited manner, to rave (jx^iytfoti). This connota- tion might suggest the question whether the root naba' did not ori<'inallv express some mental emotion, the reflexive forms (Niph. Hithp.) meaning to exhibit or display this emotion, as is the case with so many reflexives, e.g. nitty to groan, ?3xnn to exhibit grief, •]:mn to show anger. It is usually supposed, however, that the verbal forms are denominatives from nul/i: In this case the original verb.al root wouUi not be found in Heb., and the word ndbV would either be an old noun surviving after the verbal root was lost, or else a new word learned from the Canaanites. The word nabi' is said (1 S »9) to have become » substitute for rii'cA ' seer,' and unfortunately the literature la all later than the time when ndbV with its derivatives had become the usage. The 70 elders of Nu U (according K> Wellhausen, Comp.'^ 102 f., J working on older materials) 'prophesy' quite after the manner of the 'prophets' ot the days of Samuel H S 10) or of Ahab (1 K 22), i.e. their ' prophesy- ing' is a joint exercise. It is possible that 'prophets of thu kind may have appeared in the earliest times, though we do not hear of them. Others (e.g. Kuenen, Proph. eli. 16) are inclined to think that the name ndbl is Canaanite, and borrowed by the Hebrews, who applied it to the bands of enthusiasts ol Saniucrs day because thev seemed to resemble the Can;iamte 'prophets.' But the existence of Canajmite 'prophets. i.«. bands of Dervish-like enthusiasts, is purely conjectural. Viedt not hear ot such 'prophets' till 20il years later, and these are not Canaanite, but the priest-prophets ot the Tynan Baal inain- Uined at the cost ot Jezebel (1 K 1819). Wellhausen {Utit. p 449) remarks: ' Among the Canaanites such Nebum— for so they are stvled— had long been familiar.' It would not he easy to furnish the evidence. Again, the prophetic movement in tho days of Samuel was a religious national one, and it is not just probable that the Hebrews would borrow terms from the Sanaanites to describe it, particularly as the Canaanites were more than probablv in league with the Philistines (1 S Jl'"). The Can and Heb. languages must have been virtually identical ; at the same time the root-word appear* to exist in Assvr e.q. in Nebo the interpreter of the gods, and nabu to announce (Delitzsch, Assi/r. U»I!). and the term may have entered Canaan from Daliylon. The date when the change from ' seer ' to ' prophet ' took place cannot be ascertained , and the change itself is difficult to explain. Possibly as persons of individuality and power arose among the ' prophets they took a more independent position like that of 'seer, though th» name ' prophet ' contimied attached to them. Some personages like Gad bore both names (2 S 2411). , _ . . ,o
The tcnn ili'eA is used chieflv of Samuel, 7 times out of 8 (twice of Ilanani, 2 Ch 1071»). The word h6:eh is more common, 2 a "411 0 K 17", Am 712, and often in the Chronicler, who alTerts archaic phraseology, e.g. 1 Ch 219 (Gad) 2 Ch 929 121. (Iddo), 2Ch l»4(Jehu), 2Ch i^M (Asaph), 1 Ch 265 (Heman), 2 Ch 3516 (Jeduthun). In the plur. both rd'im and «c)Jto> are used as parallel to 'prophets,' Is 2010 (a gloss), SOm, Mic S'>
PROPHECY AND PROPHETS
PROPHECY AND PROI'HETS 109
2 Ch 33^8. 19, The eeera were so named from having Nnsions, and pos-iibly the priest Auiaziah apjilied tlie name hi'isr/i to Amos (7'-) on account of the visions wiiich he narrated (7^"). On h/jzeh (Arab. Aiiii) cf. HolTmonn, ZA II'. 1SS3, pp. 9U-U6 ; and on kcihin ( = A<izl) Wellhauscn, Reite^, p. lliOlf.
iii. Historical Steps. — 1. 'Time of Samuel. — In tlie Book of Judges, beyond the reference to Di'borali (Jg 4), nnd a 'propliet' in tlie days of Midianite oppres.sion (6', of. 1 S2-''), nothing is said about proiibets. Deborali was a ' prophetess,' and 'judged,' that is, ruled or governed, Israel. Both termt-. ' jirophetess' and 'judge,' imply that Deborah played a political r6]e. Slie was a motlierin Israel, and took the leadership in a national crisis. In the times of Samuel men called 'prophets' appear to have existed in great numbers.