prophet

Click here to view graphically

Eugene Nida wrote the following about the translation of the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek terms that are typically translated with “prophet” in English:

“The tendency in many translations is to use ‘to foretell the future’ for ‘prophesy,’ and ‘one who foretells the future’ for ‘prophet.’ This is not always a recommended usage, particularly if such expressions denote certain special native practices of spirit contact and control. It is true, of course, that prophets of the Bible did foretell the future, but this was not always their principal function. One essential significance of the Greek word prophētēs is ‘one who speaks forth,’ principally, of course, as a forth-teller of the Divine will. A translation such as ‘spokesman for God’ may often be employed profitably.” (1947, p. 234f.)

Following is a list of (back-) translations from other languages (click or tap for details):

  • San Blas Kuna: “one who speaks the voice of God”
  • Central Pame and Vai: “interpreter for God”
  • Kaqchikel, Navajo (Dinė), Yaka: “one who speaks for God”
  • Northern Grebo: “God’s town crier” (see more about this below)
  • Sapo: “God’s sent-word person”
  • Shipibo-Conibo, Ngäbere: “one who speaks God’s word”
  • Copainalá Zoque: “one who speaks-opens” (a compound meaning “one who discloses or reveals”)
  • Sierra Totonac: “one who causes them to know” (in the sense of “revealer”)
  • Batak Toba: “foreteller” (this and all the above acc. to Nida 1961, p. 7)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “one who is inspired of God” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Alekano: “the true man who descended from heaven” (source: Ellis Deibler in Notes on Translation June 1986, p. 36ff.)
  • Aguaruna: “teller of God’s word” (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
  • Ekari: “person who speaks under divine impulse”
  • Mandarin Chinese: 先知 xiānzhī — “one who foreknows” (or the 1946/1970 translation by Lü Zhenzhong: 神言人 shényánrén — “divine-word-man”)
  • Uab Meto: “holy spokesman” (source for this and two above: Reiling / Swellengrebel)
  • Kouya: Lagɔɔ gbʋgbanyɔ — “the one who seeks God’s affairs” (source: Saunders, p. 269)
  • Kafa: “decide for God only” (source: Loren Bliese)
  • Martu Wangka: “sit true to God’s talk” (source: Carl Gross)
  • Eastern Highland Otomi: “word passer” (source: John Beekman in Notes on Translation November 1964, p. 1-22)
  • Obolo: ebi nriran: “one with power of divine revelation” (source: Enene Enene)
  • Mairasi: nonondoai nyan: “message proclaimer” (source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Highland Totonac: “speaker on God’s behalf”
  • Central Tarahumara: “God’s preacher” (source for this and above: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff.)
  • Coatlán Mixe: “God’s word-thrower”
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “one who talks as God’s representative”
  • Isthmus Mixe: “speaker for God” (source for this and two above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.)
  • Mezquital Otomi / Paasaal: “God’s messenger” (source: Waterhouse / Parrott in Notes on Translation October 1967, p. 1ff. and Fabian N. Dapila in The Bible Translator 2024, p. 415ff.)
  • Noongar: Warda Marridjiny or “News Traveling” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Kutu: mtula ndagu or “one who gives the prediction of the past and the future” (Source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
  • Ebira: ọnịsẹ, a neologism that combines the prefix ọn for “a person” with ịsẹ for “prediction” (source: Scholz /Scholz 2015, p. 49)
  • French 1985 translation by Chouraqui: inspiré or “inspired one” (“someone in whom God has breathed [Latin: in + spiro]) (source: Watson 2023, p. 45)

In Ixcatlán Mazatec a term is used that specifically includes women. (Source: Robert Bascom)

About the translation into Northern Grebo:

“In some instances these spiritual terms result from adaptations reflecting the native life and culture. Among the Northern Grebo people of Liberia, a missionary wanted some adequate term for ‘prophet,’ and she was fully aware that the native word for ‘soothsayer’ or ‘diviner’ was no equivalent for the Biblical prophet who spoke forth for God. Of course, much of what the prophets said referred to the future, and though this was an essential part of much of their ministry, it was by no means all. The right word for the Gbeapo people would have to include something which would not only mean the foretelling of important events but the proclamation of truth as God’s representative among the people. At last the right word came; it was ‘God’s town-crier.’ Every morning and evening the official representative of the chief goes through the village crying out the news, delivering the orders of the chief, and announcing important coming events. ‘God’s town-crier’ would be the official representative of God, announcing to the people God’s doings, His commands, and His pronouncements for their salvation and well-being. For the Northern Grebo people the prophet is no weird person from forgotten times; he is as real as the human, moving message of the plowman Amos, who became God’s town-crier to a calloused people.” (source: Nida 1952, p. 20)

In American Sign Language it is a person who sees into the future:


“Prophet” in American Sign Language (source )

In British Sign Language it is is translated with a sign that depicts a message coming from God to a person (the upright finger) and then being passed on to others. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Prophet” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

See also prophesy and prophesy / prophetic frenzy.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: How to Recognize a Biblical Prophet .

See also seer.

complete verse (Ezekiel 2:5)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ezekiel 2:5:

  • Kupsabiny: “If (they) listen to you or if (they) do not listen to you, they will know that a prophet has spoken words to (them).” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Whether these rebels will-listen or not, they will-know that there has been indeed a prophet there among them.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Andwhen you tell them my messages, perhaps those rebellious people will heed those messages and perhaps they will not heed them, but they will know thatyou are a prophet who has been among them.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Ezekiel 2:5

And … they will know that there has been a prophet among them: The reason why God tells Ezekiel to say “Thus says the Lord GOD” is so that the Israelites will know that Ezekiel is a prophet. It is important for translators to make this connection with verse 4 clear. One way to do this is by rearranging this verse and connecting it to the end of verse 4 as follows: “You are to say to them, ‘These are the words of the Lord GOD,’ 5 and they will know that they have a prophet among them” (Revised English Bible). Some languages may prefer to show the connection between these two verses by beginning verse 5 with “Say this, so that they will know that there has been a prophet among them” or “Do this, so that they will know that they have a prophet with them.” This is the first instance in the book where God does something to make the audience recognize his power and authority.

Translators must be careful how they render the word prophet. The primary role of the Old Testament prophet was to speak God’s message to the people of his own day.

Eventually the people will recognize that Ezekiel was a prophet of God whether they hear or refuse to hear. The verb hear includes the idea of obeying here, so possible models for this clause are “whether they listen to him and obey him or not” and “whether they obey him or refuse to heed his word.” It is easy to see how they will recognize him as God’s prophet if they listen to him, but it is an important theme in Ezekiel that when God acts, even unbelievers will be forced to recognize that it is God. This applies to the unbelieving foreign nations as much as to the disobedient Israelites. The reason why the Israelites will not listen to Ezekiel is explained thus: for they are a rebellious house. This theme of the Israelites being rebellious is repeated from the previous verses (see the comments on Ezek 2.3) and will be repeated again in later verses. The house here does not refer to a building, but to a group of people.

Translations have handled the phrase rebellious house in different ways as follows: “those rebels” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version), “rebellious breed” (New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh), “tribe of rebels” (New Jerusalem Bible), “set of rebels” (Jerusalem Bible), “rebels” (New English Bible), and “people who have turned against me” (New Century Version). These are all adequate renderings.

Models for this verse are:

• They are such a rebellious group that they may or may not heed your message. But whether they do or not, they will know that there has been a prophet among them.

• They may or may not pay attention to your message since they are such rebels, but they will certainly know that a prophet has been among them.

Quoted with permission from Gross, Carl & Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on Ezekiel. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .