prophet

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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 (Hosea 9:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Hosea 9:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “The days in which you shall be punished are coming.
    Those are the days in which you shall get what you deserve.
    You people of Israel should know this word/matter.
    You think that a prophet is stupid.
    You say that I have lost my mind
    me who was filled with the Spirit.
    I am doing like this
    because your (plur.) sin is very great
    and you are amazingly rebellious.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The time of punishment has arrived, it has come.
    The time for them to pay for their sins has come,
    Israel will know it.
    By reason of your many sins
    and your great hostility,
    the prophets seem to you like fools and
    people who are full of the spirit like insane people.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘Those from-Israel, the time has- now -come that you (plur.) are to-be-punished, the time that you (plur.) will-be-revenged for what- you (plur.) -have-done. And you (plur.) will- surely -know that it has- already -come. You (plur.) say about me that, ‘That prophet is a fool! He that is-empowered by the spirit is a madman/[lit. bad head]!’ That is what you (plur.) are-saying to me because many are your (plur.) sins and you (plur.) are very angry with me.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “It is now the time for Yahweh to punish you,
    to pay you back for all the sins that you have committed.
    You people will soon know that.
    You have committed very many sins,
    and you very much hate Yahweh.
    You consider that the prophets are foolish,
    and you think that those who proclaim messages from him are crazy.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Hosea 9:7

Although Good News Translation begins a new paragraph here (similarly New Revised Standard Version and New Living Translation with a stanza break), some languages may prefer not to insert a break since the first two lines of verse 7 continue the threat of the previous verses.

The days of punishment have come, the days of recompense have come: These two parallel lines contain a warning, repeated for emphasis, that the time of punishment for Israel has come. It is possible that the repetition is in response to remarks being made by the people as they begin to disrupt Hosea’s speech. The Hebrew word for recompense has the idea of punishment that serves as appropriate repayment by someone who takes revenge. The use of The days of punishment and the days of recompense stands in sharp contrast with “the day of appointed festival” and “the day of the feast of the LORD” in 9.5.

A translation model for verse 7a-b is:

• The days of punishment will arrive,
the days of reckoning will come.

Israel shall know it: At the beginning of this clause Good News Translation adds “When that happens” to show that Israel has not been punished yet. What Israel shall know is the fact of punishment (it). Know renders the usual meaning of the Hebrew verb here. This meaning fits the context and is followed by many translations and commentators. New English Bible‘s “be humbled” follows the meaning of a similar Arabic verb, but there is no textual support for this reading. Jerusalem Bible emends the Hebrew verb for know to read “protests,” but this reading is not supported by any ancient translations, and the emendation is not necessary to make sense of the Hebrew text. However, a proposal that makes good sense is made by Wolff and other commentators and followed by New Revised Standard Version. In that proposal the surface form of the Hebrew verb is based on a root that means “to cry,” leading to the translation “Israel cries.” This reading suits the context well. The next two lines then clearly represent the response of the hearers of Hosea’s prophecies. If this reading is followed, we recommend a paragraph or stanza break before this line.

The prophet is a fool, the man of the spirit is mad: By adding the quote frame “you say,” Good News Translation makes it clear that the Israelites are speaking about Hosea here. If the previous line is rendered as a quote frame (for example, “Israel, you cry”), Good News Translation‘s addition is not needed. The singular expressions the prophet and the man of the spirit, and the quotation of the peoples’ words in 6.1-3, favor this interpretation that Hosea is quoting the people. Several versions depend upon quotation marks only to show that this is a saying of the people (so New Jerusalem Bible), but those who hear the text being read will not understand it that way.

Revised Standard Version‘s rendering of these two lines seems to refer to the prophets in general, but in the Hebrew text we would expect plural nouns with this interpretation. Good News Translation makes it clear that the people are speaking about Hosea by using demonstrative pronouns, saying “This prophet … is a fool. This inspired man is insane.”

The Hebrew word for prophet is the usual term for such a person (see comments on 4.5), but instead of the normal expression “man of God” in the next line (compare 2 Kgs 5.8), they say man of the spirit. This appears to be a disparaging expression for people who were so ecstatic when possessed by God’s spirit that they would speak and act in strange ways (see 1 Sam 10.6, 10-12). The Hebrew words for fool and mad occur first in each line, marking them as emphatic: “A fool [is] the prophet, mad [is] the man of the spirit.” A fool is a foolish talker (Pro 10.8), and the Hebrew word for mad carries with it the idea of a person who constantly talks nonsense to himself, sounding like the cooing of a dove. So these two terms are related to uncontrolled speech. Jerusalem Bible says “The prophet is mad … this inspired fellow is raving.”

Because of your great iniquity and great hatred: The connection of these two lines with the rest of the verse is disputed. Some translate them in a way that indicates the prophets in general have become madmen who are useless to Israel, as divine retribution for Israel’s sins; for example, Jerusalem Bible says “Ah yes, but only because your iniquity is so great, your apostasy so grave,” and Bible en français courant has “Alright, yes, but that is the result of your countless crimes and the violent hostility that you manifest to him.” However, if we assume that the people are responding directly to Hosea and are calling him specifically a madman, it is not likely that he would accept their accusation as valid, even as retribution for sin. It is morally and psychologically questionable to see the sin and hostility of the people as the cause of Hosea’s foolishness. It is more likely that these two lines give the reasons for the people calling him a madman. It is because of their numerous sins and their hostility toward him. A model that expresses this sense is “You say this because your sins are so many and your hostility toward me is so great” (similarly New International Version).

For the Hebrew word rendered iniquity, see 8.13. The Hebrew word for hatred refers to deeply-felt hostility, as in a grudge. It is only used twice in the Old Testament, here and in the next verse.

A translation model for 9.7c-g is:

• Israel, you cry:
“This prophet is crazy!
The inspired man has gone mad!”
You say this because of your many offenses,
because of your great hostility.

Quoted with permission from Dorn, Louis & van Steenbergen, Gerrit. A Handbook on Hosea. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2020. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Hosea 9:7

Paragraph 9:7–9

In this paragraph, Hosea warns the people that God’s judgment is certain because of their many sins. This judgment will involve the total destruction of their cities (See Paragraph 8:11–14). Because of this devastation, few if any people will be able to live in the land. Those who escape death will face future punishment as slaves/exiles in Assyria (See the notes on 8:10b and 8:10c).

9:7a–b

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

7a
The days of punishment have come;

7b
the days of retribution have arrived —

These lines are a warning. The underlined parts refer to the time when the LORD will begin to punish the people to pay for their sins. The parts in bold print indicate that this will happen very soon. See the first note on 9:6a.

The days of punishment…days of retribution: These parallel phrases both describe the same time and the same event(s). They refer to the suffering that the people of Israel will experience in exile. The first phrase indicates that this suffering is a punishment. The second phrase indicates that the LORD will require them to suffer as payment for the wrongs they have done.

days…days: In Hebrew and in many English versions, these words are identical. They refer here to an indefinite period of time.

Here are some acceptable ways to translate these parallel terms:

• Use the same term in both lines. For example:

The days…the days (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
The time…the time (Good News Translation)

• Use different terms in each line. For example:

The time…the day (New Living Translation (2004))

Here are some other ways to translate the parallel lines:

7a The time for them to be punished will come. 7b The time for them to pay for their sins will come. (God’s Word)
-or-

7a The time of punishment is about to arrive! 7b The time of retribution is imminent! (adapted from NET Bible)

General Comment on 9:7a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these two parallel lines. See 9:7a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display for an example.

9:7c

let Israel know it: There is a textual issue here:

(1) The Masoretic Text has let Israel know. For example:

Let Israel know this! (New American Standard Bible)

(2) The LXX has “Israel cries out.” For example:

Israel cries (New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most versions and scholars. With this option, the clause let Israel know it functions as a conclusion to the preceding lines (9:7a–b).

There are two main ways to interpret this conclusion:

(1) Hosea informs the people of Israel that they will know when the time of punishment begins. For example:

The time for them to be punished will come…When this happens, Israel will know it. (God’s Word)

(2) Hosea urges/admonishes the people of Israel that they need to know when the time of punishment will begin. For example:

…The time of retribution is imminent! Let Israel know ! (NET Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with a majority of versions and scholars. However, interpretation (2) is also well supported. If you decide to follow interpretation (2), it is recommended that you give the other interpretation in a footnote. Here is a suggested footnote:

Another way to interpret this part of the verse is: “Israel will know it” or “Israel knows this!”

9:7d–e

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

7d
The prophet is called a fool,

7e and the inspired man insane.

The prophet is called a fool, and the inspired man insane: In Hebrew, these clauses are more literally “the prophet a fool the person of the spirit mad.” In many languages, one or more verbs must be supplied to make the meaning clear. For example, the Berean Standard Bible supplies the verb phrase is called. In addition, some versions make the speaker explicit. For example:

You think the prophet is a fool, and you say the spiritual person is crazy (New Century Version)
-or-
“The prophets are crazy!” the people shout. “The inspired men are mad!” So they taunt (New Living Translation (2004) 96)

Most commentaries think that the words in 7d–e were spoken by Hosea’s hearers. These words indicate that they did not believe Hosea’s warning that the LORD would soon begin to punish them. Their response to Hosea was to discredit him (and perhaps all true prophets) by comparing him to a crazy person.

fool…insane: The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fool means “stupid.” It describes someone whose words are not worth listening to. The Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as insane is literally “mad/crazy.” Here the people probably used the word to mock Hosea because of what he said.

The prophet…the inspired man: In these parallel phrases, the second phrase further describes a prophet in terms of the source of the prophet’s message.

the inspired man: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “the man of the spirit.” This phrase occurs only here in the Old Testament. It indicates that the person’s words are inspired by the spirit of the LORD.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the man whose words come from the LORD
-or-
a person whom the spirit of the LORD causes to speak

9:7f–g

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

7f because of the greatness of your iniquity

7g and hostility.

because of the greatness of your iniquity and hostility: In Hebrew, the words are literally “on the multitude of your iniquity and great animosity.” There are two main interpretations of the function of the Hebrew preposition “on” that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as because :

(1) The preposition introduces reasons why the people call the prophet a fool and a madman. They call him that because they are filled with sin and hatred. For example:

The prophet is a fool; the man of the spirit is mad, because of your great iniquity and great hatred. (English Standard Version)

(2) The preposition introduces the reason for their great hostility. They have great hostility because they have many sins. For example:

Because of your great iniquity, your hostility is great. (New Revised Standard Version)

(Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions and scholars.

your…hostility: In Hebrew, this word probably means “to have animosity” or “to hold a grudge.” It refers here to the hostility that the people of Israel have against Hosea, or perhaps against both Hosea and Yahweh.

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