נָבִיא306 H5030
Prophet — a divinely appointed spokesperson who declares God's message to the people
Navi is the definitive Hebrew term for a prophet — one who speaks on behalf of God. An early editorial note in 1 Samuel 9:9 records that the navi was formerly called ro'eh ('seer'), reflecting a shift from visionary to proclamatory emphasis. The word covers the full prophetic spectrum: patriarchs like Abraham (Gen 20:7), the incomparable Moses (Deut 34:10), the ecstatic bands of Samuel's era, the classical writing prophets, and even false prophets condemned by Jeremiah. Spanish 'profeta,' French 'prophète,' and German 'Prophet' all derive from the Greek prophetes, which itself translates navi in the Septuagint.
Senses
1. Prophet, divine spokesperson — A person commissioned by God to deliver divinely inspired messages, whether warnings, promises, or judgments. The term encompasses both true prophets (Moses, Elijah, Isaiah) and false ones denounced in Deuteronomy 18:20 and Jeremiah. Originally distinguished from the 'seer' (ro'eh, 1 Sam 9:9), the navi became the standard designation for those who spoke 'thus says YHWH.' The uniform rendering across languages (spa: 'profeta,' fra: 'prophète,' deu: 'Prophet') traces back to the LXX's prophetes. 317×
AR["الـ-نَبِيُّ", "الـ-نَّبِيِّ", "النَّبِيَّ", "النَّبِيُّ", "النَّبِيِّ"]·ben["-নবী", "-নবীকে", "ভবিষ্যদ্বক্তার", "ভাববাদী", "ভাববাদীর", "সেই-ভবিষ্যদ্বক্তা"]·DE["der-Prophet"]·EN["the-prophet"]·FR["le-prophète"]·heb["ה-נביא"]·HI["नबी", "नबी-के", "नबी-ने", "नबी-से", "नबेए"]·ID["-nabi", "nabi", "sang-nabi"]·IT["il-profeta"]·jav["nabi", "sang-nabi"]·KO["그-선지자", "그-선지자가", "그-선지자와", "그-선지자의", "선지자가", "선지자를"]·PT["o-profeta"]·RU["-пророк", "-пророка", "-пророку", "пророк", "пророка", "пророку"]·ES["el-profeta"]·SW["kuwa-mfalme", "mwana-wa", "na-Benaya", "nabii"]·TR["-peygamber", "peygamber", "peygambere", "peygamberin"]·urd["-نبی-کی", "ال-نبی", "نبی", "نبی-نے", "نبی-کو", "نبی-کے", "وہ-نبی", "وہ-نبی-نے"]
Deut 13:3, Deut 18:20, Deut 18:20, Deut 18:22, Deut 18:22, 1 Sam 22:5, 2 Sam 7:2, 2 Sam 12:25, 2 Sam 24:11, 1 Kgs 1:8, 1 Kgs 1:10, 1 Kgs 1:22 (+38 more)
Related Senses
H3548 1. priest, cultic officiant (750×)G5547 1. Christ, Messiah, Anointed One (540×)H5930a 1. burnt offering (sacrifice) (286×)H3881 1. Levites (priestly class) (283×)G4396 1. prophet, spokesperson of God (146×)H6944 1. sanctuary, holy place (129×)G0749 1. high priest, chief priest (123×)H6944 2. holiness, sacredness (abstract quality) (123×)G5330 1. Pharisee (99×)G4336 1. pray to God (86×)H6944 3. holy things, sacred offerings (plural) (86×)H3722a 1. make ritual atonement (Piel) (85×)H6912 1. bury (Qal active) (82×)H6419 1. pray (Hitpael) (80×)H6944 4. holiness (with possessive pronoun) (77×)H6942 1. sanctify, consecrate (Piel factitive) (76×)H2930a 1. Qal: be/become unclean (75×)H7819a 1. slaughter an animal (Qal active) (72×)H1486 1. lot (object cast for decisions) (71×)G0040 2. holy, sacred, consecrated (65×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
נָבִיא306 n.m. spokesman, speaker, prophet—נ׳ Gn 20:7 + 155 times; sf. נְבִיאֶ֑ךָ Ex 7:1; pl. נְבִיאִים Nu 11:29 + 82 times; נְבִאִים Je 27:18 + 16 times; sf. נְבִיאַי ψ 105:15; נְבִאָיו 1 K 22:22; נְבִיאָו֯ 2 K 17:13, etc.;— 1. genuine prophet of י׳, נביא, anciently called רֹאֶה, 1 S 9:9 (antiquarian note); change prob. occurred in times of Elijah and is first reflected in Ephr. lit. as applied…