The form of prophecy which is envisaged in these definitions is the

predictive, but there is another form of prophecy which must not be omitted,

that is the moral and didactic or teaching phase.  The words uttered by the

prophet had a meaning or a lesson for his immediate hearers as well as a

forecast of 'things to come'.  It is with the predictive phase of prophecy,

however, that we have to do in this Volume.  We may ask, what is a prophet?

and find at least the elements of an answer in the words of Numbers 12:

'Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will

make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a

dream.  My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all Mine house.

With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark

speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold' (Num. 12:6 -

The word here translated 'prophet' is the Hebrew nabi.  Gesenius says

that naba, the verb, comes from a root meaning 'to bubble up'.  Dr. Young, in

his concordance, says it means 'flow forth' which amounts to much the same

thing.  If this etymology be true, it looks to the inspiration of the

prophet.  This Divine enduement, which appears to be an essential equipment

of a prophet, can be illustrated by the case of Saul.

Samuel said to Saul: 'The spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and

thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man' (1 Sam.

10:6).  This came to pass so that it was said: 'Is Saul also among the

prophets?' (1 Sam. 10:11).

When, as a consequence of Saul's disobedience, the Lord withdrew his

favour from him we read, 'the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, and he

prophesied in the midst of the house' (1 Sam. 18:10).  In these two cases

prophecy, whether true or false, was the direct outcome of the 'coming upon

Saul' of a spirit, a spirit that was either good or evil.  From this same

book of Samuel, we learn that:

'Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he

spake, Come, and let us go to the seer: for he that is now called a

Prophet was beforetime called a Seer' (1 Sam. 9:9).

Seer, Hebrew roeh.  This word, as the English indicates, is derived

from the verb 'to see', raah, and Isaiah played upon this fact when he said,

'which say to the seers, see not' (Isa. 30:10).

Another word which is also translated 'seer' is derived from the Hebrew

chazah which means 'to see' as in a vision.  Again 1 Samuel will provide an

'And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open

vision' (1 Sam. 3:1).

So the prophecy of Isaiah opens with 'The vision of Isaiah the son of

Amoz, which he saw' (1:1).

According to Numbers 12:6 the usual mode of imparting the prophetic

message to a prophet was by a 'vision' or 'dream'.  Let us note a few

references that show the relation of 'vision' and 'dream' to prophecy.