Prophet and Prophecy in the Ancient World

Names for Prophets in the Ancient World, from Akkadian to Neo-Babylonian eras

• Babylonian: muhhu(m) (feminine: muhhutu(m))

• Assyrian: mahhu (feminine: mahhutu)• Mari: muhhum is most popular term for

prophet. (What was Mari?)• Muhhum is from the root mahu, “to become

crazy, to go into a frenzy”• In Mari, another word for prophet was apilum

(fem. apiltum) from the root apalu, “to answer”Apalu sounds like Apollo, a Greek god of prophecy. The oracle of Apollo was big in ancient Greece

The messages of the prophets were often transmitted to the king through

messengers, often the royal ladies of Mari

The Palace of Zimri-Lim

Investiture of Zimri-Lim:The Making of a King

Fresco, 19th century BCE, royal palace at Mari,now in Louvre, Paris, France

The Mari Letters

• Tell us about many aspects of life in the ancient world

• Tell us a lot about ancient prophecy• For example, there were people in addition to

muhhutu and apiltum who seemed to engage in prophetic activity– One is the qammatum, who is mentioned as a

mouthpiece for the god Dagan– Another is the nabu, a word some say is related to the

Hebrew word, navi

Terms So Far

• Muhhu: from the root, “to go into a frenzy”• Apilum: from the root, “to answer”• Raggimu: from the root, “to shout, to

proclaim”• Hzh: from the root, “seer, visionary”• Nabu: from the Akkadian cognate, “to call”

What do all these words revealabout the role of a prophet?

Mari Letter to King Zimri-Lim Containing a Prophecy

• Nur Sin to Zimri Lim:– Speak to my lord: Thus Nur Sin,

your servant:Abiya, prophet of Adad, the lord of Alep[po],

came to me and said:“ . . . let me re[s]tore you! I

restored you to the th[rone of your father’s house], and the weapon[s]with which I fought with Sea I handed you. I anointed you withthe oil of my luminosity, nobodywill offer resistance to you.

• Now hear a single word ofmine: If anyone cries out to <you>for judgment, saying, ‘I have beenwr[ong]ed,’ be there to decide hiscase; an[swer him fai]rly. [Th]is iswhat I de[sire] from you.

If you go [off] to war, neverdo so [wi]thout consulting an oracle.[W]hen I become manifest in[my] oracle, go to the war. If it does[not] happen, do [not] go out of thecity gate.

This is what the prophet said to me. No[w I have sent the hair ofthe prophet] and a fri[nge of his garment to the lord].

The statue of the Superintendent Ebih-Il

Votive statues like this one were popular in the

ancient Near East. People would place them in temples to represent

themselves praying with constant devotion. Notice the prayerful posing of the hands and the overly large

eyes, a possible sign of religious piety.

Devarim 18:14-15�ים יד �נ ע�נ �ה יו�ר�ש� או�ת�ם--א�ל-מ� ��ה, א�ש��ר א�ת� �ו�ים ה�א�ל ��י ה�ג   כ

�ה �הו � י �ת�ן ל�ך �א�ת��ה--ל�א כ�ן, נ �; ו ים, יש��מ�עו �א�ל-ק�ס�מ� ו .� א$ל�ה�יך

�:  טו �ה א$ל�ה�יך �הו � י �ק�ים ל�ך �י, י ��מ�נ � כ � מ�א�ח�יך ק��ר�ב��ך �ב�יא מ�   נ�ן. �ש��מ�עו א�ל�יו, ת�

14 For these nations, that thou art to dispossess, hearken unto soothsayers, and unto diviners; but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not suffered thee so to do.

15 A prophet will the LORD thy God raise up unto thee, from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken

And this is how we check for a false prophet, not with hair or garment!

22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken; the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.

��ב�יא כב �ד�ב��ר ה�נ   א�ש��ר י�ה �ל�א-יה�י �ה, ו �הו ב��ש��ם י�א �ב�א--הו �ל�א י ��ב�ר ו ה�ד

��ב�ר, א�ש��ר ל�א-ד�ב��רו� ה�דב��רו� �� �דו�ן ד �ה:  ב��ז �הו י

 .� �ו נ �ר מ�מ�� ��ב�יא, ל�א ת�גו ה�נ }ס{

Devarim 18:22

What Does Israelite Prophecy Look Like?

• We have different types of prophecy, as the ancient world did

• The term, navi, can include different types of prophetic activities that we’ve seen

• Grammatically, it’s unclear whether navi means “to call” or “the one who is called”

Isaiah by Michelangelo

Where are prophets from and how do they get prophecy?

• 5 After that thou shalt come to the hill of God, where is the garrison of the Philistines; and it shall come to pass, when thou art come thither to the city, that thou shalt meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, and a timbrel, and a pipe, and a harp, before them; and they will be prophesying.

• 6 And the spirit of the LORD will come mightily upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.

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• 10 And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a band of prophets met him; and the spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he prophesied among them.

• 11 And it came to pass, when all that knew him beforetime saw that, behold, he prophesied with the prophets, {S} then the people said one to another: 'What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?'

• 12 And one of the same place answered and said: 'And who is their father?' Therefore it became a proverb: 'Is Saul also among the prophets?'

• 13 And when he had made an end of prophesying, he came to the high place.

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Michelangelo’s Daniel

In the end, though, many of the great prophets work alone and are not part

of a band of ecstatics

So What is a Prophet?A compelling image of the prophet emerges:

The prophet is the courier between God and B’nai Yisrael. It is the prophet’s duty to deliver God’s message to the Israelite nation.

What’s so special about that? We saw the ancient

world had a similar concept!

Mari Letter to King Zimri-Lim Containing a Prophecy

Nur Sin to Zimri Lim:Speak to my lord: Thus Nur Sin, your

servant:Abiya, prophet of Adad, the lord of Alep[po],

came to me and said:“ . . . let me re[s]tore you! I

restored you to the th[rone of your father’s house], and the weapon[s]with which I fought with Sea I handed you. I anointed you withthe oil of my luminosity, nobodywill offer resistance to you.

Now hear a single word ofmine: If anyone cries out to <you>for judgment, saying, ‘I have beenwr[ong]ed,’ be there to decide hiscase; an[swer him fai]rly. [Th]is iswhat I de[sire] from you.

If you go [off] to war, neverdo so [wi]thout consulting an oracle.[W]hen I become manifest in[my] oracle, go to the war. If it does[not] happen, do [not] go out of thecity gate.

This is what the prophet said to me. No[w I have sent the hair ofthe prophet] and a fri[nge of his garment to the lord].

Zechariah by Michelangelo, 1509, fresco, Sistine Chapel ceiling