The PuritanBoard - View Single Post - Best Definitions of Prophecy and "to Prophesy"

shackleton · #4 (**permalink**) 03-01-2008, 10:36 AM

I have been reading about this same thing as I am studying the spiritual gifts and their validity for us today. Wayne Grudem has some good stuff on it as well as Gordon Fee.
What I have found, in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and especially 14, Paul was telling them to desire prophecy above all other things. Prophecy edified the church and even tongues was a version of prophecy and that it needed to be interpreted so that the whole church could be edified.

14:1Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesyG4395 (Strong's number)

G4395

προφητεύω

prophēteuō

Thayer Definition:

1) to prophesy, to be a prophet, speak forth by divine inspirations, to predict

1a) to prophesy

1b) with the idea of foretelling future events pertaining especially to the kingdom of God

1c) to utter forth, declare, a thing which can only be known by divine revelation

1d) to break forth under sudden impulse in lofty discourse or praise of the divine counsels

1d1) under like prompting, to teach, refute, reprove, admonish, comfort others

1e) to act as a prophet, discharge the prophetic office

Part of Speech: verb

A Related Word by Thayer’s/Strong’s Number: from G4396

Citing in TDNT: 6:781, 952

Total KJV Occurrences: 28

prophesy, 14

Matt 15:7, Matt 26:68, Mark 14:65, Luke 22:64, Acts 2:17-18 (2), Acts 21:9, 1 Cor 13:9, 1 Cor 14:1, 1 Cor 14:24, 1 Cor 14:31, 1 Cor 14:39, Rev 10:11, Rev 11:3

prophesied, 9

Matt 7:22, Matt 11:13, Mark 7:6, Luke 1:67, John 11:51, Acts 19:6, 1 Cor 14:5, 1 Pet 1:10, Jude 1:14

prophesieth, 4

1 Cor 11:5, 1 Cor 14:3-5 (3)

prophesying, 1

1 Cor 11:4

14: 3But he that prophesiethG4395 speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort
14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesiedG4395: for greater is he that prophesiethG4395 than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.

He wished they all spoke in tongues but preferred that they prophecy, because tongues just edified the person, unless interpreted, but prophecy edified everyone.

The reformed notion is that prophecy was direct revelation from God given to his prophets and they would occasionally write it down, i.e OT prophets. These same kinds of prophets existed in the NT but only until the last apostle died and the Canon was closed.
The non-reformed view is that prophecy is a different form of edification that is not exactly prophecy in the OT sense in which it predicted future events but that it is more of an encouragement given to someone. It is not for the purpose of giving new revelation from God, it is not on par with what God gives to prophets.

Anyway, I don't know if that helps I am still studying this whole thing.