προφῆτις
prophētis
prophetess
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Greek word "prophētis" (Strong's number: G4398) is defined as "prophetess." This term highlights the female version of the prophetic role, indicating a person through whom God communicates divine messages. The presence of "prophētis" in the Greek language emphasizes the equality or parity between male and female prophets in their roles as divine messengers. "Prophētis" appears twice in the Bible, suggesting its significance is not merely quantitative but also qualitative, revealing a crucial aspect of prophetic ministry. Its limited occurrences underscore the importance of these specific instances, perhaps indicating that female prophetic figures played significant roles in sharing God's message to the community. Given its definition as "prophetess," "prophētis" underscores the inclusive nature of the prophetic calling, which transcended traditional gender boundaries. This term acknowledges women's participation in conveying divine messages, underscoring their active participation in conveying God's will.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
2 total occurrences across the text
There was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher (she was of a great age, having lived with a husband seven years from her virginity,
Revelation 2:20But I have this against you, that you tolerate your woman, Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality, and to eat things sacrificed to idols.