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נְבִיאָה

𐤍𐤁𐤉𐤀𐤄

nᵉbîyʼâh

H5031 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נבא to proclaim, declare, prophesy

Definition

A woman who functions as a spokesperson or intermediary for the divine, conveying messages received through inspiration, vision, or other forms of revelation; more broadly, a woman recognized for her inspired speech or actions. In some contexts, refers specifically to a female figure acknowledged as having the role of a prophet among the Israelite people, either by direct inspiration or by association with a prophetic figure.

Semantic Range

female prophet, woman who prophesies or speaks inspired messages, inspired poetess or singer (context of Miriam), recognized religious leader with prophetic gifts, (occasionally and later) wife of a prophet

Root / Etymology

Feminine form of the noun נָבִיא (navi), meaning 'prophet', itself derived from the root נבא (to proclaim, declare, prophesy). The feminine ending (ה) distinguishes the term as denoting a female bearer of the prophetic role.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The term נְבִיאָה occurs only a few times in the Hebrew Bible (notably Miriam in Exod 15:20, Deborah in Judg 4:4, Huldah in 2 Kgs 22:14/2 Chr 34:22, and Noadiah in Neh 6:14). The usage indicates both official recognition of prophetic status and, in some cases, informal designations of inspired women. Although ancient translations (including the Septuagint) use terms that became associated with the later concept of 'prophetess,' the biblical role of a נְבִיאָה ranged from delivering formal oracles to leading in song (e.g., Miriam). English translations traditionally use 'prophetess,' but this does not fully capture the variety of functions held by women called נְבִיאָה. Later rabbinic and historical traditions connected the term to the wives of prophets, but there is little evidence of this usage in the Hebrew Bible itself. The role and status of a נְבִיאָה may differ from contemporaneous male prophets (נָבִיא) in scope or public authority, but the designation itself affirms prophetic function regardless of gender. In post-biblical periods, the term's usage narrows and becomes less frequent.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of נָבִיא; a prophetess or (generally) inspired woman; by implication, a poetess; by association a prophet's wife; prophetess.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נבא (n-b-ʾ) — proclaim, declare, prophesy

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5012 נָבָא in his prophesying
H5013 נְבָא and he proclaimed as inspired spokesman
H5016 נְבוּאָה the prophetic utterance
H5017 נְבוּאָה in prophetic utterance of
H5029 נְבִיא the divine proclaimer

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5031-01 הַ/נְּבִיאָ֜ה haneviah HTd/Ncfsa the prophetess the proclaiming woman 5
H5031-02 נְבִיאָ֔ה neviah HNcfsa prophetess female proclaimer 1

Occurrences in Scripture

6 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5031-01 Exodus 15:20 הַ/נְּבִיאָ֜ה haneviah HTd/Ncfsa the prophetess the proclaiming woman
H5031-02 Judges 4:4 נְבִיאָ֔ה neviah HNcfsa prophetess female proclaimer
H5031-01 2 Kings 22:14 הַ/נְּבִיאָ֜ה haneviah HTd/Ncfsa the prophetess the proclaiming woman
H5031-01 Isaiah 8:3 הַ/נְּבִיאָ֔ה haneviah HTd/Ncfsa the prophetess the proclaiming woman
H5031-01 Nehemiah 6:14 הַ/נְּבִיאָה֙ haneviah HTd/Ncfsa the prophetess the proclaiming woman
H5031-01 2 Chronicles 34:22 הַ/נְּבִיאָ֜ה haneviah HTd/Ncfsa the prophetess the proclaiming woman
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