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    Talmud Megillah 14a

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    alfie carl battung
    The Talmud Megillah 14a identifies 48 male prophets and 7 female prophetesses that were relevant to future generations of the Jewish people. It notes there were many more prophets but only those whose messages contained lessons for future generations were written down. It then provides details on the 7 prophetesses identified - Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda, and Esther - and discusses what the biblical texts say about their prophetic roles.

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    Talmud Megillah 14a

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    alfie carl battung
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    The Talmud Megillah 14a identifies 48 male prophets and 7 female prophetesses that were relevant to future generations of the Jewish people. It notes there were many more prophets but only those whose messages contained lessons for future generations were written down. It then provides details on the 7 prophetesses identified - Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda, and Esther - and discusses what the biblical texts say about their prophetic roles.

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    On the Prophets and Prophetesses

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    The Talmud Megillah 14a identifies 48 male prophets and 7 female prophetesses that were relevant to future generations of the Jewish people. It notes there were many more prophets but only those whose messages contained lessons for future generations were written down. It then provides details on the 7 prophetesses identified - Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda, and Esther - and discusses what the biblical texts say about their prophetic roles.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    70 views2 pages

    Talmud Megillah 14a

    Uploaded by

    alfie carl battung
    The Talmud Megillah 14a identifies 48 male prophets and 7 female prophetesses that were relevant to future generations of the Jewish people. It notes there were many more prophets but only those whose messages contained lessons for future generations were written down. It then provides details on the 7 prophetesses identified - Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda, and Esther - and discusses what the biblical texts say about their prophetic roles.

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    What does the Talmud Megillah 14a say about prophets or prophetesses?

    The Talmud Megillah 14a tells us that there were forty-eight prophets and seven
    prophetesses of the Jewish people. It states that there were many more prophets in fact, such
    as many prophets who arose for Israel, double the number of the Israelites who came out of
    Egypt—but only those prophets whose message was relevant for future generations made the
    list. In other words, only the prophecy which contained a lesson for future generations was
    written down, and that which did not include such a lesson was not written.

    As we know, the prophet or prophetess are the people chosen by God to bring the
    message to God’s people and the spirit of God is upon them. As a prophet or prophetess
    prophesied to Israel, they neither took away from nor added ought to what is written in the
    Torah, save only the reading of the Megillah.

    The prophet or prophetess1 prophesied to the people of Israel that the Lord would set
    them free from slavery and bring them out of Egypt to the promised land. It was fulfilled, and
    the people called it a miracle. They chanted the hymn of praise for miracles done in them.
    The prophet tells the people that through the journey of the Exodus from Egypt to the
    Promised Land, the people of Israel were no longer the servants of Pharaoh, but now they
    were servants of God – people of God, whom God chose.

    Israelite prophecy can rather be understood as a concept and activity that Israel shared
    with other cultures and peoples among whom the Israelites lived and experienced God. Other
    words used by the biblical tradition to describe people who acted in the way that Israel saw
    its prophets behave include "diviner" and "man of God". One passage claims that in former
    time’s belief the prophet (nabi") was known as a seer (ro’eh) (cf. 1 Sam 9:9). Two other terms
    also are occasionally used for the role: man of God (is [ha]elohim) and visionary (hōzeh).2

    The derivation and meaning of the word "prophet" have been a matter of controversy
    for centuries. W. F. Albright: The only safe course in resolving the meaning of a word is to
    depend ultimately on usages in contexts. He says that the Akkadian verb nabů, "to call," is
    helpful in suggesting that the passive meaning may well be "one who is called by God". The
    older Gesenius Lexicon edited by Tregelles hypothesized that the noun "prophet" came from
    the verb (nāba), in which the original final letter, (ayin), was softened into an aleph (nābā');
    this verb meant "to bubble up" or "boil forth."3

    A fascinating detail that the rabbis wrote in Megillah 14a identifies the ‘seven
    prophetesses’. These are Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda, and Esther. The
    Gemara provides textual support in recognizing these seven prophetesses. Sarah was called
    Yisca (cf. Genesis 11:29), since she discerned by means of the Holy Spirit. The Talmud

    1 A woman who exercised the prophetic gift in ancient Israel. (J.D. Douglas, New International Bible
    Dictionary, rev. ed. Merrrill C. Tenney (Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1999), p. 832.)
    2 John Schmith, “Hōzeh” Anchor Bible Dictionary Volume 1, ed. David Noel Freedman (New York:
    Doubleday, 1992), pp. 482-489.
    3 Walter Elwell, ed., Baker Theology Dictionary of the Bible (Michigan: Baker Books, 2000), p. 641.




    claims that Yisca or Iscah is the same person as Sarah. However, this association is not based
    on any clear evidence in the biblical text. Iscah may have been also associated with the word
    root work skh or ‘to see’ but this has no attestation in the biblical Hebrew.4 Miriam, the
    brother of Aaron and subsequently the sister of Moses, is indicated in the scriptures as also a
    prophetess (cf. Exodus 15:20), foretelling the birth of the one who will save Israel. Deborah,
    a judge of Israel, is also recognized as a prophetess (cf. Judges 4:4). Relating to her prayer
    (cf. 1 Samuel 2:1-10) Hannah is also considered a prophetess. Her exaltation in the Lord
    would imply the longevity of the royal status of those who will be anointed from a horn, i.e.
    the house of David. Huldah was the wife of Shallum (cf. 2 Kings 22:14). Lastly, as far
    Megillah 14a is concerned it mentions Abigail as a prophetess. Abigail who was married to
    Nabal would eventually become David’s wife.5 Subsequently, Megillah 14b describe the rest
    of Abigail, Hulda, and Esther.

    Three Hebrew words are used in the OT to designate the prophets, namely (nävi ro
    eh), (hözeh) and (navi). They are practically synonymous in meaning. The first term, (nãvi),
    is difficult to explain etymologically, although various attempts have been made. The biblical
    emphasis throughout is practical. It is not the mysterious mode of the prophetic revelation
    that is emphasized, but rather the deliverance of the message itself to God. The biblical
    prophet must be distinguished from the prophets of the Greeks.

    All in all, prophets were righteous people who shared a special closeness with God.
    They were role models in the community where they lived. As Talmud Megillah 14a
    identified forty-eight plus seven or or fifty-five actual prophets, it mentions, on the other
    hand, that there were more. Most of them shared messages intended only for their own
    generation and were not reported in Scripture. It also identifies women prophets and it
    suggests that the Lord inspires not only men but also women in confusing circumstances.

    Fra. ALFIE CARL A. BATTUNG, OFM Conv.


    Br. MAEKO V. DIAZ, SDB
    Br. JASON GENOVATA, RM
    Br. JOSE ALVES SOARES, SDB
    Br. CHU NGOC KIEN, RCJ

    4Richard S. Hess, “Iscah,” Anchor Bible Dictionary Volume 3, ed. David Noel Freedman (New York:
    Doubleday, 1992, p. 509.

    5 Linda S. Schearing, “Abigail,” Anchor Bible Dictionary Volume 1, ed. David Noel Freedman (New
    York: Doubleday, 1992), pp. 15-16.

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