G4396 — προφήτης (prophētēs)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G4396
Original: προφήτης
Transliteration: prophētēs
Pronunciation: prof-ay'-tace
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: Compound of πρό (pro, "before/forth") + φημί (phēmi, "to speak") — one who speaks forth
Occurrences: 143 unique verses (149 tokens) across 15 books
First Occurrence: Mat 1:22 — "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From a compound of πρό (G4253) and φημί (G5346); a foreteller ("prophet"); by analogy an inspired speaker; by extension a poet.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain: 53.009 — Roles and Functions (within 53: Religious Activities)
Secondary domains: 33 — Communication; 33.005 — Written Language
Other words in domain 53.009: ἀπόστολος (G652), ἀρχιερεύς (G749), γραμματεύς (G1122), διάκονος (G1249), ἐπίσκοπος (G1985), ἀντίχριστος (G500)

Domain Neighbors (053.009 — Roles and Functions)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation(s)
G652	ἀπόστολος	70	apostles, an apostle
G749	ἀρχιερεύς	102	chief priests, high priest
G1122	γραμματεύς	63	scribes, scribe
G1249	διάκονος	15	minister, a minister
G1985	ἐπίσκοπος	6	bishop
G752	ἀρχισυνάγωγος	7	ruler of the synagogue
G500	ἀντίχριστος	5	antichrist

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
prophets	74	51.7%
prophet	40	28.0%
a prophet	15	10.5%
A prophet	6	4.2%
the prophets	4	2.8%
than a prophet	2	1.4%
Other (7 forms)	2	1.4%

100% consistently rendered as "prophet(s)" in KJV — no semantic ambiguity in English translation.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Matthew	36	3.4
2 Peter	2	3.3
Acts	30	3.0
Luke	30	2.6
Titus	1	2.2
Revelation	8	2.0
Ephesians	3	1.9
John	14	1.6
1 Corinthians	5	1.1
1 Thessalonians	1	1.1
1 Peter	1	1.0
Mark	6	0.9
James	1	0.9
Romans	3	0.7
Hebrews	2	0.7

Synoptic Gospels + Acts account for 132 of 149 tokens (89%). Absent from 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, Philemon, 1–3 John, Jude. Highest density in Matthew (3.4/100v), reflecting that Gospel's concern to show Jesus as fulfillment of prophetic Scripture.

Semantic Categories¶

1. OT Prophets as Scripture Authors / Spokesmen¶

The dominant usage — referring to named or unnamed OT prophets whose words are cited as fulfilled. - Mat 1:22 — "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet" - Mat 2:17 — "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet" - Luk 3:4 — "As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet" - Acts 8:28 — "sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet"

2. The Law and the Prophets — Canonical Authority¶

Prophets as a division of Scripture, paired with Moses/the Law. - Mat 5:17 — "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets" - Mat 22:40 — "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" - Luk 16:29 — "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them" - Acts 13:15 — "after the reading of the law and the prophets"

3. Jesus Identified as a Prophet / "The Prophet"¶

The people and disciples recognizing or debating Jesus's prophetic identity. - Mat 21:11 — "This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee" - Jhn 6:14 — "This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world" - Jhn 7:40 — "Of a truth this is the Prophet" - Jhn 4:19 — "Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet"

4. The Prophet Like Moses — Eschatological Figure¶

The specific "prophet" of Deuteronomy 18:15, applied to Christ. - Acts 3:22 — "A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me" - Acts 3:23 — "every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people" - Acts 7:37 — "A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me"

5. Prophets Persecuted and Killed¶

A recurring motif: Israel's pattern of rejecting and killing prophets. - Mat 23:31 — "ye are the children of them which killed the prophets" - Mat 23:37 — "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets" - Acts 7:52 — "Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?" - 1Th 2:15 — "Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets"

6. NT Church Office — Prophets as Spiritual Gift Holders¶

Prophets as a distinct role within the early Christian community. - 1Co 12:28 — "God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets" - 1Co 14:29 — "Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge" - 1Co 14:32 — "the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets" - Eph 4:11 — "he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists"

7. Prophets in Revelation — Eschatological Witness¶

Prophets as end-time figures and recipients of divine vindication. - Rev 11:10 — "these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth" - Rev 18:20 — "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets" - Rev 22:6 — "the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel" - Rev 22:9 — "I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
λέγω (legō)	G3004	41x (29%)	"spoken by the prophet, saying" — fulfillment formula
ἔπω (epō)	G2036	29x (20%)	"as said the prophet" — citation formula
πᾶς (pas)	G3956	26x (18%)	"all the prophets" — comprehensive testimony
θεός (theos)	G2316	25x (17%)	"God... by the prophets" — divine source
πληρόω (plēroō)	G4137	17x (12%)	"fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet"
κύριος (kyrios)	G2962	16x (11%)	"spoken of the Lord by the prophet"
ῥέω (rheō)	G4483	14x (10%)	"that which was spoken by the prophet"
ἅγιος (hagios)	G40	12x (8%)	"his holy prophets"
γράφω (graphō)	G1125	12x (8%)	"it is written in the prophets"
νόμος (nomos)	G3551	11x (8%)	"the law and the prophets"
ἀποκτείνω (apokteinō)	G615	9x (6%)	"killed the prophets" — persecution motif

Word Family / Cognates¶

G4394 προφητεία (prophēteia) — prophecy, the message or gift itself (19v)
G4395 προφητεύω (prophēteuō) — to prophesy, the act of delivering inspired speech (27v)
G4397 προφητικός (prophētikos) — prophetic, adjectival form (2v)

Synonyms¶

G5578 ψευδοπροφήτης (pseudoprophētēs) — false prophet (11v) — the counterfeit counterpart

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
נָבִיא (nābîyʼ)	H5030	"prophet/prophets"	Hebrew OT equivalent; prophētēs is the standard LXX/NT rendering of nābîyʼ
נְבִיא (nᵉbîyʼ)	H5029	"the prophets"	Aramaic cognate of H5030, found in Daniel/Ezra
חֹזֶה (chōzeh)	H2374	"seer/prophet"	OT "seer" — emphasizes visionary mode of reception, not speech-act

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
נָבִיא (nābîyʼ)	H5030	236	33.88
נָבָא (nābāʼ)	H5012	31	16.46
חֹזֶה (chōzeh)	H2374	14	15.89
נָתָן (Nāthān)	H5416	17	15.19
חָזוֹן (chāzōwn)	H2377	9	10.44

The dominant bridge is H5030 nābîyʼ (236 co-occurrences, PMI 33.88) — a near one-to-one correspondence. This is the strongest prophetic-vocabulary LXX alignment in the corpus.