Prophets play an important role throughout the Bible, speaking God’s word and calling people to repentance and faithfulness. Here are some key Bible verses about prophets:
Old Testament Verses About Prophets
In the Old Testament, prophets were primarily called to speak God’s word to Israel. Here are some verses about Old Testament prophets:
Exodus 7:1 – “And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.”
God appointed Moses’ brother Aaron as his prophet to speak God’s words.
Numbers 12:6 – “And he said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.”
God spoke to prophets through visions and dreams to reveal His word and will.
Deuteronomy 18:18 – “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”
God promised He would raise up future prophets like Moses to speak His words.
1 Samuel 3:20 – “And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord.”
Samuel was recognized as a prophet speaking God’s word to all Israel.
1 Kings 18:36 – “And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word.”
The prophet Elijah called Israel back to faithfulness to God.
Ezekiel 2:5 – “And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Ezekiel was sent by God to prophesy to rebellious Israel whether they listened or not.
Hosea 6:5 – “Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.”
The prophet Hosea pronounced God’s coming judgment on unfaithful Israel.
These and many other verses describe God calling prophets in the Old Testament to speak His word, warn of judgment, and call Israel to repentance.
New Testament Verses About Prophets
In the New Testament, prophets continued to speak God’s word and testify about Jesus Christ. Here are some key New Testament verses about prophets and prophecy:
Matthew 11:9 – “What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.”
Jesus said John the Baptist was more than a prophet, preparing the way for Jesus as the Messiah.
Matthew 21:11 – “And the crowds said, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.””
Some in the crowd recognized Jesus as the promised prophet of God.
Luke 1:76 – “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways.”
John the Baptist was called a prophet who prepared the way for Jesus.
Luke 24:19 – “And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.”
Jesus was recognized as a prophet mighty in word and deed.
John 4:19 – “The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.”
The Samaritan woman at the well discerned that Jesus was a prophet.
Acts 3:18 – “But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled.”
Peter preached that Jesus fulfilled what the prophets foretold about the Messiah.
1 Corinthians 14:1 – “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”
Paul encouraged Christians to seek the gift of prophecy to speak God’s word.
Ephesians 2:20 – “…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”
The church was built on the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets pointing to Christ.
1 Peter 1:10-11 – “Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.”
Peter wrote that the Old Testament prophets foretold the sufferings and glories of Christ through the Spirit.
So in the New Testament, prophets continued to speak God’s word, foretold Christ’s coming, and testified that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
Verses on How Prophets Spoke for God
These verses describe how prophets served as God’s spokesmen:
Exodus 4:12 – “Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”
God put His words in the prophet’s mouth to speak what He commanded.
Jeremiah 1:9 – “Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.”
Similarly, God touched Jeremiah’s mouth and put His words into it.
2 Peter 1:21 – “For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Prophets spoke God’s word as the Holy Spirit inspired and carried them along.
Numbers 22:38 – “Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.””
Balaam acknowledged he could only speak the word God gave him to speak.
So prophets did not speak their own words but faithfully delivered the message God gave them by His Spirit.
Verses on False Prophets
The Bible also warns of false prophets who speak lies and deceive people:
Jeremiah 23:16 – “Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord.”
Jeremiah warned against prophets who spoke their own lies and deceptions.
Lamentations 2:14 – “Your prophets have seen for you false and deceptive visions; they have not exposed your iniquity to restore your fortunes, but have seen for you oracles that are false and misleading.”
False prophets gave misleading and deceptive words instead of exposing sin.
Ezekiel 13:3 – “Thus says the Lord God, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!”
God pronounced woe on foolish prophets who followed their own spirit rather than speaking His word.
Matthew 7:15 – “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.”
Jesus warned of prophets who outwardly appeared godly but were actually dangerous false prophets.
2 Peter 2:1 – “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”
Peter likewise warned against false prophets bringing destructive heresies into the church.
So while true prophets faithfully speak God’s word, the Bible warns believers to beware of false prophets who deceive and spread lies.
Verses on the Role of Prophets
Here are some verses that describe the role and purpose of biblical prophets:
Amos 3:7 – “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.”
God chose prophets to reveal His plans and purposes.
1 Corinthians 14:3 – “But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.”
New Testament prophecy was intended to build up, encourage and console believers.
Ezekiel 3:17 – “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.”
Prophets like Ezekiel acted as watchmen, warning Israel of danger and coming judgment.
Hosea 6:5 – “Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light.”
Through prophets God pronounced the coming judgment on unrepentant Israel.
Revelation 19:10 – “For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
All true prophecy testifies about Jesus Christ.
So prophets served as God’s spokesmen, warned of sin and judgment, encouraged believers in Christ, and ultimately pointed ahead to Jesus.
Verses on How to Test Prophets
Since false prophets deceive, the Bible gives ways to test if someone is a true prophet of God:
Deuteronomy 18:21-22 – “And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?’— when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.”
True prophecies always come to pass while false ones fail.
Jeremiah 28:9 – “As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes to pass, then it will be known that the Lord has truly sent the prophet.”
True prophets’ predictions of peace and blessings come true.
Matthew 7:15-20 – “Beware of false prophets…You will recognize them by their fruits…Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.”
Examine prophets’ lives for righteous deeds and good fruit.
1 Corinthians 14:37 – “If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.”
True prophets affirm and submit to the authority of Scripture.
1 John 4:1-3 – “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.”
Test prophets’ doctrinal orthodoxy about Christ’s person and work.
So God gives us objective ways in Scripture to test if prophets are truly speaking His words or not.
Verses on Jesus as the Greatest Prophet
Finally, Jesus is shown to be the greatest and final prophet in God’s redemptive plan:
Deuteronomy 18:15 – “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.”
Moses looked ahead to the great coming Prophet, Jesus.
Matthew 13:57 – “And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.’”
Jesus identified Himself as a prophet without honor in His own town.
Luke 24:19 – “And he said to them, ‘What things?’ And they said to him, ‘Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.’”
The resurrected Jesus was acclaimed as a mighty prophet.
John 1:45 – “Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’”
Philip identified Jesus as the prophet foretold by Moses and the prophets.
John 6:14 – “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’”
Jesus was recognized as the promised Prophet to come.
John 7:40 – “When they heard these words, some of the people said, ‘This really is the Prophet.’”
Others affirmed that Jesus was the long-awaited Prophet.
Hebrews 1:1-2 – “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.”
God’s final word is spoken through Jesus, the greatest Prophet.
Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophetic office, speaking God’s words and revealing God’s truth, as the promised Prophet and God’s ultimate self-revelation.