Biblical Hebrew Forum

["M. Brody" <mbrody AT earthling.net>]

Thank you George Athas for your letter 0n 09:02 30/12/98 +1100. You wrote:
>Andrew C Smith wrote:
>
>> Samuel and Gad are listed as "seers" in I Chronicles 29:29, but Nathan is
>> listed as a prophet. Why?
>
>I Sam 9:9 lets us know that prophets used to be called "seers" in the
olden days. That
>probably just means before the kings came onto the scene. In I Sam 9,
Samuel is
>specifically referred to as a "seer" rather than a prophet because his
career comes
>before the time of the kings.
>GEORGE ATHAS

Gentlemen:
This is a familiar question that many have dealt with.
The Malbim on Samuel I  7:10 says:
"There is a difference between the prophet [NAVI] and the prophets in the
later generation, and the se'er [ROEH] that was earlier with Israel.  The
"NAVI" is called after his words and his reprimanding with his "lips" [NEIV
Sfatayim] of the Word of G-d, who sends him to tell his people their sins
and to Israel their transgressions, and he is sent only for public needs,
and he isn't enabled with "Ruach haKodesh" to show private things to
individuals, only general issues for all of the people.
But the se'er [haRoeh] is called such because he would see by way of the
"Ruach haKodesh" that was upon him everything of the present and of the
future, including private and personal details. "
[please pardon my attempt at translation]
He continues  to explain how because of this people would flock to the ROEH
with their personal questions, while avoiding the Navi with his stern
reprimands.  He also hints that the earlier ROEH who was able to apply his
gift constantly even to trivial matters, was ar a higher level than the
present [at the time of writing Samuel] NAVI who was limited only to major
public needs.

Menachem Brody
Machon Helkat Hasadeh
Elon Moreh