Q: Who was the first person in the Bible to be called a prophet?
A: Abraham
The first explicit mention of the word "prophet" (Hebrew: נָבִיא, navi) in the Bible occurs when God speaks to Abimelech about Abraham. The context is particularly interesting because it happens during one of Abraham's more morally questionable moments – when he passed off Sarah as his sister, rather than as his wife in Gerar…interesting exposition on how even prophets could make serious mistakes.
Reference: Genesis 20:1-18, Genesis 12:10-20, Genesis 15:1-21, Genesis 18:17-33
Interesting Tidbits:
- The Prophetic Call: While Abraham is first called a prophet in Genesis 20:7, his prophetic role began much earlier with his initial call from God in Genesis 12.
- The term "prophet" appears in a morally complex situation, suggesting that prophetic status doesn't imply moral perfection
- Abraham's prophetic role included predictive elements (Genesis 15:13-16, predicting Israel's Egyptian bondage)
His role as prophet was recognized not just by the Israelites but also by foreign kings like Abimelech
- Jewish tradition considers Sarah to also have had prophetic gifts, though she's not explicitly called a prophet in the Bible
- The Arabic term "nabi" for prophet derives from the same Semitic root as the Hebrew "navi"
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