5017. nebuah
Lexical Summary
nebuah: prophesying

Original Word: נְבוּאָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: nbuw'ah
Pronunciation: neh-voo-AH
Phonetic Spelling: (neb-oo-aw)
KJV: prophesying
NASB: prophesying
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H5016 (נְבוּאָה - prophecy)]

1. inspired teaching

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
prophesying

(Aramaic) corresponding to nbuw'ah; inspired teaching -- prophesying.

see HEBREW nbuw'ah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to nebuah
Definition
a prophesying
NASB Translation
prophesying (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
[נְבוּאָה] noun feminine prophesying; — construct נְבוּאַת Ezra 6:14.

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scope

נְבוּאָה (Strong’s Hebrew 5017) denotes a spoken or written “prophecy,” the concrete expression of revelatory truth delivered through a prophet. Though the noun appears only once in the Old Testament, it draws on the rich semantic field of its verbal root נָבָא, “to prophesy,” and thereby stands as a concise summary term for divine communication that both reveals God’s will and summons His people to covenant faithfulness.

Canonical Occurrence

Ezra 6:14 contains the single attestation: “So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah son of Iddo” (Berean Standard Bible). The verse locates נְבוּאָה at a strategic hinge in redemptive history, linking prophetic proclamation to the physical rebuilding of the second Temple and the spiritual re-ordering of post-exilic Judah.

Historical Setting

1. Post-exilic Judah (ca. 520 – 515 B.C.) faced political opposition, economic hardship, and spiritual lethargy following the decree of Cyrus that allowed the exiles to return (Ezra 1:1-4).
2. Work on the Temple had stalled for roughly sixteen years (Ezra 4:24). Into this stagnation stepped Haggai and Zechariah, whose oracles (Haggai 1:1; Zechariah 1:1) reignited zeal for the house of the LORD.
3. Their נְבוּאָה was not abstract prediction alone; it was an urgent call to repent, to reorder priorities, and to trust God’s sovereign plan despite Persian oversight.

Function in the Restoration Era

• Motivational: Prophecy infused courage, enabling the elders to “build and prosper.”
• Authoritative: The prophetic word carried covenant authority equal to written Torah (compare Haggai 2:4-5).
• Providential Catalyst: It synchronized human obedience with divine timing; King Darius’ renewed decree (Ezra 6:8-12) came after prophetic preaching rekindled construction.
• Community Shaping: נְבוּאָה forged corporate identity, reminding the remnant that they remained elected servants of the LORD with a mission centred in worship at the Temple.

Relationship to the Prophetic Office

Haggai and Zechariah exemplify complementary aspects of prophecy:

– Haggai stresses practical obedience and temple priorities.

– Zechariah widens the horizon to apocalyptic hope, messianic expectation, and ultimate cleansing (Zechariah 3:8-10; 6:12-13).

Their shared ministry underscores that true נְבוּאָה upholds prior revelation while extending its implications to new historical contexts.

Theology of Prophecy in Ezra 6:14

1. Divine Initiative: God remains the source; human prosperity hinges on receptivity to His voice.
2. Covenant Continuity: Prophecy links the Sinai covenant, the Davidic promise, and the eschatological hope in a single redemptive storyline.
3. Word and Work: The pattern “prophesy—build” illustrates that God’s word precedes and empowers God’s work, a principle echoed in Nehemiah 2:20 and Romans 10:17.

Ministry Lessons

• Spiritual revival and practical success arise when God’s people place themselves under faithful exposition of His word.
• Prophetic ministry today, expressed through teaching Scripture, must maintain clarity, urgency, and Christ-centred hope.
• Leaders (like the elders in Ezra) bear responsibility to translate prophetic insight into obedient action.

Christological Foreshadowing

The restored Temple anticipates the incarnation of the true Temple, Jesus Christ (John 2:19-21). The coordinating role of נְבוּאָה in Ezra 6:14 prefigures the New Testament dynamic in which prophecy culminates “in His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2), who is both Messenger and Message.

Practical Application for the Church

1. Build according to the Word: Every ministry initiative should flow from prayerful engagement with Scripture.
2. Encourage prophetic voices: Biblically grounded exhortation keeps congregations focused on the glory of God rather than institutional maintenance.
3. Expect opposition but also divine favor: Just as Persian edicts could not thwart God’s plan, present-day cultural pressure cannot nullify the advance of Christ’s kingdom when fueled by His Word.

Summary

Though נְבוּאָה appears only once, its solitary placement powerfully illustrates the indispensable role of prophetic revelation in advancing God’s redemptive agenda. The rebuilding of the second Temple stands as historical proof that when God speaks, His people are enabled to act, His purposes move forward, and His glory fills the work of their hands.

Forms and Transliterations
בִּנְבוּאַת֙ בנבואת bin·ḇū·’aṯ binḇū’aṯ binvuAt
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Ezra 6:14
HEB: בָּנַ֣יִן וּמַצְלְחִ֔ין בִּנְבוּאַת֙ חַגַּ֣י [נְבִיאָה
NAS: in building through the prophesying of Haggai
KJV: and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai
INT: building were successful the prophesying of Haggai prophet

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 5017
1 Occurrence


bin·ḇū·’aṯ — 1 Occ.

5016
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