1 Samuel 18

1 Samuel 18:10

And he prophesied] Besides the signification of the word for foretelling things to come, and some other miraculous operations. It is also taken for Interpreting of Scripture, or Preaching, 1 Cor. XIV. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 22, 24, 29, 31, 32. And for singing and praising God, 1 Sam X. 5. 1. Chron. XXV. 1. 1 Cor. XI. 5. And more generaly for declaring the will of God to any by Revelation, or Mission from him.

And so Christ is the great Prophet, Luke XXIV. 19. And so Enoch, Ahraham, Moses, are called Prophets: and after Moses in this ranck none was greater then he, Deut. XXXIV. 10. And after his time Samuel, David, Gad, Nathan, Elias, Elizeus, the four great Prophets, the twelve small Prophets inspired Pen-men of Holy Scripture, and others many, were such, and so called. And as these Extraordinary Prophets; so there were multitudes of Ordinary Prophets among the people: And Colledges of Prophets, and the sons of Prophets at Bethel, Jericho, Gilgal, Ramah, Naioth, in the times of the Old Testament. And in the New Testament, Zacharias the father, and John Baptist the son, Barnabas and Paul, Judas and Silas, Agabus, and many others, are called Prophets; some Extraordinary, others Ordinary Prophets, Matth.

XXIII. 34. Acts XI. 27. and XIII. 1. and XV. 32.

Rom. XII. 6. 1. Cor. XII. 10. and chap. XIV. 6, 9, 22, 24, 29, 31. Ephes. IV. 11. Apoc.

XI. 10. And in both Testaments there were as men-Prophets; so women-Prophetesses: And in both Sexes, both True ones, and False. In the female sexe we read of good and True, Miriam, Deborah, Huldah, Anna, Philips four daughters virgins: of bad and False, Noadiah, Jezebel, and others, Ezek. XIII. 17,—23. Yea, among the Heathen some Poets pretending to, or reputed to be Declarers of Gods will, or Divine truths, are in a like sense termed Prophets, Tit. I. 12. Prophets in their esteeme. And the mode and maner of the expressions of their mindes, Oracles, and Prophecies among these Heathen Enthusiasticks was most-what in a wilde, raving and raging sort, with strange motions and agitations of the body, thereby the more to pretend their divine raptures; as in the Sybils, and others.

And not unlike thereunto is this of Sauls prophesying here; In this his rage he casting a jaylin at Davi, ver. 11. yet in what sense properly he is said here to Prophesie, is well guessed in the great Annotations upon this text, though it be not altogether sure and certaine. As neither that of Eldad and Medad, and the rest of the LXX. Num. XIII. 26, 27. Only this is unquestioned in the LXX. That it was some extraordinary Act and Testimony, That the Spirit of God rested upon them in some extraordinary maner, and as such was discernible to all, and so fit to authorize them in the eyes of others, as by a miracle, and to declare to all That they were gifted and assumed to that their present Office and imployment.