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# prophecy

«prophecy» in Mova's judaism dictionary: **A statement that something will happen in the future…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a prophecy, prophecies)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A statement that something will happen in the future, especially one made by someone believed to have special knowledge: «The witch's prophecy came true.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#m1)

2) (Bible, church) A message that Christians and Jews believe comes from God, given through a prophet, sometimes about the future and often about how people should live. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#m2)

3) The power or act of saying what will happen in the future. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: A message spoken as from God. In Nehemiah, a prophecy was spoken against him by a man hired by his enemies, and Nehemiah saw that God had not sent him. Interpretation: Tradition says prophecy is a message from God to a chosen person, often in a vision. Later mystics described levels of vision, and Sefer Yetzirah's paths include such visions. Nehemiah's story is read as a warning that a false prophet can be hired and must be tested. In the primary lessons: In stories and myths prophecies drive the plot (a chosen one, a curse, a hero's fate). In religious education, the books of the prophets in the Bible contain prophecies; Christians believe some Old Testament prophecies point to Jesus. In science we make «predictions» with evidence, not prophecies. Phrases: «a prophecy came true», «fulfil a prophecy», «self-fulfilling prophecy».

### examples

- The Twelfth Path is the Intelligence of Transparency, because it is that species of Magnificence., called CHAZCHAZIT, which is named the place whence issues the vision of those seeing in apparitions. (That is, the prophecies by seers in a vision.) (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#x1)
- And I discerned, and, lo, God had not sent him; for he pronounced this prophecy against me, whereas Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. (Writings NEH.6.12, JPS 1917) [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#x2)
- The old prophecy said a girl from the village would save the kingdom. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#x3)
- The prophecy came true at the end of the book. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#x4)
- Isaiah's prophecies are read in church at Christmas. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#x5)
- Christians believe Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the prophets. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#x6)
- Saying «I'll fail» can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#x7)
- The fortune teller's prophecy was just a guess. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#x8)
- In the myth, the king tried to escape the prophecy but could not. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#x9)
- So his mother’s prophecy had come true, after all. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/#x10)

### note

Noun «prophecy» (ends -cy, sounds like «see») versus verb «prophesy» (ends -sy, sounds like «sigh»): the prophet prophesied a prophecy. Plural: prophecies. A self-fulfilling prophecy comes true because people believe it. A scientific prediction is based on evidence and can be tested.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «prophecy» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/judaism/P/prophecy/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.