Bible Dictionary
How The Prophetic Gift Was Received
Scripture teaches that the prophetic message came through the Spirit of God, but it does not fully explain the manner in which the divine Spirit communicated with the prophet’s human spirit. Dreams, visions, and direct speech are indicated as possible means.
Definition
The prophetic gift was received through the agency of the Spirit of God, who communicated divine revelation to the human spirit. Scripture indicates that God used different means, but does not fully explain the inner conditions or precise manner of this communication.
Biblical Usage
The supplied material points especially to the distinction made in Numbers between different ways God makes revelation known to people. Dreams, visions, and direct communication are indicated as part of the biblical treatment of prophecy.
Scripture References
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Smith's Bible Dictionary
—We learn from Holy Scripture that it was by the agency of the Spirit of God that the prophets received the divine communication; but the means by which the divine Spirit communicated with the human spirit, and the conditions of the latter under which the divine communications were received, have not been clearly declared to us. They are however, indicated. In (Numbers 12:6-8) we have an exhaustive division of the different ways in which the revelations of God are made to man.