>PROPHETIC ECSTASY IN THE HEBREW BIBLE: >Attempts to make a distinction between the “sober” ecstasy of the biblical prophets and the more frantic, or “orgiastic,” ecstasy elsewhere are arbitrary at best. Different types of ecstasy can certainly be recognized and differences between biblical and other accounts can be shown, but no general dividing line between biblical and extrabiblical prophets can be drawn in this respect. > >Many prophets of YHVH, in fact, engage in ecstatic behavior in the Hebrew Bible, making spirit journeys and seeing heavenly things (2 Kgs 5:26; 6:17; Ezek 3:12–15; 8; 11; 37:1–14; 40–8; cf. Paul in 2 Cor. 12:1–5)...No qualitative difference can be made between biblical and extrabiblical, or Israelite and non-Israelite, prophets: “[i]f Ezekiel does not have ecstatic experiences, then we have no criteria to judge that anyone of antiquity had such experiences.” [...] > >The Hebrew root nb’, which derives from the noun nābî’, is not etymologically related to an altered state of consciousness but corresponds to the Semitic root nby that denotes calling or naming...On the other hand, the use of the root nb’ is quite often related to performances implying ecstatic behavior and an altered state of mind. When Samuel prepares Saul for him to meet the prophets of Gebah, he says: “The Spirit of Yahweh (rûăḥ YHWH) will come upon you, and you will prophesy (hitnabbîtā) with them; and you will be changed into a different person” (1 Sam. 10:6). And so it happens: on his way to Gibeah, Saul meets a band of prophets, the spirit of God (rûăḥ ’ĕlohîm) falls upon him and he “prophesies” (yitnabbē’) together with them (v. 10); this gives rise to the saying: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (v. 12). Later on, when Saul sends his men to Ramah to look for David who has escaped Saul’s aggression, they encounter a band of prophets led by Samuel, falling into a prophetic frenzy (yitnabbĕ’û) with them. The same happens to two further commandos sent by Saul, until he himself goes to Ramah and the spirit of God comes upon him and he, once again, “prophesies” before Samuel, strips off his clothes and lies naked all that day and the following night (1 Sam. 19:19–24). The verb hitnabbē’ does not seem to imply any kind of transmission of divine words, but is used for Saul’s ecstatic comportment, which is nevertheless enough for the audience to identify Saul among the prophets. > >While the editors of the Deuteronomistic History incorporate an account of such prophets in their composition without hesitation, it may be debated to what extent Saul’s frantic behavior and his association with the prophetic groups reflects an appreciation of such activity, or rather instigates the prelude of his ultimate failure. Regardless of their attitudes, however, the origin of the prophetic ecstasy is seen in the spirit of God which affects the people’s minds; it can be even an evil spirit sent by God, as the one tormenting Saul when David was playing the lyre to sooth his mind and almost got killed (1 Sam. 18:10–11). In this context, hitnabbē’ does certainly not imply any kind of transmission of divine messages or other interme diary functions but expressly indicates unusual behavior, leaving the reader struggling with the semantic problem of how to relate this kind of “prophesying” to prophesying in general[^1]. > >Saul’s frenzy in 1 Samuel 10 is accompanied by music, perhaps the same way as we have seen musicians of Mari responding to the performances of the prophets. Music, in fact, is several times associated with prophecy in the Hebrew Bible...Two of the five biblical prophetesses are said to strike up a song. Miriam, explicitly designated as a nĕbî’â, takes a drum and, followed by women who dance and beat the drums, she performs the song...Deborah sings her famous song together with Barak son of Abinoam...Two prophets are associated with love songs: Isaiah sings one himself (Isa. 5:1–2), and Ezekiel’s caricature among his people is “no more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful voice and plays an instrument well” (Ezek. 33:32). Elisha calls for a lyre player, and when the musician is playing his instrument, the hand of God comes upon Elisha (that is, he goes into a trance)— and he gives a prophecy sought by the kings of Israel and Judah (2 Kgs 3:13–20). In Chronicles, the descendants of the Levites, Asaph, Heman, and Jedutun, are commissioned to prophesy (hannibbĕ’îm), that is, to sing (šîr), with lyres, harps, and cymbals while performing the temple service; men who had learned this skill are said to be no fewer in number than 288 (1 Chr. 25:1–7). It is most noteworthy that the Levitical singers’ songs of praise to God accompanied by musical instruments are equated to prophesying. While the case of Saul seems to be presented by the narrator as something no longer belonging to the implied reader’s world (cf. 1 Sam. 9:12), the Chronicler’s association of music, prophecy, and temple cult not only corresponds to the Near Eastern evidence but suggests that prophetic inspiration was seen as part and parcel of the cultic performance in the Second Temple of Jerusalem. [...] > >It seems that the ecstatic element of prophecy became problematic along with the scribalization of prophecy and the prophetic ideal during the Second Temple period at the latest. When the authoritative prophetic role was taken over by scribes and wisdom teachers, this happened greatly at the expense of traditional performative culture, which was more or less driven into the margins of society. The word of God was now written down, and the primary prophetic tasks were its study and interpretation. But even this was not done without the inspiration coming from God. (Nissinen, *Ancient Prophecy*, pgs. 183-191) [^1]: This comment seems out of place to me. It seems clear that להתנבא ("speaking in ecstasy" in the new JPS translation) in the Hebrew Bible refers to an altered state of consciousness, often called ecstatic or trance-like, that involves speech or vocalized sounds (and sometimes music), but does not result in a coherent statement of law or some other rational content. If so, then at least for those who used the term this way, the relationship between "speaking in ecstasy" and "prophecy" is that the former is a variety of the later. It also seems likely that the state of mind associated with speaking in ecstasy was understood to be a necessary condition for the other types of prophecy such as coherent pronouncements in the name of God and taking on leadership roles. See [[The Prophetic Practice of the Mitnabot#Additional Examples of התנבאות / Speaking-in-Ecstasy in the Hebrew Bible|these examples of hitnabut in the Hebrew Bible]]