der Prophet
prophet
In a religion, a person regarded as a proclaimer of divine will or as a messenger of God.
EXAMPLE
Im Christentum gilt Johannes der Täufer als ein Prophet.
In Christianity, John the Baptist is regarded as a prophet.
der Prophet
prophet
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Meanings
der Prophet
prophet
A person who predicts or correctly assesses future events or developments, often in a non-religious context.
EXAMPLE
In den 1980er Jahren war er ein Prophet der digitalen Revolution.
In the 1980s, he was a prophet of the digital revolution.
Usage tips
Special declension
'Der Prophet' (the prophet) is a noun of the N-declension. This means that it takes the ending '-en' in all cases except the nominative singular ('dem Propheten', 'den Propheten').
EXAMPLE
Die Leute glaubten den Worten des Propheten.
The people believed the words of the prophet.
Word family
'Der Prophet' (the prophet) belongs to a word family with the verb 'prophezeien' (to predict/prophesy something) and the noun 'die Prophezeiung' (the prophecy/prediction itself).
EXAMPLE
Niemand konnte prophezeien, dass dies geschehen würde.
No one could predict that this would happen.
Sentence structure
In the figurative meaning, the genitive or the preposition 'von' (of/about) is often used to specify the area in which someone is a visionary thinker. For example, someone can be a prophet of 'der Digitalisierung' (digitalization) or 'des Wandels' (change).
EXAMPLE
Er galt als Prophet einer neuen Wirtschaftsordnung.
He was regarded as the prophet of a new economic order.
Compare with
Prophet vs Orakel
oracle
A Prophet proclaims the divine will as a religious messenger. An Orakel, by contrast, is typically asked for advice or a prophecy and then gives an answer. The key difference is whether someone proclaims a message or responds to a request.
Prophet
Der Prophet verkündete dem Volk eine Warnung Gottes.
The prophet proclaimed a warning from God to the people.
Orakel
Das Orakel gab dem Volk auf seine Frage eine warnende Antwort der Götter.
In response to the people’s question, the oracle gave them a warning from the gods.
In real life
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