Among the kindred races, the ancient Arabs and even their modern descendants, sheikswere and are found with the ability to give such counsel as Saul expected to receive from Samuel (Wellhausen, "Reste Arabischen Heidentums," 2d ed., pp.135, 136 "Z.D.P.V."1889). â≌ritical View:Ĭomparison of the foregoing passages makes it plain that the seer in primitive time passed, and perhaps with good reason, for a clairvoyant. As for the prophets that "see vanity" and that "divine lies" ("see lies" in Ezekiel 13:8), God's hand will be against them ( Ezekiel 13:9 comp. In Micah the seers are quoted in one breath with the diviners (Mic. 29:10) all "vision" is become as a sealed book. The ro'im are called the heads, while the nebi'im are called the eyes of the people ( ib. The title (in the plural "ḥozim" = "seers") occurs in parallelism with "prophets" ("ro'im" Isaiah 30:10). 29:30).Īs the seer is a ḥozeh, his written "visions" are called "ḥazot" ( 2 Chronicles 9:29). Heman is another denominated "the king's seer," with the addition of the qualifying phrase "in the words of God" ( 1 Chronicles 25:5), as are also Jeduthun ( 2 Chronicles 35:15), Iddo (Hebr. A synonym, or, likewise is translated "the seer." Gad is known as such a "ḥozeh" ( 1 Chronicles 29:29), more especially as the ḥozeh of David ( ib. Samuel more especially is designated as "the seer" ( 1 Samuel 9:11,18,19 I.
The seer was an "ish Elohim," a man of God, and for a remuneration, as would appear from the story of Saul in quest of his father's asses ( 1 Samuel 9:3 et seq.), acted as intermediary between Yhwh and those that came to "inquire of him." In other words, he would consult Yhwh and give directions accordingly. Rendering in the English versions of the Hebrew, which in 1 Samuel 9:9 is reported to have been the old popular designation for the later ("prophet").