Within the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), there are numerous prophetic books that are named after Israelite and Judean men who were prophets: from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel to Amos, Hosea, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zechariah. However, there are no prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible that are named after women. None. To be sure, there are two books of the Hebrew Bible that are named after women, Ruth and Esther (in the Ketuvim of the Hebrew Bible). But these two women are not referred to in Holy Writ as prophets.
But there is more to this story than is apparent from the Bible's table of contents: there were women prophets. The standard term for a male "prophet" in the Hebrew Bible is navi (Hebrew: nby'). It is used more than one-hundred and fifty times. The semantic domain for the Hebrew words for "prophet," "prophecy," and "prophesy" revolves around English words such "proclaim," "call out," "called," "inform," "announce," "announcement." Significantly, there is a term in the Hebrew Bible for a female "prophet," from the same Hebrew root as the word for a male "prophet." It is neviah (Hebrew: nby'h), and it is accurately rendered into English as "prophet," or better yet, "prophetess." In Hebrew, feminine nouns are normally marked for gender. That is the case with the word neviah. Thus, the only real difference between the Hebrew words navi and neviah is that the latter is marked for gender (the -ah at the end of the Hebrew word is the feminine marker). Significantly, the word prophetess (neviah) is used of several women in the Bible, some named, some not. But the word is used nonetheless.
Isaiah the son of Amoz is often considered to be among the greatest of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to the superscription of the book, he was active (as a prophetic figure) in Jerusalem during the reigns of the Judean kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Isa 1:1). Isaiah's prophetic call (Isa 6) occurred in the Jerusalem Temple "in the year that King Uzziah died" (ca. 742 BCE). Isaiah seems to have been particularly concerned about major religio-politico events of his day, including 'the Syro-Ephraimite War' of Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel (735-732 BCE) against Judean King Ahaz (Isa 7; cf. 2 Kgs 16) and the Neo-Assyrian King Sennacherib's siege of Judah (701 BCE) during the reign of Judean King Hezekiah (Isa 36-37; 2 Kgs 18-19). We are also told about the emissaries of the Babylonian King Merodach-Baladan (Akkadian: Marduk-apla-iddina) who were sent to King Hezekiah at the time of his (Hezekiah's) recovery from a serious illness (Isa 39). In addition, the book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah's sons named Shaar-Yashuv (Isa 7:3) and Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (Isa 8:1-3). Thus, we know a fair amount about Isaiah, from the names of the kings during whose reigns he prophesied, to the name of his father and the names of two of his sons. We do not know, however, the name of his wife. But we do know that she was a prophetess, a neviah (Isa 8:3) She receives woefully little Schrift in the Bible, but a prophetess she was! And she was not alone.
The year was 622 BCE. 'It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.' Josiah reigned in Ancient Judah. Josiah's grandfather (Manasseh) had reigned in Judah for fifty-five years (r. 687-642 BCE). According to the writers of biblical books of Kings, Manasseh was wicked and "he did evil in the eyes of the LORD, the abominations of the nations which the LORD had driven out from Israel. He built again the high-places which his father Hezekiah had destroyed. And he erected altars for Ba'al, and he made an Asherah, just as King Ahab of Israel had done" (2 Kgs 21:2-3). Josiah's father (Amon) reigned just two years (642-640 BCE), and was then assassinated (2 Kgs 21:23). Josiah came to the throne at the age of eight (in 640 BCE), and according to the books of Kings and Chronicles, he was a great religious reformer, "doing that which was right in the eyes of the LORD" (2 Kgs 22:2; 2 Chr 34:2). There may be some differences in Kings and Chronicles regarding the timing of Josiah's reforms (as has often been contended), but the books of Kings and Chronicles are unequivocal in declaring that Hilkiah the High Priest found a copy of "the Book of the Law" during the eighteenth year of Josiah's reign (i.e., 622 BCE). And particularly striking is the fact that both Kings and Chronicles are also unequivocal in stating that King Josiah commanded that this "Book of the Law" be brought to Huldah the Prophetess (2 Kgs 22:13-14; 2 Chr 34:21-22), a neviah.
The details of the narrative-setting are remarkable and deserve reiteration. After finding "the Book of the Law" in the Jerusalem Temple, Hilkiah the High Priest gave it to Shaphan the Scribe, and Shaphan read the book to King Josiah. Then King Josiah commanded his entire entourage of high officials to take "the Book of the Law" to Huldah for interpretation. And the king's high officials, consisting of the High Priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan the Scribe, and Asaiah the Eved Ha-Melek (a Hebrew term for a very high official) did as the king has ordered. At that point, Huldah the Prophetess confirmed King Josiah's worst fears: God would soon bring disaster upon Judah for its religious apostasies, the worship of Ba'al and Asherah, and all the Host of Heaven. Huldah also declared that Josiah himself would not live to see this disaster, but rather he would die in peace (2 Kgs 22:14-20; cf. 23:1-27). Josiah had a fairly long reign (ca. 31 years), although he died in a battle against Pharaoh Neco II near the city of Megiddo (2 Kgs 23:29). Most impressive from my perspective, however, is the fact that Huldah the Prophetess was considered so gifted a Yahwistic prophetess that the highest officials of the entire Kingdom of Judah (all of whom were male) were commanded to bring "the Book of the Law" from the Jerusalem Temple to her for interpretation. And interpret it the Prophetess Huldah did!
Finally, it should also be emphasized that the term "prophetess" is used of additional figures in the Hebrew Bible: Miriam the sister of Moses (Exod 15:20), Deborah the warrior and judge (Judges 4:4), and Nehemiah's nemesis Noadiah (Neh 6:14). In short, although most of the prophets of the Hebrew Bible were men, five women are referred to as prophets as well: Isaiah's wife, Huldah, Noadiah, Miriam, and Deborah.
Noteworthy also is the fact that the term "prophet" (Greek: profētis, a feminine noun meaning "prophetess") and the verb "prophesy" (Greek: profēteuō) are used of women in the New Testament. According to the book of Acts, for example, Philip "the Deacon" (Acts 6) "had four unmarried daughters who could prophesy" (Acts 21:9). Similarly, in a letter of the Paul, he presupposes that women were capable of prophesying (1 Cor 11:5). True, Paul states that women must not prophesy with their heads "uncovered," but the fact remains that Paul considered it perfectly acceptable for women to prophesy. Moreover, in one of the most touching of all the New Testament narratives, Joseph and Mary are said to have brought Jesus to the Jerusalem Temple to be named and circumcised, and it was there that they met the Prophetess Anna (Luke 2:36).
In short, both the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament refer to women prophets. Certainly, there have long been, and will long be, debates about the precise nature of the terms "prophesy," "prophecy," "prophet," and "prophetess" in the Bible and the ancient Near East (e.g., in ancient Mesopotamian and Egypt texts, as well as epigraphic texts from the ancient Levant). Moreover, there have long been, and will long be, debates about the historicity of the narratives about prophetic figures in the Bible and the ancient Near East. That is fine. Let all those debates continue. But about the fact that certain biblical texts presuppose that there were women prophets, there can be no debate. There were women prophets in ancient Israel and in Early Christianity. And the term that is used in Hebrew and in Greek for women prophets is the same as the term used for men prophets, with the only difference being the marker of gender that is a linguistic component of these ancient languages. That's impressive and important.
Some final musings. Women were often marginalized in the ancient world, including the biblical world, and even within the Bible itself. And women are often marginalized in the modern world. This marginalization has at times occurred, and continues to occur, in some religious contexts and in some religious traditions. As for me, therefore, I would emphasize that there are references to women prophets in the Bible, that is, prophetesses. These are powerful and impressive biblical facts about powerful and impressive women. And I'd like to see those texts emphasized a great deal more in the modern religious world. Of course, it is true that some religious traditions do emphasize such texts, but it is also true that many do not. Therefore, let us make a concerted effort always to remember the oft-forgotten prophetesses of the Bible, some whose names we know, some whose names we never will. But let's do our part to remember, and then also to reflect on, the important implications thereof.