The Hebrew prophetic perfect is a remarkable grammatical feature found in Hebrew scripture. It involves a speaker using the past tense (the “perfect” aspect) to describe a future event (thus, “prophetic”). This conveys such certainty in the event’s occurrence that it’s as if it has already happened. While this might appear to be a mere linguistic detail, it can significantly enhance our understanding of the immense faith held by the prophets in the scriptures.
Let’s delve into some scriptural examples to better grasp this concept.
First, let’s consider a classic scripture often cited during the Christmas season. In Isaiah 9.6, Isaiah proclaims, “for unto us a child is born.” It’s important to remember that Isaiah penned these words over 600 years before Christ’s birth! His unwavering certainty in the prophecy’s fulfillment led him to use the past tense.
The Book of Mormon also offers examples of the Hebrew prophetic perfect. In 1 Nephi 5.5, after acquiring the plates of brass from Laban, Lehi declares, “I have obtained a land of promise.” Though Lehi and his family were journeying through the desert near Jerusalem, years away from boarding a ship to the promised land, he spoke as if they had already arrived.
In addition to providing intriguing scriptures for analysis, these examples also support the Hebraic roots of the Book of Mormon peoples.
Take a look at this list of other examples of the Hebrew prophetic perfect I’ve found, and try to find some of your own!
Examples
- Isaiah 9.6 (quoted in 2 Nephi 19.6) - Isaiah foretells the birth of Christ
- Isaiah 21.9 - prophecy of Babylon’s fall
- [[Jeremiah 31.15]] (quoted in Matthew 2.18) - Jeremiah prophesies of Israel’s suffering
- 1 Nephi 5.5 - Lehi says “I have obtained a land of promise” while in the desert
- 1 Nephi 21.8 - the Lord tells the isles of the sea that he has saved them
- Mosiah 14.4-9 - Prophecies of Christ’s sufferings