Assuming Female Prophetess
Acts 21:9 (NASB)
9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses.
Here the NASB translates this verse saying that the four virgin daughters of Philip the evangelist were prophetesses. This is an assumption based on the fact that these girls prophesied. The problem with this is that the theologians translating this verse are unaware of the simple gift of prophecy of exhortation and comfort that is commonly exercised by women in the church. This gift however is not the same as the Fivefold ministry gift of a prophet which is held by a man born with this gift. The Fivefold Ministry Gift of prophet is a gift that typically exposes sin in the church and produces the fruit of fear of the Lord and holiness among the congregation. This ministry gift may also operate in the word of wisdom to tell future events. This is in no way related to the simple gift of prophecy for exhortation and comfort and someone operating in the simple gift of prophecy is not a prophet.
See my teaching lessons called “Fivefold Ministry” and “Spiritual Gifts” for more details.
The problem here is that the NASB translators assumed these girls must be prophetesses (the feminine form of a prophet) because these girls prophesied. But their prophesying was merely the exercising of the simple gift of prophecy for exhortation and comfort. The NASB translators were not aware that there are no more female prophetesses under the New Testament era.
Under the Old Testament era there were six women listed as prophetesses. These were:
1. Miriam [Exodus 15:20]
2. Deborah [Judges 4:4]
3. Huldah [2 Kings 22:14]
4. Noadiah [Nehemiah 6:14]
5. Isaiah’s wife [Isaiah 8:3]
6. Anna [Luke 2:36]
Anna was the last female prophetess under the Old Testament era and she lived just prior to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus that occurred when he was about 30 years of age. She was of great age when she saw the infant Jesus when he was brought to the temple at 8-days old to be circumcised in fulfillment of the Law of Moses. She would not likely have been able to survive to see the beginning of the ministry of Jesus which began three decades later. In fact, the beginning of the New Testament era is marked by the time when John began his preaching ministry which prepared the way for Jesus.
Luke 16:16 (NASB)
16 “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
Jesus said that the Law and the Prophets (representing the Old Testament) were proclaimed until John and since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God is preached. It is the preaching of John the Baptist that marked the end of the Old Testament era. John’s preaching announced the beginning of the New Testament era and this is the time when Jesus began His New Testament ministry on earth.
God has done something different under the New Testament era because after this time there were no more female prophets in the bible. God was finished with the passivity of men and from this time forward (after the preaching of John) all prophets have been male just as all of the Fivefold Ministry Gifts are also male. The four virgin daughters of Philip (under the New Testament era) were not prophetesses but only exercised the simple gift of prophecy for exhortation and comfort.
See the link “Spiritual Gifts” for more details.
It is a better translation to say that the four virgin daughters prophesied but not to assume they were prophetesses.
Acts 21:9 (KJV)
9 And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.
Acts 21:9 (NKJV)
9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.
Acts 21:9 (NIV)
9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
The translations above are more accurate stating that these virgins prophesied (meaning the simple gift of prophecy for exhortation and comfort) but not assuming they are prophetesses which is a “spiritual office” that is not part of the New Testament era.
Theologians who do not understand about spiritual things will typically miss details like this and will commonly insert their own assumptions into the bible through the use of their “incorrect” choice of words.