Pemikiran Yahudi Amos 7:12: Derashot HaRan

G-d forbid that this be the hire of the prophet! My understanding of it is that because the spirit of prophecy does not come from G-d to the prophet of itself, but he must solicit it. It cannot be attained unless he suppresses all of his natural forces so that the soul may isolate itself for communion with that ethereal spirit. Now nature militates against this, so that in its time of nourishment it is impossible for the soul to achieve the requisite solitude under the stress of rebelling nature. For this reason the prophet must receive something pacifying to nature so that it "consents" to this solitude and leaves off its oppression, a kind of "giving the devil its due." This seems to have been a common practice among the prophets, so much so that Amatziah said to Amos (Amos 7:12): "Prophet, go. Flee to the land of Judah and eat bread there, and prophesy there." That is, take gifts for the purpose of prophesying. (55)And this explains how the false prophets could have found so much place for their lies as to take the hire of their prophecy in public, as it is written (Micah 2:11): "If a man walking in wind and falsehood would lie, saying: 'I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,' he would even be the preacher of this people." If the true prophets did not follow this practice, then the greed and falsity of the false prophets would be transparent. (But let us leave this now, for it is not really in place here. In point of its strangeness, however, I felt that it warranted some comment.)