Paper 1 · Prophecy in Israel
An Israelite prophet typically introduced an oracle with the messenger formula 'Thus says the ___', marking the words as a message carried on another's behalf.
Model answer
LORD
Also accepted: Yahweh
Explanation: The formula presents the prophet as a messenger rather than an author, which is why the oracle that follows is spoken in the first person of God and why the prophet's own opinion is not the point.
Derived from ZIMSEC Family and Religious Studies Paper 1, November 2020, Q7