What is the difference between a man of God and a prophet?

Question

1 Kings 13:1 Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.

1 Kings 13:11 Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD

Answer 1

"Man of God" is frequently used as a synonym for "prophet, for example:

• Moses: Deut 33:1, 1 Chron 23:14, 2 Chron 30:16
• David: Neh 12:36
• Elijah: 1 Kings 17:24
• Elishah: 2 Kings 4:25, 42, 6:10, 8:2
• Shemaiah: 1 Kings 12:22, 2 Chron 11:2
• Unnamed prophet: 1 Kings 13:1, 14, 21

In the NT, "man of God" is used in a broader sense of an apostle or anyone working to preach the Gospel, 1 Tim 6:11, 2 Tim 3:17. While these two (only) statements were addressed to Timothy, the wording suggests a more general application.

Answer 2

1 Samuel 2:27-36 Here we have an unnamed "man of God" giving a prophecy of doom to Eli who is the high priest. This had been a dry period in the history of the Hebrew people where the people had rejected God, God had not been communicating to them, and the priesthood was corrupt as a result of Eli's two sons who "knew not the Lord" 1 Samuel 2:12.

Now this unnamed "man of God" appears on the scene for a specific message for a specific amount of time. I feel the only subtle difference between the two terms "man of God" and "prophet" is their length of service. For example, in this Biblical example, a "man of God" was called upon for a one time message from God. Prophets, on the other hand, serve a longer period of time and are spokespersons for God on many occasions. Both groups of men are called upon by God and did not volunteer for this position. They were chosen.