Elders perhaps giving time to returning prophet (5)
I believe the answer is:
trees
'elders perhaps' is the definition.
(elder is a kind of tree)
'giving time to returning prophet' is the wordplay.
'giving' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'time' becomes 't'.
'to returning' is a reversal indicator.
'prophet' becomes 'seer' (I've seen this before).
'seer' backwards is 'rees'.
't'+'rees' is 'TREES'.
(Other definitions for trees that I've seen before include "Steer into the plants" , "Components of forest" , "Elms, pines etc" , "Tall, perennial, woody plant" , "Elders perhaps" .)