Prophets: The Second Section of the Jewish Bible

In the Jewish tradition, the Bible is arranged in three sections, the Torah (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi’im), and the Writings (Ketuvim). The second section, Nevi’im, has two distinct parts: the Former Prophets, which consist of prose narrative chronicling the history of the people of Israel from their entry into Canaan to the fall of the kingdom of Judah, and the Latter Prophets, also called the classical prophets, consisting of collections of oracles and rhetoric attributed to individual seers.

The Former Prophets comprise the books of Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, and 1 and 2 Kings. (In most Christian Bibles, these are grouped with the Historical Books, not the Prophetic Books.) These works, sometimes referred to collectively by scholars as the Deuteronomistic History, take up the story of the Israelites from the end of Deuteronomy, when Moses dies, having transferred leadership to Joshua. In the book of Joshua, Joshua leads the Israelites into Canaan, where they conquer the native population and settle the land. The book of Judges describes events from after the death of Joshua to the first inklings of the monarchy that would unite the people of Israel more cohesively than had the earlier loose confederation of tribes. The books of Samuel and Kings chronicle the rise and establishment of the monarchy, its division into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah, and the history of the monarchs of both kingdoms, until the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel by Assyria (722–720 BCE) and, later, the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians (586 BCE).

The books of the Latter Prophets represent an entirely different literary genre, distinctive to the Hebrew Bible. Unlike ancient Near Eastern prophetic oracles and the stories about earlier prophets in the books of Samuel and Kings, classical prophetic books include many poetic or highly rhetorical prophecies, addressed to the public at large (not only the leaders). They tend to present a broad view of history and of God’s plan for the future. These prophecies generally censure the people for the sins of idolatry and social injustice and warn them that Israel will be destroyed if they fail to change their behavior. But there are also prophecies of comfort that envision an eventual return to the covenantal relationship between God and Israel. Prophets also tell of their visions, which are often symbolic, and recount experiences that bear upon their messages.