Former Prophets

Scope and Content

The Former Prophets are the books grouped together in the Hebrew Bible as the "earlier prophets." They comprise Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel, and 1 Kings and 2 Kings. Because the Hebrew Bible counts Samuel and Kings as one book each, the collection traditionally numbers four books.

The narrative opens with Israel crossing the Jordan River and entering Canaan (Joshua 1). It then traces in sequence the period of the judges, the beginning of the monarchy, the reigns of David and Solomon, the division of the kingdom, and the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel and of Judah. The final scene describes the release from prison of King Jehoiachin, who had been carried away to Babylon (2 Kings 25:27-30).

Name and Background

The Hebrew Bible is divided into three parts: the Law (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi'im), and the Writings (Ketuvim). The Prophets are further divided into the Former Prophets and the Latter Prophets. The Latter Prophets include Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor Prophets. The terms "former" and "latter" refer to the order in which the books appear within the canon.

Two reasons are generally given for classifying these historical narratives among the Prophets:

• Prophets such as Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, and Elisha play important roles in the narrative.
• The books consistently interpret history in light of the word of God.

The Jewish Talmud also preserves a tradition concerning authorship: Joshua wrote the book of Joshua, Samuel wrote Judges and Samuel, and Jeremiah wrote Kings.

Christian Bibles inherited the arrangement of the Greek translation known as the Septuagint. They therefore classify these books, together with Ruth, 1 Chronicles, and others, among the historical books. This is why the category "Former Prophets" does not appear in the table of contents of Protestant Bibles.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The Former Prophets continue the story of the Pentateuch. They address whether Israel remained faithful to the covenant in the land God had given, and a recurring pattern appears: obedience brings blessing, while idolatry brings judgment. The promise given to the Davidic dynasty (2 Samuel 7) is an important root of messianic expectation.

The New Testament draws on the people and events of these books in many places:

• Jesus cited the stories of the widow of Zarephath and Naaman (Luke 4:25-27).
• Hebrews 11:32 names Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel as people of faith.
• Paul's sermon at Pisidian Antioch summarizes the history from the period of the judges to David (Acts 13:17-22).

Interpretation and Debate

In 1943 the German Old Testament scholar Martin Noth proposed the so-called "Deuteronomistic History" hypothesis. According to this view, Deuteronomy and the Former Prophets were compiled into a single historical work shaped by the theological perspective of Deuteronomy. The hypothesis has been widely discussed in critical scholarship, which dates the final redaction to the period surrounding the Babylonian exile.

Conservative evangelical scholars take a different position. Even when they acknowledge that an editorial process took place, they tend to emphasize the historicity and inspiration of the record. The authorship tradition recorded in the Talmud is not stated in the biblical text itself and is regarded as a later tradition.

In the Korean Church

The Korean church commonly teaches the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament in five divisions: the Law, the Historical Books, the Poetic Books, the Major Prophets, and the Minor Prophets. These books are therefore usually called "historical books." The term "Former Prophets" is used mainly in seminary Old Testament introductions and Bible study materials when explaining the divisions of the Hebrew Bible.