(1.) Hosea (הושע).—Hosea, a contemporary of Isaiah, prophesied about
the sinfulness of the northern kingdom of the ten tribes, and turns his
attention to Judah only in so far as Judah participated in the sins of
Israel, and their consequences.
(a.) Chaps, i. to iii.—In an allegory of a faithless woman and her
three children the sin of the ten tribes is represented, who
faithlessly turned away from the worship of God in Jerusalem. The
consequent three stages of punishment are represented by the names of
the three children: Jezreel, referring to the catastrophe of the house
of Ahab, ending in the death of Jezebel in Jezreel; Lo-ruhama (“Not
pitied”), indicating the fall of the house of Jehu, from which the
mercy of God was withdrawn after it had been shown in the successes of
King Jeroboam II.; and the third, Lo-ami (“Not-my-people”), predicting
the final dissolution of the kingdom. But a time of mercy and Divine
protection is foretold by the prophet when he said in the name of God,
“I will betroth thee unto me for ever; and I will betroth thee unto me
in righteousness and judgment and in loving-kindness and in mercy; and
I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the
Lord; and I will sow them unto me in the land, and I will show mercy to
Lo-ruhama; and I will say to Lo-ami, Thou art my people; and he shall
say, My God” (ii. 21, 22, 25). This happy time, however, will only come
after a period of trial, represented in the allegory by the period of
trial of a faithless woman before the husband has again full confidence
in her. “For many days shall the children of Israel dwell without king,
without prince, without sacrifice, without a statue, and without ephod
and teraphim. After that the children of Israel will return and seek
the Lord their God, and David their king; and they will anxiously
hasten to the Lord and to His goodness in latter days” (iii. 4, 5).
(b.) iv. to viii.—Hosea rebukes Ephraim for their sinfulness and
obstinacy. When an attempt is made at repentance it is not made in
earnest, and is soon abandoned. The sins of Ephraim find imitation in
Judah, and therefore the punishment of Ephraim will also affect Judah.
(c.) ix. to xiv.—The prophet blames Israel for seeking help in their
distress in Egypt or Assyria. He censures their conduct, and contrasts
it with the kindness of God in the course of the history of Israel
since the time of the patriarchs. Samaria must fall, but Israel need
but earnestly return to God, and “he will be like dew to Israel, who
will blossom like the lily, and extend his roots like the cedars of
Lebanon” (xiv. 6); for “straight are the ways of the Lord: whilst the
righteous walk by them, transgressors stumble by them” (Ibid. 10).
(2.) Joel (יואל).—Joel is a contemporary of Isaiah. Locusts have
devastated the fields in Judah. Joel exhorts the people to repentance
and prayer. His exhortation is acted upon, and relief is promised. At
the same time the punishment of the enemies of Israel in the valley of
Jehoshaphat is announced. “The day of the Lord, great and wonderful,”
will be indicated by extraordinary phenomena in heaven and on earth, so
clear that all will understand their significance and foresee the
coming judgment.
(3.) Amos (עמוס)—Amos, a contemporary of the former, prophesied
during the reign of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam, king of
Israel. Amos first mentions in short paragraphs the sinful conduct of
the neighbouring states, Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and
Judah, and the punishment decreed against them, introducing each
paragraph with the words, “For three sins of ... (scil., will I take
back the decree of punishment), but for the fourth, I will not take it
back.” He then dwells on the sins of Israel, laying special stress on
the luxuries of the rich, obtained through oppression of the poor, and
tells them that, though God has frequently pardoned, He will pardon no
more. Amaziah, a priest of Beth-el, warns Amos, and bids him leave the
country, but the prophet, nevertheless, continues to proclaim the
coming judgment of God, viz., the exile of Israel, adding, however, the
comforting prophecy that the time will come when Israel shall be
restored to his own land and enjoy lasting happiness.
(4.) Obadiah (עבדיה).—Obadiah prophesies against the Edomites, and
announces the Divine decree against them for their cruel treatment of
Judah in times of distress.
(5.) Jonah (יונה).—Jonah, son of Amittai, prophesied success to King
Jeroboam II. (2 Kings xiv. 25). He was sent to threaten the inhabitants
of Nineveh with the destruction of their city in forty days. Instead of
going to Nineveh he set out in a boat for Tarshish; during a storm he
was thrown overboard, swallowed by a fish, and again brought to the
shore. He then carried out the Divine mission, the result of which was
that the Ninevites repented of their evil deeds and obtained a respite.
Jonah, disappointed that the threat of which he was the bearer was not
fulfilled, was rebuked by God, and taught by his own grief at the
destruction of a plant “that had come up in a night” how wrong it was
to wish that God should not show mercy upon the inhabitants of Nineveh,
and to neglect anything that could lead to their repentance and
consequent salvation.
(6.) Micah (מיכה).—Micah of Moresha was likewise a contemporary of
Isaiah. He prophesied in Judah.
1. (i.–iii.) He raises his voice especially against the princes,
magistrates, and false prophets, who unite in oppressing and ruining
the people. When Micah tells them their sins and the coming punishment,
they say to him, “Do not preach; they do not preach for such things;
they do not offend” (ii. 6). But the prophet of the Lord is not
deterred from his mission, but continues to denounce their wickedness:
“Her chiefs judge for bribery, and her priests teach for payment, and
her prophets decide for silver; yet will they lean upon the Lord, and
say, Is not the Lord in our midst? no evil shall come upon us.
Therefore shall Zion be plowed into a field, and Jerusalem shall become
heaps, and the mountain of the Temple as the high places of a forest”
(iii. 11, 12).
2. (iv.–v.) Like Isaiah, he depicts the Messianic period, in which the
house of Jacob will be an example of true faith in God to all nations;
in which Israel will be restored to his land, under the rule of a
descendant of David. But a period of trials and troubles must precede
those happy days, in order to punish Israel, and to purify and prepare
him for his future greatness.
3. (vi.–vii.) The same principles are taught in the next part (vi. and
vii.) in the form of a controversy (ריב ליי עם עמו) between the Lord
and His people. The latter are reminded of the benefits God has
bestowed on them; and when they ask how they are expected to show their
gratitude, the prophet says, “O man, He has told thee what is good; and
what does the Lord require of thee but to do justice, love kindness,
and to walk humbly with thy God?” (vi. 8).
(7.) Nahum (נחום).—The fall of Nineveh is predicted. The power of the
mighty Assyrian Empire, hitherto a terror to Judah and other kingdoms,
will come to an end; no remedy can save her any more.
(8.) Habakkuk (חבקוק).—Habakkuk prophesied at the time when the
Casdim or Chaldeans were about to occupy the place of the Assyrians as
conquerors of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, and to become the rod in the
hand of God for the punishment of Israel. Habakkuk, on receiving the
mission to announce the Casdim as the executors of the Divine decree,
is at a loss to understand why these wicked and cruel people should be
chosen to chastise those who are far less wicked; why the evil-doer
should swallow him who is more righteous. The answer he receives is,
“But the just shall live by his faith.” The evil-doer will in due time
receive his full punishment. Habakkuk then gives expression to his
implicit faith in the justice of God, in a hymn which is superscribed,
“Prayer (תפלה) of the prophet Habakkuk on account of errors;” for in
it he rectifies, as it were, his previous groundless doubt.
(9.) Zephaniah (צפניה).—He prophesied in the days of King Josiah. He
proclaims the approach of the great day of the Lord, on which all those
who turned away from Him will receive their punishment, all the rich
and powerful who say the Lord does neither good nor evil. He appeals to
the humble in the land (ענוי ארץ) to seek the Lord in prayer, in
order to be saved on “the day of the anger of the Lord.” For the
Philistines, the Phœnicians, Moab, Ammon, and Assyria will be punished,
nor will Jerusalem escape free. “I will then turn,” he says in the name
of God, “a pure language to the nations, that all of them will call by
the name of God, and serve Him with one accord” (iii. 9). “In that day
shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings wherein thou hast
transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of
thee them that rejoice in thy pride, and thou shalt no more be haughty
on my holy mountain. And I will leave in thy midst a poor and humble
people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of
Israel shall not do iniquity, and they shall not speak falsehood, and a
tongue of deceit shall not be found in their mouth” (iii. 9, 11–13).
(10.) Haggai (חגי)—The Israelites, who by the command of Cyrus had
discontinued the rebuilding of the Temple after the foundation had been
laid by his permission, were exhorted by Haggai, in the second year of
the reign of Darius, to resume the work. Guided by Zerubbabel and
Joshua, son of Jehozadak, they obeyed, and the prophet describes to
them the blessing which they will henceforth enjoy.
(11.) Zechariah (זכריה):—
1. (i. to vii.) Zechariah, a contemporary of Haggai, exhorts the
Israelites to listen to the words of the prophets, seeing that the
words of former prophets have been fulfilled. The Divine scheme for the
restoration of Israel and the rebuilding of the Temple in spite of all
obstacles, is shown to the prophet in various visions. In one vision
Joshua is appointed high-priest, notwithstanding the aspersions of his
adversary (השטן), and Zerubbabel or Zemach, the political chief of
the community. Joshua is exhorted “to walk in the ways of the Lord, to
keep the charge entrusted to him, and to guard the House of God and His
courts;” and Zerubbabel is reminded that success is not obtained “by
might and strength, but by the spirit of the Lord.” “Thus the
one—Zemach by name—shall sit on his throne and be ruler, and the
other—Joshua—shall sit on his throne and be priest, and a counsel of
peace shall be between the two” (vi. 13).
2. Chap. viii.—The prophet is asked whether the day of mourning in the
fifth month is to be continued. The prophetic answer is as follows: The
reason for the mourning was, that your fathers did not listen to the
word of God, and were punished for their disobedience. Now, as the time
of punishment is over, it is for you to prevent a recurrence of these
sad experiences. What you have to do is this: Speak the truth one to
another; truth and judgment of peace judge in your gates. Let no one
plan in his heart the ruin of his neighbour, and do not love to swear
falsely. Let the fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh, and tenth months
be to the house of Judah for rejoicing, joy, and good seasons; love
truth and peace (viii. 16, 17, 19). At the same time the promise is
given that the time will come when nations will seek the Lord in
Jerusalem, and say to the Jews, “We will go with you, for God is with
you” (viii. 23).
3. (ix.–xi.) The prophet encourages Zion to rejoice in her future
mission; her enemies round about will be brought to silence, and her
king, meek and humble, “poor and riding on an ass,” “will speak peace
to the nations, and his rule will extend from sea to sea, and from the
river to the ends of the earth” (ix. 9, 10). Judah and Ephraim will
unite, and both will enjoy the Divine protection. If this has not yet
taken place, it is the fault of the “bad shepherds,” i.e., the bad
leaders of the people.
4. (xii.–xiv.) The prophet foretells troubles which will come upon
Jerusalem when the nations will make the last effort to take that city.
They will be defeated, and Judah will be filled on that occasion with
“a spirit of grace” (רוח חן ותחנונים), and will pray to God for the
safety of his enemy; the very Jews, “whom the enemy desired to pierce,”
will pray for him, and mourn for his death as a father mourneth for the
loss of his only child. Judah will then be free from false prophets and
bad shepherds. God will make Himself known to all: “And the Lord will
be a King over the whole earth; on that day will the Lord be One and
His name One” (xiv. 9). All will come to Jerusalem “to worship the
King, the Lord Zebaoth, and to celebrate the feast of Succoth” (Ibid.
16), expressing thereby their conviction that God alone is able to
afford protection and blessing.
(12.) Malachi (מלאכי).—Malachi, the last of the prophets, exhorts the
priests to true reverence of the sanctuary, and to conscientious
fulfilment of their duties. The distinction of the priest was based on
the distinction of his conduct: “The law of truth was in his mouth, and
iniquity was not found on his lips; in peace and uprightness he walked
with me, and many turned he back from iniquity. For the lips of the
priest shall keep knowledge, and instruction shall they seek of his
mouth, for he is a messenger of the Lord Zebaoth” (ii. 6, 7). Judah is
then rebuked for his faithlessness. Both, the Levites (including the
priests) and Judah, will pass through a process of refining; the wicked
will be removed, whilst for “those who fear the name of God” the sun of
salvation will shine. Those who desire to obtain a place among these
latter must “remember the law of Moses, the servant of God, which God
commanded him on Horeb for all Israel; statutes and judgments” (iii.
22). Before the great day of the Lord, the day of judgment, the Lord
will send “the prophet Elijah, who will cause the hearts of fathers and
children to unite in returning to God.”