- published: 09 Dec 2014
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Nevi'im (Hebrew: נְבִיאִים Nəḇî'îm, "Prophets") is a division (i.e., a group of books) of the Hebrew Bible. It derives its name from the belief that they were written by men (the prophets) who acted and spoke under direct inspiration from God. There are two sub-groupings within the larger group: the Former Prophets or Nevi'im Rishonim נביאים ראשונים, the narrative books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings; and the Latter Prophets or Nevi'im Aharonim נביאים אחרונים, the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel and the Twelve Minor Prophets. (The book of the prophet Daniel falls outside this division). Together the two groups form the second main division of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, between the Torah (teachings) and Ketuvim (writings).
Prophets were distinguished by the power to make pronouncements directly from God, as in the phrase "Thus saith the Lord". Their pronouncements were often warnings and judgments about current events and predictions about how these situations would end, as well as injunctions to repentance and faith in God in the face of present circumstances. The prophets acted as well as spoke on God's instructions, as in Elijah calling down fire from Heaven, or Hosea taking a wanton wife to show God's devotion to faithless Israel. Many of the writings of the Latter Prophets are thought by scholars to be older than the narratives of the Former Prophets which precede them in the canon, and were profoundly influential on the direction and development of Hebrew religion. The Latter Prophets have also had a wide influenced on literature and on political and social activism in cultures outside of Judaism.