Editing Nevi'im (section)

== Synopsis ==
The Jewish tradition counts eight books in ''Nevi'im'' out of twenty-four books in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. There are four books of the Former Prophets, including Joshua and Judges, and the collected ''[[Books of Samuel]]'' and ''[[Books of Kings]]'' are each counted as one book.  Among the four books of the Latter Prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel account for three books, followed by the "Twelve" ({{langx|tmr|תְּרֵי־עֲשַׂר|təreˁsar}}:<ref>{{cite web |title=The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon |url=https://cal.huc.edu/oneentry.php?lemma=try%40%28sr%20b&cits=all |website=cal.huc.edu}}</ref> Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi), which is counted as a single book.

The [[development of the Hebrew Bible canon]] placed the [[Book of Daniel]] as part of the "Writings," or ''[[Ketuvim]]'', rather than ''Nevi'im'',{{Efn | In the various Christian Bibles for Protestants, Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, there are deviations and exceptions to this order: The prophets are placed in the final section (following the writings) of the Hebrew Bible text.  The major prophets (''[[Book of Isaiah]]'', ''[[Book of Jeremiah]]'' and ''[[Book of Ezekiel]]'') are followed by ''[[Book of Daniel]]'' due to its prophetic nature according to common Christian theology.<ref>{{Citation | last = Coogan | first = Michael D | title = A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2009 | pages = 8–9}}.</ref><ref>{{Citation | contribution = The Making of the Old Testament Canon | first = Lou H | last = Silberman | title = The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible | publisher = Abingdon Press | place = Nashville | orig-year = 1971 | year = 1991 | page = 1209}}.</ref>}} in distinction to the later approach of the various Christian Bibles for Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox, in which Daniel is found among the Prophets, due to its prophetic nature according to common Christian theology.{{Efn | Roman Catholic Bibles also place [[additions to Daniel]] here, and the Eastern Orthodox Church includes additions to Daniel, plus 4 Maccabees following Malachi in its Bible canon. The ordering of the twelve minor prophets, however, which is roughly chronological, is the same for all three Christian traditions.<ref>{{Citation | last = Coogan | first = Michael D | title = A Brief Introduction to the Old Testament | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2009 | pages = 8–9}}.</ref><ref>{{Citation | contribution = The Making of the Old Testament Canon | first = Lou H | last = Silberman | title = The Interpreter's One-Volume Commentary on the Bible | publisher = Abingdon Press | place = Nashville | orig-year = 1971 | year = 1991 | page = 1209}}.</ref>}}
 
In the [[Jewish liturgy]], a series of selections from the Nevi'im is publicly read or sung aloud inside the [[synagogue]] as part of Jewish religious practice. The [[haftara]] follows the [[Torah reading]] on [[Shabbat]] and on [[Jewish holidays]] and [[ta'anit|fast days]]. The haftara readings do not contain the whole text of the Nevi‘im; they are selections.

===Former Prophets===
{{further|Deuteronomist#Deuteronomistic history}}
The Former Prophets are the books Joshua, Judges, 1st & 2nd Samuel, and 1st & 2nd Kings. They contain historical narratives that begin immediately after the death of Moses with the divine appointment of Joshua as his successor, who then leads the people of Israel into the Promised Land, and end with the release from imprisonment of the last king of Judah. Treating Samuel and Kings as single books, they cover:
# Joshua's conquest of the land of Canaan (in the [[Book of Joshua]]), 
# the struggle of the people to possess the land (in the [[Book of Judges]]), 
# the people's request to God to give them a king so that they can occupy the land in the face of their enemies (in the books of 1st and 2nd [[Samuel]])
# the possession of the land under the divinely-appointed kings of the House of David, ending in conquest and foreign exile (1st and 2nd Kings)
The reference to the "former prophets" or "earlier prophets" in [[Zechariah 1#Preface (1:1–6)|Zechariah 1]]:4 probably includes "the whole body of prophets" prior to the post-exilic period when [[Haggai]] and [[Zechariah (Hebrew prophet)|Zechariah]] were active.<ref>[[T. T. Perowne|Perowne, T. T.]], (1890), [https://biblehub.com/commentaries/cambridge/zechariah/1.htm Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges] on Zechariah 1, accessed on 27 December 2024</ref>

====Joshua====
The [[Book of Joshua]]  (''Yehoshua'' יהושע) contains a history of the [[Israelites]] from the death of [[Moses]] to that of [[Joshua]]. After Moses' death, Joshua, by virtue of his previous appointment as Moses' successor, receives from God the command to cross the Jordan. In execution of this order Joshua issues the requisite instructions to the stewards of the people for the crossing of the Jordan; and he reminds the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half of Manasseh of their pledge given to Moses to help their brethren. He also performs miracles, or magic, such as stopping the sun and moon, and stopping the Jordan river.

The book essentially consists of three parts:
# The history of the conquest of the land (1–12).
# The allotment of the land to the different tribes, with the appointment of cities of refuge, the provision for the Levites (13–22), and the dismissal of the eastern tribes to their homes.
# The farewell addresses of Joshua, with an account of his death (23, 24).

====Judges====
The [[Book of Judges]] (''Shoftim'' שופטים) consists of three distinct parts:
#The Introduction (1:1–3:10 and 3:12) giving a summary of the book of Joshua.
#The Main Text (3:11–16:31), discussing the five Great Judges, [[Abimelech (Judges)|Abimelech]], and providing glosses for a few minor Judges.
#The Appendices (17:1–21:25), giving two stories set in the time of the Judges, but not discussing the Judges themselves.

====Samuel====
The [[Books of Samuel]] (''Shmu'el'' שמואל) consists of five parts:
* The period of [[Tetragrammaton|God]]'s rejection of [[Eli (biblical figure)|Eli]], [[Samuel]]'s birth, and subsequent judgment (1 Samuel 1:1–7:17).
* The period of the life of [[Saul]] prior to meeting [[David]] (1 Samuel 8:1–15:35).
* The period of Saul's interaction with David (1 Samuel 16:1 – 2 Samuel 1:27).
* The period of David's reign and the rebellions he suffers (2 Samuel 2:1–20:22).
* An appendix of material concerning David in no particular order, and out of sequence with the rest of the text (2 Samuel 22:1–24:25).

A conclusion of sorts appears at [[1 Kings]] 1–2, concerning [[Solomon]] enacting a final revenge on those who did what David perceived as wrongdoing, and having a similar narrative style. While the subject matter in the Book(s) of Samuel is also covered by the narrative in [[Books of Chronicles|Chronicles]], it is noticeable that the section (2 Sam. 11:2–12:29) containing an account of the matter of [[Bathsheba]] is omitted in the corresponding passage in 1 Chr. 20.

====Kings====
The [[Books of Kings]] (''Melakhim'' {{lang|he|מלכים}}) contain accounts of the kings of the ancient [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]] and the [[Kingdom of Judah]], and the [[annals]] of the Jewish commonwealth from the accession of Solomon until the subjugation of the kingdom by [[Nebuchadnezzar II]] and the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]].

===Latter Prophets===
The Latter Prophets are divided into two groups: the [[major prophet]]s (Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel) and the [[Twelve Minor Prophets]] (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi) collected into a single book. Again, although Daniel is considered a major prophet, his book is not in the category of the Nevi'im.

====Isaiah====
The 66 chapters of the [[Book of Isaiah]] consist primarily of prophecies of the judgments awaiting nations that are persecuting [[Kingdom of Judah|Judah]]. These nations include [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylon]], [[Neo-Assyrian Empire]], [[Philistia]], [[Moab]], [[Syria]], [[Kingdom of Israel (northern kingdom)|The Northern Kingdom of Israel]], [[Ethiopia]], [[ancient Egypt|Egypt]], [[Arabia]], and [[Phoenicia]].  The prophecies concerning them can be summarized as saying that [[Tetragrammaton|God]] is the God of the whole earth and that nations which think of themselves as secure in their power might well be conquered by other nations, at God's command.

Chapter 6 describes Isaiah's call to be a prophet of God. Chapters 36–39 provide historical material about King [[Hezekiah]] and his triumph of faith in God. Chapters 24–35, while too complex to characterize in brief, are primarily concerned with prophecies of a [[Messiah in Judaism|Messiah]], a person anointed or given power by God, and of the Messiah's kingdom, where justice and righteousness will reign.  Jews see this section as describing an actual king, a descendant of their great king, David, who will make Judah a great kingdom and [[Jerusalem]] a genuinely holy city.

The prophecy continues with what some scholars<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.biblica.com/en-us/bible/online-bible/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-isaiah| title = Biblica.com - Introduction to Isaiah - Scholar Notes from the Zondervan NIV Study Bible.| date = 9 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bible.org/seriespage/introduction-study-book-isaiah|title=1. Introduction to The Study of the Book of Isaiah|work=Bible.org}}</ref> have called "The Book of Comfort", which begins in chapter 40 and completes the writing. In the first eight chapters of this book of comfort, Isaiah prophesies the deliverance of the [[Jews]] from the hands of the Babylonians and the restoration of Israel as a unified nation in the land God promised them. Isaiah reaffirms that the Jews are indeed the chosen people of God in chapter 44 and that [[Yahweh]] is the only God for the Jews, as he will show his power over the gods of Babylon in due time in chapter 46. In chapter 45:1, the Persian ruler [[Cyrus the Great]] is named as the Messiah who will overthrow the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] and allow the return of Israel to their original land. The remaining chapters of the book contain prophecies of the future glory of [[Zion]] under the rule of a righteous servant (52 and 54). Chapter 53 includes a very poetic prophecy about this servant, which is generally considered by [[Christians]] to refer to the [[crucifixion]] of [[Jesus]]. However, Jews typically interpret it as a reference to God's people. Although there is still the mention of judgment of false worshippers and idolaters (65 and 66), the book ends with a message of hope of a righteous ruler who extends salvation to his righteous subjects living in the Lord's kingdom on earth.

====Jeremiah====
The [[Book of Jeremiah]] can be divided into twenty-three chapters, which are organized into five sub-sections or books:
# The introduction, ch. 1.
# Scorn for the sins of Israel, consisting of seven sections, (1.) ch. 2; (2.) ch. 3–6; (3.) ch. 7–10; (4.) ch. 11–13; (5.) ch. 14–17:18; (6.) ch. 17:19–ch. 20; (7.) ch. 21–24.
# A general review of all nations, foreseeing their destruction, in two sections, (1.) ch. 46–49; (2.) ch. 25; with a historical appendix of three sections, (1.) ch. 26; (2.) ch. 27; (3.) ch. 28, 29.
# Two sections picturing the hopes of better times, (1.) ch. 30, 31; (2.) ch. 32,33; a historical appendix in three sections is added, (1.) ch. 34:1–7; (2.) ch. 34:8-22; (3.) ch. 35.
# The conclusion, in two sections, (1.) ch. 36; (2.) ch. 45.

In Egypt, after an interval, Jeremiah is supposed to have added three sections, viz., ch. 37–39; 40–43; and 44. The main Messianic prophecies are in 23:1–8; 31:31–40; and 33:14–26.

[[Jeremiah]]'s prophecies are noted for the frequent repetitions of the exact words, phrases, and imagery found in them. They cover about 30 years. They are not in chronological order. Modern scholars do not believe they have reliable theories about when, where, and how the text was edited into its present form.

====Ezekiel====
The [[Book of Ezekiel]] contains three distinct sections:
# Judgment on Israel – Ezekiel makes a series of denunciations against his fellow Judeans ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%203:22-24;&version=49; 3:22–24]), warning them of the certain destruction of [[Jerusalem]], in opposition to the words of the false prophets ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%204:1-3;&version=49; 4:1–3]). The symbolic acts, by which the extremities to which Jerusalem would be reduced are described in [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%204-5;&version=49; Chapters 4 and 5], show his intimate acquaintance with the Levitical legislation. (See, for example, [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2022:30;&version=49; 22:30]; [[Deuteronomy]] [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deut%2014:21;&version=49; 14:21]; [[Leviticus]] [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Lev%205:2;&version=49; 5:2]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Lev%207:18,24;&version=49; 7:18,24]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Lev%2017:15;&version=49; 17:15]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Lev%2019:7;&version=49; 19:7]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Lev%2022:8;&version=49; 22:8])
# Prophecies against various neighboring nations: against the [[Ammon]]ites ( [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2025:1-7;&version=49; Ezek. 25:1–7]), the [[Moab]]ites ( [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%208-11;&version=49; 25:8–11]), the [[Edom]]ites ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2012-14;&version=49; 25:12–14]), the [[Philistines]] ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2015-17;&version=49; 25:15–17]), [[Tyre (Lebanon)|Tyre]] and [[Sidon]] ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2026-28;&version=49; 26–28]), and against [[Egypt]] ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2029-32;&version=49; 29-32]).
# Prophecies delivered after the destruction of Jerusalem by [[Nebuchadnezzar II]]: the triumphs of Israel and of the kingdom of God on earth ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2033-39;&version=49; Ezek. 33–39]); Messianic times, and the establishment and prosperity of the kingdom of God ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2040;48;&version=49; 40–48]).

====The Twelve====
{{Main|Twelve Minor Prophets}}
The Twelve are:
# [[Book of Hosea|Hosea]] or ''Hoshea'' [הושע]
# [[Book of Joel|Joel]] or ''Yo'el'' [יואל]
# [[Book of Amos|Amos]] [עמוס]
# [[Book of Obadiah|Obadiah]] or ''Ovadyah'' [עובדיה]
# [[Book of Jonah|Jonah]] or ''Yonah'' [יונה]
# [[Book of Micah|Micah]] or ''Mikhah'' [מיכה]
# [[Book of Nahum|Nahum]] or ''Nachum'' [נחום]
# [[Book of Habakkuk|Habakkuk]] or ''Habaquq'' [חבקוק]
# [[Book of Zephaniah|Zephaniah]] or ''Tsefania'' [צפניה]
# [[Book of Haggai|Haggai]] or ''Haggai'' [חגי]
# [[Book of Zechariah|Zechariah]] ''Zekharia'' [זכריה]
# [[Book of Malachi|Malachi]] or ''Malakhi'' [מלאכי]