Key Terms
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The second main section of the Hebrew Bible is the Prophets (nevi'im, the n of Tanak) and follows the Torah in serial order. The basic division in the Hebrew Bible between Torah and Prophets goes back as early as the Hellenistic Period, as attested by the book of Sirach. In the Hebrew Bible the section called the Prophets includes the narrative historical books Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, as well as the books more traditionally associated with the prophetic office, namely Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve so-called minor prophets.
Table 1 Former and Latter Prophets
| Former Prophets | Latter Prophets |
| Joshua | Isaiah |
| Judges | Jeremiah |
| 1 and 2 Samuel | Ezekiel |
| 1 and 2 Kings | The Twelve: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi |
The Prophets collection of books was further subdivided into two parts (see Table 1). The narrative historical books came to be called the Former Prophets, and the remainder were called the Latter Prophets. The distinction between Former and Latter does not refer to the chronology of the books but simply their placement in the Bible, as indicated below.
The titles Former and Latter are unfortunate because they foster the perception that the Latter Prophets are later than the historical books. In fact, the Latter Prophets for the most part fit within the history of the books of Kings.
 Figure 2 Former and Latter Prophets
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