4. Reading Guide

s you read the Latter Prophets, ask yourself the following questions:

• When did this prophet live and work? What were the political and economic conditions at the time he ministered? Where did he prophesy? (It makes a big difference whether he was from Judah or Israel.)
• What prophetic speech type (genre) did the prophet use to make his preaching more effective? Why did he use this genre?
• What historical and covenantal traditions, if any, did the prophet draw upon as the basis for his prophetic preaching and ministry? (Be especially alert to a prophet's use of the Moses-Exodus covenant, the David-Zion covenant, or any other allusions to prior historical traditions.) What message concerning God's covenant relationship with humankind did the prophet convey?

Table A is a synthesis of Israelite history and prophecy that displays prophets in relation to kings and events.