Tanak: A Theological and Critical Introduction to the Jewish Bible

Part III A: The Former Prophets

Part IIIA #ynw>ar #yaybn The Former Prophets 171 A. OVERVIEW The Former Prophets (Hebrew, nebî’îm ri’šônîm), which includes the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, constitutes the first major portion of the Prophets in the Tanak.1 Altogether, these books differ from the type of classical prophetic book found in the Latter Prophets. Instead of the standard mix of oracular and narrative material typical of the prophetic books, the books of the Former Prophets present a narrative history of the nation of Israel from the time of its entry into the promised land of Israel under the leadership of Joshua ben Nun until the aftermath of the Babylonian exile. Although these books are historical narratives, Jewish tradition maintains that they are composed by prophets (b. Baba Batra 15a), that is, Joshua is composed by Joshua ben Nun, who is viewed as a prophet; Judges and Samuel are composed by the prophet Samuel; and Kings is composed by the prophet and priest, Jeremiah ben Hilkiah. The designation Former Prophets is derived from Zech 1:4 where it is employed to describe the earlier prophets who had warned Israel to turn back from its evil ways and thereby avoid divine judgment in the form of the Babylonian exile. The synchronic literary structure of the narrative is based on the sequence of books. The book of Joshua discusses Israel’s entry into the land, the defeat of the Canaanites, and the apportionment of the land among the tribes of Israel. The book of Judges discusses the earliest history of Israel in the land under the rule of a series of Judges, who defended Israel against various enemies until it became apparent that central monarchic rule was necessary for Israel’s future security and continuity. The book of Samuel, read as 1–2 Samuel in Christian tradition, discusses the origins of kingship in ancient Israel, beginning with the reign of King Saul ben Kish and culminating in the rule of King David ben Jesse and the foundation of the Davidic dynasty in Jerusalem. Finally, Kings, read as 1–2 Kings in Christian tradition, discusses the subsequent history of the Kings of Israel and Judah, beginning with King Solomon’s reign over a united Israel, continuing through the histories of the separate monarchies of Israel and Judah, and culminating in the destruction of northern Israel by the Assyrian empire and later of Judah by the Babylonian empire. Kings concludes with a brief notice concerning 172 F O R M E R P R O P H E T S the release of King Jehoiachin ben Jehoiakim from prison by King Evil Merodach of Babylon. The Former Prophets employs a distinct theological perspective in its narrative presentation of Israel’s history that interprets that history in relation to its own understanding of divine purpose. History is not written simply to provide an account of the past; it is written so that both its writers and readers can reflect on and learn from that past in order to build a better future. Whereas the Torah lays out an ideal understanding of Israel in the midst of creation, the Former Prophets takes up the disruption of that ideal. Indeed, the Former Prophets employs its own theological perspectives in the presentation of Israel’s history so that it might address the major theological problems of ancient Israel’s and Judah’s history, the Babylonian exile of 587–586 BCE in which Jerusalem and the Temple of Solomon were destroyed, the ruling house of David was deposed, and large numbers of the surviving Jerusalemites and Judeans were forced into exile in Babylonia. Overall, the Former Prophets constitute an expression of theodicy, that is, they defend the righteousness and power of YHWH in the face of the realities of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple and the exile of the people to Babylonia. Rather than charging that YHWH is powerless, unreliable, unjust, or absent in times of crisis, the Former Prophets chooses to explain the Babylonian exile by charging that the people of Israel and Judah—and not YHWH—were responsible for their own fate, that is, the Former Prophets maintains that the people of Israel and Judah had failed to adhere to YHWH and YHWH’s expectations of the people as expressed in divine Torah from the time of their entry into the land through the time of the Babylonian...