Donald W. Parry
Prophets and Prophetesses: The Lord's Messengers
Donald W. Parry, “Prophets and Prophetesses: The Lord’s Messengers,” in The Jesus Christ Focused Old Testament: Making Sense of a Monumental Book (Springville, UT: Book of Mormon Central, 2022), 72–77.
Joseph Smith taught this important truth: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”[1]
God’s prophets and prophetesses had significant and noteworthy responsibilities in the Old Testament setting. They were teachers of righteousness; denounced sin; warned of impending doom; blessed the lives of individuals, communities, and nations; prophesied, instructed, and preached; and revealed God’s covenants, laws, and ordinances. The prophets displayed literary genius in their presentation of the scriptural books and passages they authored and edited; they employed rhetorical questions, symbolic forms, figures of speech, laments, poetic parallelisms and other forms of poetry, and other literary types.
Prophets set forth various prophecies and often used prophetic speech forms such as “thus saith the Lord.” Prophets taught and prophesied by the power of the Holy Ghost. As Peter wrote, “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Pet. 1:21). Prophecy is not limited to males; instances of females with the gift of prophecy include Deborah, Miriam, and Huldah. Both males and females were empowered to prophesy (Num. 11:29; 1 Cor. 14:1–5, 29, 31, 39).
Notwithstanding all of these significant and noteworthy responsibilities, the prophets’ central message was Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:10) and His atoning sacrifice. They prophesied of Jesus’s ministry, atoning sacrifice and Resurrection, Second Coming, and Millennial reign. In most or all of their prophecies, they used symbols and figures of speech.
Prophets did not speak to the covenant people only, but they also uttered God’s words to the known world. Isaiah, for example, warned and prophesied to Syria, Babylonia, Moab, Egypt, Philistia, Ethiopia, Sidon, Assyria, Elam, Edom, and Arabia. Similarly, Jeremiah warned or prophesied against many nations and peoples, including Egypt, Philistia, Moab, Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, Elam, and Babylon (Jer. 47–51).
The dates in the chart are approximations and are presented only for the purposes of providing a sense of the time frame.
Prophets and Prophetesses: The Lord’s Messengers
Prophet | Possible Meaning of Name | Place of Origin | Date of Ministry (circa BC) | Miscellaneous Notes
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Abraham | Father of a multitude | Ur of the Chaldees |
| Abrahamic Covenant |
Adam | Mankind | Eden |
| Blessed his posterity |
Ahijah | My brother is Jah | A Shilonite | 930 | Prophesied to Jeroboam of the rending of the two kingdoms |
Amos | Burden | Tekoa | 760 | Prophesied concerning Israel, Judah, Damascus, Gaza, Tyre, Edom, Ammon, Moab |
Balaam | Glutton? | Pethor by the Euphrates |
| Blessed Israel near Moab; prophesied of “the Star” and “Scepter” from Judah |
Daniel | God is my Judge | Judah in exile | 605–530 | Prophesied concerning Judah, Israel, other empires; spoke of the “Ancient of Days” |
David | Beloved | Bethlehem |
| Ruled over undivided Israel; psalms prophesy of Jesus Christ |
Deborah (Judg. 4:4) | Bee | Mount Ephraim? |
| Prophetess, judge, prophesied of Israel’s defeat of Sisera |
Eliezer | God is help | Mareshah | 850 | Prophesied against Jehoshaphat’s league with Israel |
Elijah (1 Kgs. 17:1–2 Kgs. 2:18) | My God is Jehovah | Tishbe | 870 | Israel, Judah |
Elisha 1 Kgs. 19:15–21; 2 Kgs. 2–9, 13 | God shall save | Abel-meholah | 850 | Israel, Judah |
Enoch | ? |
|
| Preached mightily; established the city of Zion |
Ezekiel | God will Strengthen | Judah—In Exile | 592–570 | Prophesied concerning Judah, Israel, Ammonites, Moab, Edom, Philistines, Tyre, Sidon, Egypt |
Ezias | ? | ? | Before 600 | Prophesied of the Messiah |
Ezra | Helper | Babylon, exiled Judah | 458 | Returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple |
Gad | Fortune | ? |
| Seer and friend of David |
Habakkuk | Embrace | Judah | 625 | Judah, Chaldeans |
Haggai | Festive | Judah—Post Exilic | 520 | Judah |
Hanani (2 Chron. 16:7) | My grace/ Jehovah has been gracious | Judah | 930? | Prophesied against Asa, king of Judah |
Hosea | Salvation | Israel | 760–736 | Israel, Judah, Egypt, Assyria |
Huldah (2 Kgs. 22; 2 Chr. 34) | ? | Jerusalem | 640 | Hilkiah and Josiah |
Iddo | Beloved/ Witness? | ? | 953–932 | Judah, Israel |
Isaac | He will laugh | Hebron/Beer-sheva |
| Canaan |
Isaiah | Jehovah is Salvation | Judah (Jerusalem) | 740–701 | Judah, Israel, Babylon, Assyria, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Ethiopia, Egypt, Edom, Arabia, Tyre, Sidon |
Isaiah’s Wife | (unnamed) | Judah? | 740–701? | Called a “prophetess” |
Jacob/Israel | Supplanter/May God show His strength | Beer-sheva |
| Beer-sheva, Haran, Shechem, Beth-el, Egypt |
Jahaziel | God sees | Judah | 853 | Prophesied the victory over the Ammonites |
Jehu | He is Jehovah | Israel | 925 | Prophesied against Baasha |
Jeremiah | Jehovah will Raise Up | Anathoth
| 626–586 | Judah, Israel, Egypt, Philistines, Moab, Ammonites, Edom, Damascus, Kadar, Hazor, Elam, Babylon, Tyre, Sidon, Arabia, Medes |
Jethro | Abundance | Midian |
| Midian, Israel, counseled Moses |
Job | He whom they treat as an enemy/He who turns to God | Uz | ? | Prophesied of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection |
Joel | Jehovah is God | Judah–post Exilic | 520–518? 835–796? | Judah, Tyre, Sidon, Egypt, Edom |
Jonah (book of Jonah) | Dove | Gath-hepher (Land of Zebulun) | 770 784–722? | Nineveh |
Joseph | He will do again; he will repeat | Haran |
| Shechem, Egypt |
Joshua | Jehovah is salvation | Egypt? |
| The conquest of Canaan |
Malachi | My Messenger | Judah–post Exilic | 430 | Judah, Israel |
Melchizedek | My King is Righteous-ness | Salem |
| King of Salem; blessed Abraham |
Micah Micah 1:1
| Who is like [Jehovah] | Moresheth Gath (Plains of Judah) | 737–690 | Judah, Israel, Assyria |
Micaiah 1 Kings 22:6–28; 2 Chr. 18:1–34 | Who is like Jehovah? | Samaria | 856 |
|
Miriam
| Bitterness | Egypt |
| “The prophetess” (Ex. 15:20); song of Miriam (Ex. 15:21) |
Moses | Son/To draw out | Egypt |
| Led Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness |
Nahum | Consoler | Elkosh | 610 | Nineveh, Judah |
Nathan | He has given | ? |
| Contemporary with David; revealed the instructions to build the temple |
Nehemiah | Jehovah comforts | Persia | 530 | Rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem |
Neum | ? | ? | Before 600 | Prophesied of the Crucifixion |
Noadiah Prophetess Neh. 6:14 |
|
|
|
|
Noah | Rest | ? | ? | Warned of the Flood |
Obadiah | My servant is Jehovah | Judah | 586 | Edom, Israel |
Oded? 2 Chron. 15:8; 28:9–11 |
| Samaria | 733 |
|
Samuel | His name is God | Ramathaim-zophim, Shiloh |
| Judged Israel; counseled Saul and David |
Shemaiah | Jehovah has heard | Judah | 950? | Counseled Rehoboam |
Urijah Jer. 26:20–23 | Jehovah is light |
|
|
|
Zechariah | Jehovah remembers | Judah, Post exilic | 520–518 | Judah, Israel |
Zephaniah | Jehovah Hides | Judah | 626 | Judah, Israel, Philistines, Moab, Ammon, Ethiopians, Assyria |