A guide to the prophets

Prophets

A prophet was someone God spoke through — usually to call people back when they had drifted. Most of them didn't predict the future as much as they read the present honestly.

This page lists the major prophets of the Bible in the order they lived. Each entry covers what they did, when, and what God was trying to accomplish through them.

60 prophets

Prophet

Abraham

pronounced: AY-bruh-ham

Put simply

He left everything he knew and moved to a new country because he believed a promise that his family would matter centuries later.

When

c. 2000–1825 BC

What they did

Left his homeland in Ur on God's instruction and traveled to Canaan. Received the foundational covenant that he would become the father of many nations.

What God wanted

God wanted to start a family line through which every nation on earth would eventually be blessed.

Context The first person scripture calls a prophet (Genesis 20:7). Almost the entire ancient world worshipped many gods — Abraham was called out to follow just one.
Prophet

Sarah

pronounced: SAIR-uh

Put simply

Abraham's wife. Had a baby in old age that medically shouldn't have happened — and that baby started a whole new family line.

When

c. 1995–1865 BC

What they did

Wife of Abraham. Counted as a prophetess in Jewish tradition because God told Abraham to listen to her voice. Gave birth to Isaac at age 90.

What God wanted

God wanted the covenant line to come through her specifically — not through Abraham's other son Ishmael.

Context She was infertile for most of her life. The miraculous birth of Isaac was the start of the covenant family.
Prophet

Isaac

pronounced: EYE-zik

Put simply

Abraham and Sarah's son. Carried his family's promises forward to the next generation.

When

c. 1900–1720 BC

What they did

Carried the covenant forward as the son of Abraham and father of Jacob. Blessed his sons with prophetic words about their futures.

What God wanted

God wanted to confirm that the covenant promises would pass through generations, not just one lifetime.

Context Nearly sacrificed by his own father on Mount Moriah when God tested Abraham's obedience — then God provided a ram instead.
Prophet

Jacob

pronounced: JAY-kub

Put simply

Cheated his brother out of an inheritance, ran away for twenty years, and came back as the father of a whole new people group.

When

c. 1850–1700 BC

What they did

Renamed Israel after wrestling with God all night. Fathered the twelve sons whose descendants became the twelve tribes of Israel. Gave prophetic blessings over each son before he died.

What God wanted

God wanted to multiply the covenant family into a nation.

Context Stole his brother Esau's blessing through deception, ran for his life, worked 20 years for his uncle Laban, then reconciled with Esau decades later.
Prophet

Miriam

pronounced: MEER-ee-um

Put simply

Moses's older sister. Led the women in a celebration song after the escape from slavery.

When

c. 1400–1275 BC

What they did

Older sister of Moses and Aaron. Led the Israelite women in a song of victory after crossing the Red Sea. Explicitly called a prophetess in Exodus 15.

What God wanted

God wanted Israel to celebrate the deliverance publicly — and through a woman's voice.

Context Later challenged Moses' authority and was struck with a skin disease for a week as a consequence.
Prophet

Aaron

pronounced: AIR-un

Put simply

Moses's older brother. Handled the religion side of things while Moses handled the political side.

When

c. 1395–1272 BC

What they did

Older brother of Moses. Served as Moses' spokesman before Pharaoh and as Israel's first high priest.

What God wanted

God wanted a working priesthood — someone to handle worship, sacrifices, and the tabernacle while Moses handled leadership.

Context Crumbled under pressure once: while Moses was on Sinai, the people demanded a god they could see, and Aaron built them a golden calf.
Prophet

Moses

pronounced: MOH-zes

Put simply

Led a group of slaves out of Egypt and turned them into an organized nation with their own laws.

When

c. 1391–1271 BC

What they did

Led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, delivered the Ten Commandments and the Law at Mount Sinai, and guided the people for 40 years in the wilderness toward the Promised Land.

What God wanted

God wanted to free his people from oppression, give them a covenant to live by, and form them into a nation that knew him directly.

Context Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for about 400 years. The Egyptian Pharaoh resisted releasing them, leading to the ten plagues and the exodus.
Prophet

Joshua

pronounced: JOSH-yoo-uh

Put simply

Took over after Moses died and led the next generation into the land they'd been promised.

When

c. 1355–1245 BC

What they did

Moses' successor. Led Israel across the Jordan into the Promised Land, conquered Jericho, and divided the land among the twelve tribes.

What God wanted

God wanted to give the land he had promised Abraham 600 years earlier — and to do it through someone who would obey his unusual battle plans (like marching around a city).

Context One of only two adults who left Egypt and survived to enter the Promised Land — the rest of that generation died in the wilderness because they refused to trust God.
Prophet

Phinehas

pronounced: FIN-ee-us

Put simply

A young priest who took drastic action to stop a sex-and-religion scandal that was getting people killed.

When

c. 1250 BC

What they did

Grandson of Aaron and high priest. Acted decisively to stop a plague in the Israelite camp caused by mass idolatry and immorality with Moabite women.

What God wanted

God wanted someone willing to hold the line against compromise when leadership had gone soft.

Context Israel was on the doorstep of the Promised Land. A foreign king named Balak had hired the prophet Balaam to corrupt them — and it had nearly worked.
Prophet

Deborah

pronounced: DEB-uh-rah

Put simply

A judge and military strategist who beat a much stronger army backed by 900 chariots.

When

c. 1200–1125 BC

What they did

Served as judge and prophetess over Israel, summoned Barak to lead the army, and won a decisive victory against the Canaanite commander Sisera.

What God wanted

God wanted to deliver Israel from 20 years of Canaanite oppression and remind them that he raises leaders regardless of gender or status.

Context Israel had no king. Tribes were ruled by judges. The Canaanite king Jabin had been crushing them with 900 iron chariots.
Prophet

Elkanah

pronounced: el-KAY-nuh

Put simply

An ordinary husband who supported his wife through years of infertility.

When

c. 1115–1050 BC

What they did

Father of the prophet Samuel. Faithfully went to the tabernacle at Shiloh each year for worship.

What God wanted

God wanted a household devoted to him to raise the next major prophet of Israel.

Context Counted as a prophet in Jewish tradition. The Bible records no specific prophecy from him — his significance is as Samuel's father and Hannah's husband.
Prophet

Hannah

pronounced: HAN-uh

Put simply

Couldn't have children for years. When she finally had a son, she gave him away to be raised at the temple — just as she'd promised.

When

c. 1110–1050 BC

What they did

Prayed desperately for a son after years of infertility, vowed to dedicate him to God, and gave birth to Samuel. Her song of praise foreshadowed Mary's Magnificat by a thousand years.

What God wanted

God wanted a prophet through whom he could speak — and he answered Hannah's prayer in a way that gave Israel exactly that.

Context Counted as a prophetess for her prophetic song in 1 Samuel 2. She kept her vow and handed Samuel over to be raised at the tabernacle as soon as he was weaned.
Prophet

Eli

pronounced: EE-lye

Put simply

An aging priest who raised someone else's son well, even though his own kids turned out terribly.

When

c. 1110–1050 BC

What they did

High priest and judge in Israel. Raised the young Samuel at the tabernacle in Shiloh.

What God wanted

God wanted Samuel mentored in priestly work — even if Eli's own household was failing.

Context His two adult sons abused their priestly office. Eli rebuked them but didn't stop them. Both sons died in battle and Eli died of shock the same day.
Prophet

Samuel

pronounced: SAM-yoo-el

Put simply

The last leader of the loose tribal system, and the one who picked the country's first two kings.

When

c. 1100–1010 BC

What they did

Last of the judges and first major prophet of the monarchy era. Anointed Israel's first two kings, Saul and David.

What God wanted

God wanted a faithful intermediary during the transition from judges to kings, and someone who would speak honestly to power.

Context Israel demanded a king to be like other nations. God warned them through Samuel that a king would tax, conscript, and take from them — but gave them what they asked for.
Prophet

David

pronounced: DAY-vid

Put simply

A shepherd boy who killed a giant with a slingshot, became his country's most famous king, and wrote a lot of songs.

When

c. 1040–970 BC

What they did

Second king of Israel. Killed Goliath as a teenager, united the tribes, captured Jerusalem, and wrote much of the book of Psalms.

What God wanted

God wanted a king after his own heart — flawed, but who would return to him after every failure.

Context Counted as a prophet for the Messianic prophecies in his psalms. Committed adultery with Bathsheba and arranged her husband's death — but openly repented when confronted by Nathan.
Prophet

Gad

pronounced: GAD

Put simply

King David's advisor. Told the king the truth even when the truth was painful.

When

c. 1020–970 BC

What they did

Prophet to King David. Gave David direction during his years on the run from Saul, and confronted him after he sinfully counted Israel's fighting men.

What God wanted

God wanted David to have a steady prophetic voice who would correct him without flattery.

Context Often called 'David's seer.' Wrote a history of David's reign that hasn't survived.
Prophet

Abigail

pronounced: AB-ih-gayl

Put simply

Talked David out of murdering her foolish husband and his men in revenge.

When

c. 1020 BC

What they did

Talked David out of slaughtering her foolish husband Nabal and his men. Predicted David would become king and shouldn't have blood on his conscience when he did.

What God wanted

God used her to keep David from doing something he would later regret as king.

Context Counted as a prophetess for her prophetic words in 1 Samuel 25. Married David after Nabal died days later.
Prophet

Nathan

pronounced: NAY-thun

Put simply

Confronted King David about an affair and a murder cover-up — using a story about a stolen lamb.

When

c. 1010–970 BC

What they did

Prophet to King David. Confronted David over his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah, using a parable about a stolen lamb.

What God wanted

God wanted to hold even his chosen king accountable and to show that power doesn't exempt anyone from moral law.

Context David was at the height of his reign. Nathan's confrontation led to David's repentance, recorded in Psalm 51.
Prophet

Solomon

pronounced: SOL-uh-mun

Put simply

David's son. Asked for wisdom instead of money, got both, built a famous temple, and wrote a lot of proverbs.

When

c. 990–931 BC

What they did

Third king of Israel. Built the first temple in Jerusalem. Wrote Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Asked God for wisdom instead of wealth — and got both.

What God wanted

God wanted to give Israel its golden age — and to leave behind wisdom literature the world would still be reading three thousand years later.

Context Counted as a prophet for his wisdom writings. Compromised in old age by marrying 700 foreign wives and tolerating their idol worship — which split the kingdom in half a generation later.
Prophet

Ahijah the Shilonite

pronounced: uh-HYE-juh

Put simply

Predicted that the kingdom would split in two — and it did, right after Solomon died.

When

c. 950–910 BC

What they did

Prophesied that Solomon's kingdom would be torn in two because of idolatry. Anointed Jeroboam as king of the northern ten tribes.

What God wanted

God wanted to discipline Solomon's house — but kept one tribe for David's line.

Context Later prophesied judgment against Jeroboam too when Jeroboam set up golden calves to keep his people from going south to worship in Jerusalem.
Prophet

Iddo

pronounced: ID-doh

Put simply

Kept the official records of the kings of his era. His writings are referenced elsewhere but lost.

When

c. 930–900 BC

What they did

Prophet during the reigns of Solomon, Rehoboam, and Abijah. Recorded histories of these kings.

What God wanted

God wanted the spiritual record of the kingdom kept honestly, not just the political record.

Context His writings are referenced in Chronicles but haven't survived. He confronted Jeroboam directly about the golden calves.
Prophet

Azariah son of Oded

pronounced: az-uh-RYE-uh

Put simply

Stopped a king on his way home from a victory and told him to keep cleaning up corruption.

When

c. 895 BC

What they did

Met King Asa returning from a military victory and told him that as long as Judah sought God, God would be with them. Triggered a major religious reform.

What God wanted

God wanted to confirm Asa's good direction and push him to go further in cleaning out idolatry.

Context Asa removed his own grandmother from her position as queen mother because she had made an idol of the Asherah.
Prophet

Jehu son of Hanani

pronounced: JEE-hyoo

Put simply

Rebuked kings to their faces — including for making shady alliances with corrupt neighboring rulers.

When

c. 880–850 BC

What they did

Prophet who confronted King Baasha of Israel and later King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Wrote a history of Jehoshaphat's reign.

What God wanted

God wanted kings held accountable — including good ones who made bad alliances.

Context Rebuked Jehoshaphat for partnering with the wicked king Ahab. Not the same person as King Jehu of Israel.
Prophet

Elijah

pronounced: ih-LYE-juh

Put simply

Took on a state-sponsored rival religion in a public showdown and won.

When

c. 870–848 BC

What they did

Confronted King Ahab and Queen Jezebel over their worship of Baal. Called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel in a public contest against 450 Baal prophets.

What God wanted

God wanted to pull Israel back from idolatry and prove publicly that he — not Baal — was the real God.

Context Israel's northern kingdom had officially adopted Baal worship under Jezebel. Prophets of God were being hunted and killed. Elijah didn't die — he was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
Prophet

Micaiah son of Imlah

pronounced: my-KAY-uh

Put simply

The one honest voice in a court of 400 yes-men. Told the king he'd die in battle. He did.

When

c. 853 BC

What they did

Lone prophet who told King Ahab the truth — that he would die in his upcoming battle — when 400 false prophets were telling Ahab he'd win.

What God wanted

God wanted at least one honest voice in a court full of yes-men.

Context Ahab hated Micaiah for never telling him what he wanted to hear. Threw him in prison on bread and water before going to war. Then died in that war exactly as Micaiah predicted.
Prophet

Jahaziel

pronounced: juh-HAY-zee-el

Put simply

Told a king he wouldn't even have to fight an upcoming battle — and he was right.

When

c. 853 BC

What they did

Spoke up at a public assembly when Judah was about to be invaded by three armies at once. Told King Jehoshaphat the people wouldn't even need to fight — God would handle it.

What God wanted

God wanted to show Judah he could deliver them without their swords.

Context Jehoshaphat sent the choir out in front of the army singing. The three invading armies turned on each other and destroyed themselves before Judah arrived.
Prophet

Eliezer son of Dodavahu

pronounced: el-ee-EE-zer

Put simply

Predicted that a king's shipping venture with a shady business partner would fail. It did.

When

c. 850 BC

What they did

Prophesied against King Jehoshaphat for partnering with the wicked king Ahaziah of Israel on a shipping venture.

What God wanted

God wanted to break up an alliance he hadn't approved.

Context The ships were destroyed in port before they could sail — exactly as Eliezer had predicted.
Prophet

Elisha

pronounced: ih-LYE-shuh

Put simply

Took over after Elijah and performed even more public miracles, including healing a foreign general of a skin disease.

When

c. 848–797 BC

What they did

Successor to Elijah. Performed roughly twice as many recorded miracles, including healing the Syrian commander Naaman of leprosy and raising a Shunammite woman's son.

What God wanted

God wanted to continue the prophetic witness against idolatry and to show his mercy reached beyond Israel — even to enemy nations.

Context The northern kingdom was still mostly hostile to God. Elisha worked through both kings and ordinary people.
Prophet

Joel

pronounced: JOH-ul

Put simply

Used a natural disaster — a locust swarm that wiped out the harvest — as a wake-up call.

When

Uncertain — possibly c. 835 BC or c. 400 BC

What they did

Used a devastating locust plague as a picture of coming judgment. Promised that God would one day pour out his Spirit on all people.

What God wanted

God wanted his people to read disaster as a call to repentance, not random misfortune — and to know his Spirit was coming for everyone, not just prophets.

Context A real locust swarm had wiped out the harvest. Joel's promise about the Spirit was quoted by Peter at Pentecost (Acts 2).
Prophet

Jonah

pronounced: JOH-nuh

Put simply

Got assigned to warn an enemy nation, ran the opposite direction, ended up in the belly of a fish, and finally did the job.

When

c. 785–760 BC

What they did

Sent to preach repentance to Nineveh, the capital of Israel's enemy Assyria. He fled the assignment, was swallowed by a great fish, then finally went and saw the whole city repent.

What God wanted

God wanted to show that his mercy was not limited to Israel — even brutal enemy nations could turn and be spared.

Context Assyria was the most feared empire of the day, known for extreme cruelty. Jonah didn't want them saved — he wanted them destroyed.
Prophet

Amos

pronounced: AY-mus

Put simply

A farmer-turned-prophet who called out wealthy elites for ignoring the working poor.

When

c. 760–750 BC

What they did

A shepherd from Judah sent north to Israel during a time of wealth. Called out the rich for exploiting the poor and the religious for empty worship.

What God wanted

God wanted economic justice. He wasn't impressed by Israel's prosperity if it came at the cost of the poor.

Context Israel was enjoying its most prosperous era under King Jeroboam II — and ignoring how much of that wealth was built on oppression.
Prophet

Hosea

pronounced: hoh-ZAY-uh

Put simply

Married a prostitute on purpose as a real-life illustration of love that keeps coming back even after repeated cheating.

When

c. 750–715 BC

What they did

Married a prostitute, Gomer, on God's instruction. When she left him, he bought her back. Used his own marriage as a living picture of God's relationship with unfaithful Israel.

What God wanted

God wanted Israel to see his love wasn't transactional — he kept pursuing them even while they cheated on him with other gods.

Context The northern kingdom was 30 years from total destruction by Assyria. Idolatry was widespread.
Prophet

Amoz

pronounced: AY-muz

Put simply

Isaiah's father. There's no actual record of what he did or said.

When

c. 760–700 BC

What they did

Father of the prophet Isaiah. Counted as a prophet in Jewish tradition.

What God wanted

God wanted faithful prophetic households — those who raised the next generation of prophets.

Context No prophecies of his own are preserved. He's known only as Isaiah's father.
Prophet

Isaiah

pronounced: eye-ZAY-uh

Put simply

Advised four kings over more than fifty years and wrote some of the most-quoted lines predicting a future savior.

When

c. 740–686 BC

What they did

Advised four kings of Judah over 50+ years. Warned of coming judgment but also delivered the clearest Old Testament prophecies about a future Messiah, including the suffering servant of Isaiah 53.

What God wanted

God wanted Judah to trust him instead of foreign alliances, and to give them hope of a redeemer who would suffer for them.

Context The Assyrian Empire was crushing nation after nation. Judah's kings were tempted to make political deals instead of trusting God.
Prophet

Micah

pronounced: MY-kuh

Put simply

Stood up for small towns being squeezed out by big-city power. Said what God really wants is fairness, kindness, and humility.

When

c. 735–700 BC

What they did

Prophesied alongside Isaiah but spoke for rural villages being crushed by the urban elite. Predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

What God wanted

God wanted leaders to stop using power to grab land and exploit the poor. He summed up what he required in one line: do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with God.

Context Wealthy landowners were seizing small farms through legal manipulation. Judges took bribes. Priests preached for pay.
Prophet

Nahum

pronounced: NAY-hum

Put simply

Wrote a poem predicting the fall of a brutal empire's capital city. It fell exactly as he described.

When

c. 663–612 BC

What they did

Predicted the fall of Nineveh, Assyria's capital. The city fell exactly as he described in 612 BC.

What God wanted

God wanted to comfort the nations Assyria had brutalized — including Israel — by promising the empire's days were numbered.

Context Assyria had ruled the region with extreme violence for over a century. Jonah's earlier mission had bought Nineveh time, but they had returned to cruelty.
Prophet

Mahseiah

pronounced: muh-SAY-uh

Put simply

We know almost nothing about him — his name appears once, as someone's grandfather.

When

c. 650 BC

What they did

Grandfather of Baruch (Jeremiah's scribe). Counted as a prophet in Jewish tradition.

What God wanted

God wanted the prophetic line in this family preserved across generations.

Context The biblical record about him is essentially just his name — mentioned to identify Baruch's family line.
Prophet

Zephaniah

pronounced: zef-uh-NYE-uh

Put simply

Warned of coming disaster and helped trigger a major reform under a young teenage king.

When

c. 640–609 BC

What they did

A descendant of King Hezekiah who prophesied during the reign of young King Josiah. Warned of a coming "Day of the Lord" — judgment on Judah and surrounding nations.

What God wanted

God wanted to wake Judah up before judgment hit, and his warning helped trigger Josiah's major religious reforms.

Context Josiah came to the throne at age 8. The country was deep in idolatry left over from his grandfather Manasseh's 55-year reign.
Prophet

Jeremiah

pronounced: jair-uh-MY-uh

Put simply

Told his country to surrender to an invading army for their own good. Got beaten, jailed, and dropped into a well for it.

When

c. 627–580 BC

What they did

Prophesied through Judah's final 40 years and the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem. Told the people to surrender to Babylon — was beaten, jailed, and thrown in a cistern for it.

What God wanted

God wanted Judah to accept the consequences of generations of unfaithfulness, but also gave them a promise: a new covenant written on hearts, not stone.

Context Babylon was rising. Judah's kings kept rebelling against Babylonian rule, making things worse each time. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in 586 BC.
Prophet

Huldah

pronounced: HUL-duh

Put simply

When an old religious document was found in the temple, government officials went to her to verify it was real.

When

c. 622 BC

What they did

Consulted by King Josiah's officials when a long-lost scroll of the Law was found in the temple. Confirmed it was authentic and that judgment was coming.

What God wanted

God wanted Josiah's reforms grounded in real prophetic verification, not just royal initiative.

Context Notable that Josiah's men went to a woman prophet for confirmation even though Jeremiah and Zephaniah were active in the same era.
Prophet

Neriah

pronounced: nuh-RYE-uh

Put simply

Father of two men who worked closely with the prophet Jeremiah. Nothing else is recorded about him.

When

c. 620 BC

What they did

Father of Baruch and Seraiah. Counted as a prophet in Jewish tradition.

What God wanted

God wanted to raise prophetic sons in this family at a critical hinge moment.

Context No prophecies of his own are recorded. Known only as the father of two men who served alongside Jeremiah.
Prophet

Shallum

pronounced: SHAL-um

Put simply

Jeremiah's uncle. Husband of Huldah. Mostly we just know his family connections, not what he himself did.

When

c. 620–600 BC

What they did

Uncle of Jeremiah. Husband of Huldah the prophetess. Counted as a prophet in Jewish tradition.

What God wanted

God wanted a faithful prophetic family network around Jeremiah.

Context The biblical record on him is thin — mostly his name and his family connections to Jeremiah and Huldah.
Prophet

Habakkuk

pronounced: huh-BAK-uk

Put simply

Asked God the hard "why does evil keep winning" questions — and wrote down both the questions and the answers.

When

c. 609–598 BC

What they did

Asked God hard questions — why is evil winning, why are the wicked prospering, why use Babylon (worse than Judah) as your tool of judgment? Recorded both his complaints and God's answers.

What God wanted

God wanted to show that he hears honest doubt, and that the righteous live by trust in him even when nothing makes sense.

Context Babylon was about to crush Judah. Habakkuk was wrestling with how a good God could use a more violent nation to punish a less violent one.
Prophet

Uriah son of Shemaiah

pronounced: yoo-RYE-uh

Put simply

Said the same things Jeremiah was saying. Got hunted down and killed for it.

When

c. 609–605 BC

What they did

Prophesied against Jerusalem in the same era as Jeremiah. Was executed by King Jehoiakim for his message.

What God wanted

God wanted multiple voices warning Judah, not just one — so the people couldn't claim they hadn't been told.

Context Fled to Egypt to escape Jehoiakim, but was extradited back and killed. His death is mentioned in Jeremiah 26.
Prophet

Baruch

pronounced: BAIR-uk

Put simply

Jeremiah's secretary. Wrote down everything Jeremiah said — twice, because the king burned the first copy.

When

c. 605–580 BC

What they did

Jeremiah's scribe. Wrote down Jeremiah's prophecies — twice, because King Jehoiakim burned the first scroll piece by piece as it was read to him.

What God wanted

God wanted Jeremiah's words preserved for the exiles and for every generation after.

Context Likely the reason we have the book of Jeremiah at all. Counted as a prophet in his own right.
Prophet

Daniel

pronounced: DAN-yul

Put simply

Taken from home as a teenager and became a top government official in two foreign empires — while refusing to compromise his beliefs.

When

c. 605–530 BC

What they did

Taken captive to Babylon as a teenager. Rose to high government positions under multiple kings while refusing to compromise his faith. Interpreted dreams and received visions of future empires.

What God wanted

God wanted a faithful witness inside the empire that destroyed Jerusalem — proof that he was sovereign even over Babylon and Persia.

Context Judah was in exile. Daniel served Babylonian kings (including Nebuchadnezzar) and later Persian kings (Darius, Cyrus). He spent his entire adult life in a foreign court.
Prophet

Seraiah

pronounced: suh-RAY-uh

Put simply

Baruch's brother. Carried a prophecy against the empire into the empire's own capital and dramatically threw it into the river.

When

c. 593 BC

What they did

Brother of Baruch. Carried Jeremiah's prophecy against Babylon to Babylon itself — read it aloud, tied a stone to it, and threw it into the Euphrates as a symbol of Babylon's fall.

What God wanted

God wanted Babylon to hear, in their own city, that they would not stand forever.

Context Served as a high official under King Zedekiah of Judah. The act of throwing the scroll into the river prophesied Babylon's eventual fall to Persia in 539 BC.
Prophet

Ezekiel

pronounced: ih-ZEE-kee-ul

Put simply

Acted out his messages physically — lying on his side for over a year, shaving his head, refusing to grieve his wife — to get people's attention.

When

c. 593–571 BC

What they did

A priest taken captive to Babylon. Prophesied to the exiles through dramatic visions and physical sign-acts — lying on his side for over a year, shaving his head, refusing to mourn his wife.

What God wanted

God wanted the exiles to understand why Jerusalem fell, and to promise that he would one day breathe new life into the dead nation (the valley of dry bones).

Context Ezekiel was deported to Babylon in 597 BC — eleven years before Jerusalem itself was destroyed. He prophesied from a refugee community by the Chebar canal.
Prophet

Hanameel

pronounced: HAN-uh-meel

Put simply

Jeremiah's cousin. Sold him a piece of farmland during a wartime siege as a symbolic act of hope that life would return.

When

c. 588 BC

What they did

Jeremiah's cousin. Sold Jeremiah a field in Anathoth during Jerusalem's final siege — a prophetic act symbolizing that life would eventually return to the land.

What God wanted

God wanted a public sign that the destruction wasn't permanent.

Context Buying real estate as Babylon's army surrounded the city was financially insane. That was the point — the purchase was an act of faith that the exile would end.
Prophet

Obadiah

pronounced: oh-buh-DYE-uh

Put simply

Wrote a short, furious poem about a neighboring country that celebrated when his homeland was destroyed.

When

c. 586 BC

What they did

Wrote the shortest book in the Old Testament — 21 verses condemning Edom for celebrating Jerusalem's destruction.

What God wanted

God wanted Edom to know that gloating over a brother's downfall would not go unpunished.

Context Edom was descended from Esau, Israel's twin brother. When Babylon destroyed Jerusalem, Edomites helped loot the city and turned over fleeing refugees.
Prophet

Haggai

pronounced: HAG-eye

Put simply

Got the rebuilding of a temple back on track after construction had stalled for sixteen years.

When

c. 520 BC

What they did

Prophesied for about four months. Pressed the returned exiles to finish rebuilding the temple after 16 years of stalling.

What God wanted

God wanted his people to put him first again — they were building nice houses for themselves while his house sat in ruins.

Context The exiles had returned from Babylon in 538 BC. Local opposition and discouragement had stalled the temple project.
Prophet

Zechariah

pronounced: zek-uh-RYE-uh

Put simply

Worked alongside Haggai. Had vivid visions and predicted a future king who'd ride into the capital on a donkey instead of a war horse.

When

c. 520–470 BC

What they did

Worked alongside Haggai to encourage the temple rebuild. Received eight visions in one night and gave detailed prophecies about a coming king who would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey.

What God wanted

God wanted the discouraged remnant to see beyond their small struggle to a future king who would bring lasting peace.

Context The returned exiles were a small, demoralized community surrounded by hostile neighbors. The new temple would be much smaller than Solomon's.
Prophet

Mordecai

pronounced: MOR-duh-kye

Put simply

A government official who uncovered an assassination plot and helped stop a planned genocide against his people.

When

c. 480 BC

What they did

Jewish official in the Persian court who raised his cousin Esther. Uncovered an assassination plot against the king and helped Esther stop a genocide against the Jewish people.

What God wanted

God wanted his people preserved in exile against a coordinated effort to wipe them out.

Context Persia ruled an empire stretching from India to Ethiopia. The villain Haman wanted every Jew in that empire killed on a single day.
Prophet

Esther

pronounced: ES-ter

Put simply

Became queen of an empire as an orphan. Risked her life speaking up at the right moment and saved her entire ethnic group from being wiped out.

When

c. 480 BC

What they did

Jewish orphan who became queen of Persia. Risked her life by going to the king unsummoned to plead for her people. Got Haman's genocide reversed.

What God wanted

God wanted someone in the palace who would speak up at the right moment — even though doing so could have cost her life.

Context The festival of Purim still celebrates this rescue every year. The book of Esther is the only book in the Bible that never mentions God by name — but his fingerprints are everywhere in the story.
Prophet

Malachi

pronounced: MAL-uh-kye

Put simply

The last of the old-time prophets. Told a generation that had stopped caring to quit going through the motions.

When

c. 430 BC

What they did

The last Old Testament prophet. Confronted priests for offering blemished sacrifices and people for cheating God on tithes and breaking marriage covenants.

What God wanted

God wanted his people to stop going through the motions of religion while their hearts and homes were a mess.

Context About 100 years after the return from exile. The initial enthusiasm was gone. Spiritual apathy had set in. After Malachi, there were 400 years of prophetic silence until John the Baptist.
Prophet

Anna

pronounced: AN-uh

Put simply

An 84-year-old widow who spent decades praying in the temple and recognized baby Jesus the moment she saw him.

When

c. 6 BC – 4 AD

What they did

An elderly widow and prophetess who lived at the temple in Jerusalem. Recognized the infant Jesus as the promised Messiah when his parents brought him for dedication.

What God wanted

God wanted a faithful witness at the temple — someone who had waited her whole life for this moment — to publicly identify Jesus when he arrived.

Context She was 84 years old, had been widowed after only seven years of marriage, and had spent decades fasting and praying in the temple.
Prophet

John the Baptist

pronounced: JON

Put simply

Lived in the wilderness eating bugs, baptized people in a river, and pointed everyone toward Jesus. Got beheaded for publicly criticizing a king's marriage.

When

c. 26–30 AD

What they did

Lived in the wilderness eating locusts and wild honey. Preached repentance and baptized people in the Jordan River. Identified Jesus as the Lamb of God and baptized him.

What God wanted

God wanted someone to prepare the way for the Messiah — to wake people up and point them to Jesus.

Context After 400 years of prophetic silence. Israel was under Roman occupation. John was beheaded by Herod Antipas for publicly condemning Herod's marriage to his brother's wife.
Prophet

Agabus

pronounced: AG-uh-bus

Put simply

Predicted a famine and a major arrest. Both happened.

When

c. 40–60 AD

What they did

Predicted a widespread famine that hit during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Later warned the apostle Paul that he would be arrested in Jerusalem.

What God wanted

God wanted the early church to prepare for the famine and to know in advance what was coming for Paul.

Context The famine warning prompted the church in Antioch to send relief funds to believers in Judea — one of the earliest examples of cross-cultural Christian generosity.
Prophet

Judas Barsabbas

pronounced: JOO-dus bar-SAB-bus

Put simply

Helped deliver an important decision from the church's leadership team to a community far away.

When

c. 50 AD

What they did

A Jerusalem church leader sent with Silas to deliver the decision of the Jerusalem Council to the Gentile believers in Antioch. Called a prophet in Acts 15.

What God wanted

God wanted the news of the council's decision delivered by trusted prophetic voices — not just on paper.

Context The council had decided Gentile converts didn't need to follow Jewish ceremonial law. Sending prophets, not just couriers, gave the message authority.
Prophet

Silas

pronounced: SYE-lus

Put simply

Traveled with Paul, got beaten and thrown in jail with him, sang hymns through the night, and was freed by an earthquake.

When

c. 50–65 AD

What they did

Co-worker of Paul on his second missionary journey. Imprisoned and beaten with Paul in Philippi — sang hymns in the jail cell, then was freed by an earthquake. Called a prophet in Acts 15.

What God wanted

God wanted Paul to have a partner who could share both the suffering and the supernatural confirmations of the gospel's spread.

Context Roman citizen, which gave him legal protections most early Christians didn't have. Carried letters from Paul and helped write at least two of them (1 and 2 Thessalonians).