Nevi'im

The Nevi'im is the second portion of the Jewish sacred scriptures, or Tanakh (sometimes spelled Tanach), and means "the prophets." The Nevi'im, sometimes anglicized as Neviim, has two sections that contain writings for the early and later prophets. This section of the Tanakh covers the words of prophets from 1400 Before the Common Era (BCE) to 400 BCE. It tells the story of the Jewish people during the important time after they entered Canaan, or the promised land, and established themselves as God's people.

Background

The Tanakh is the sacred writings of the Jewish faith. It is divided into three parts. The first part is called the Torah, although this name is also often used to refer to the entirety of the Hebrew scriptures and to an oral scripture as well. The first section, also known as the Pentateuch or Chumash, contains the five books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Nevi'im is the second section and contains eight books: Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and one devoted to all twelve of the later prophets known as Trei-Assar. The final section is the Ketuvim, or books of writings. It includes Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles.

Nevi is the plural of the Hebrew word navi, which means "prophet." A prophet is someone who is thought to be able to see the future. In biblical terminology, a prophet does more than simply predict what will happen in the future, however. A biblical prophet helps people to understand the words, rules, and character of God. The prophet also encourages the people to follow God's rules and words and to worship God. Prophets in scripture tell people of God's plans and exhort them to take action by pointing out the rewards for being obedient to God and the punishments for disobedience. The prophets also foretold the coming of the Messiah, the Savior who would restore all those who had fallen into sin into a right relationship with God.

The Nevi'im has two sections: the Rishonim, or former (early) prophets, and Aharonim, or latter prophets. Written out in Hebrew, the texts of the Nevi'im include five scrolls. There is one scroll each for the books of the Rishonim, which includes the books of Joshua and Judges. Samuel and Kings, which are subdivided into I and II Samuel and I and II Kings, each have one scroll. These are narrative books written in the same style as many Western books.

The other portion of the Nevi'im, the Aharonim, is written in Hebrew on one scroll. It includes the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel plus all twelve of the so-called "minor" prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. All the prophecies in the Aharonim are written in a format known as biblical poetry. Biblical poetry differs from Western poetry in that it does not have a set rhyming pattern or set meters. This poetic form includes an emphasis on parallelism, in which the lines mirror each other in format and often contrast with each other in content. For example:

10 Tell the righteous it will be well with them,

for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds.

11 Woe to the wicked!

Disaster is upon them!

They will be paid back

for what their hands have done. (Isaiah 3:10–11, NIV)

Biblical poetry is also often distinguished by the formatting of the lines. Although the printed formatting may not readily differentiate the lines, the wording, rhyme, and parallelism make the lines apparent. The lines are also tightly written with few extraneous words, and each word carries its own weight. Nevertheless, they reflect wordplay and figurative language, especially when read in the original Hebrew or a careful translation.

Overview

Hebrew and Tanakh scholars refer to the Rishonim in the Nevi'im as "Deuteronomic history" because it relays Jewish history from the viewpoint of those experiencing the events in that book. It tells the story of how the Jewish people went from a group of associated groups wandering in the desert and experiencing various forms of governance to being a nation of self-governing people. This begins with Joshua, Moses's successor, who led the people then known as the Israelites around 1200 BCE.

The text of the Nevi'im reports the Israelites' desire for a king and the crowning of first Saul and then David as that king. Also included is the history of how the Jewish kingdom was divided into Northern and Southern Kingdoms following the death of Solomon in 931 BCE. The Northern Kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE, while the Southern Kingdom fell to King Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians in 586 BCE.

The Aharonim contains the words of the prophets, who strove to remind the self-governing nation of Hebrews that they are actually governed by God and bound to him by a covenant made years before with Abraham. They point out the shortcomings and failings of the people, including the secular and religious leaders, and warn of God's wrath. The prophets also serve as intercessors for the people, asking God to forgive them and bless them instead of punishing them.

The Nevi'im is important because it helps bring context and meaning to the books of the Torah, which contain the keys to the Jewish faith. Understanding the events told in the Nevi'im helps to provide a basis for understanding how the Jewish people came to be in the land now known as Israel. It can help provide context for contemporary events and bring them together with the history of the Jewish nation. Specifically, the Nevi’im holds critical context for the Israel-Hamas war of the mid-2020s. Because it describes the conquest and settlement of the land and the establishment of a Jewish kingdom centered in Jerusalem, the Nevi’im is often used to support the modern state of Israel. The prophecies and moral teachings found in the Nevi’im can also be seen as relevant to the war. However, Hamas also uses Islamic scriptures to justify their positions. These competing religious narratives only make the conflict more complex, inflaming positions and making diplomatic solutions increasingly difficult.

Bibliography

Abramowitz, Jack. "Tanach Part 2: Neviim." Orthodox Union, outorah.org/p/6269. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

“Prophets (Nevi'im).” My Jewish Learning, www.myjewishlearning.com/article/prophets-neviim. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

“The Prophets (Nevi'im).” Jewish Virtual Library, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-prophets-nevi-rsquo-im. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Salih, Mohammad Ali. “Gaza, the Quran and the Torah: Is the Middle East Conflict Now a Religious War?” Salon.com, 19 June 2024, www.salon.com/2024/06/19/gaza-the-quran-and-the-torah. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

Schrager, Jeffrey. "Bayamim Hahem Bazman Hazeh: Teaching Nevi'im and the State of Israel." Prizmah, 20 July 2012, prizmah.org/bayamim-hahem-bazman-hazeh-teaching-nevi'im-and-state-israel. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

"The Tanakh." Jewish Virtual Library, www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-tanakh. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

"What Does the Torah Refer To?" Torah.org, torah.org/learning/basics-primer-torah-torah. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.

"What Is a Prophet?" Bible.org, bible.org/seriespage/3-what-prophet. Accessed 17 Nov. 2024.