THE MINOR PROPHETS
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Mephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

from The Names and Order of the Books of the Old Testament
by E.W. Bullinger

The twelve books which are known by this name are so called, not on account of any lack of importance or authority, but only on account of their brevity; i.e., the lesser prophets.

According to the manuscripts, and all the printed texts, these twelve books have always been grouped together, regarded and enumerated as one book; probably, as Kimchi observes, lest one should be lost on account of its small size.

The Sedarim or ancient divisions of the Text for public reading are twenty-one, and they are numbered continuously through all the twelve books. Dr. Ginsburg in his Introduction to the Hebrew Bible, page 95, quotes the St. Petersburg Codex, which states that this book contains 1050 verses.

These twelve prophets are arranged chronologically, and appear to be put into three groups:

The Assyrian period, 7 books, from Hosea to Nahum
The Chaldean period, 2 books, Habakkuk and Zephaniah;
The Post-exile period, 3 books, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.

As with the greater prophets, so with these smaller; the name of the prophet is in harmony with, if not the key to, the prophecy; and the order of the books is determined by the subject matter as well as by the chronology, each prophet being linked on unmistakably to the one preceding.

Hosea ends with penitent Israel consoled with the promise of abundant fruitfulness; while Joel begins with a call to repentance at a time of dearth.

Joel (3:16) ends with Jehovah roaring out of Zion, and uttering His voice from Jerusalem; while Amos opens his prophecy with the same striking words.

Amos (9:11,12) foretells that the tabernacle of David shall be built again, " that they may possess the remnant of Edom"; while Obadiah (v19) repeats the words and unfolds them in his prophecy.

Obadiah begins, "We have heard a rumour, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen", while in Jonah we see an ambassador thus sent. (Compare Jonah 1:2 with Obadiah 1.)

Jonah 4:2 declares the attributes of Jehovah as given in Exodus 34:6,7; while Micah 7:18 and Nahum 1:2 take up the theme.

Nahum is a "burden", depicting the judgment of Nineveh; while Habakkuk is another "burden" concerning the Chaldeans who executed that judgment.

Habakkuk (2:20) calls for silence on account of the presence of the Lord, while Zephaniah (1:7) repeats the striking words.

The three post-exile prophets fall naturally together, connected by the same great subject.