Twelve
12 tribes of Israel. 12 Minor Prophets. Obviously just a coincidence.Well, not really. In the Hebrew Bible, the number twelve is the number one numerical symbol of God’s people—there were origi...
Vassal Treaties
Breach of contract complaints. Accusations of adultery and prostitution. Enemies raping women, making children slaves and forcing people into exile. Locusts. The fertile land failing to produce fru...
Sex
You might have noticed that the Minor Prophets have something of a preoccupation with sex. Hosea got it bad, but the rest have their also have indulge in giggle-inducing double entendres and rants...
Nature Symbols
Sex might not be about sex in the Minor Prophets, but nature is all about life and fertility. Whatever the thematic differences among the twelve, they all tend to refer back to a stock set of natur...
Figs and vines
In a world without Fig Newtons, figs and grapevines were easily understandable symbols of fertile soil and abundance. Or desolation and barrenness brought about by God’s curse.When God sends locu...
Sun, Moon and Stars
The Assyrians and Babylonians were big believers in astrology. For the Minor Prophets, however, believing in the influence of the heavenly spheres on daily life was inconsistent with belief in Yahw...
Fish and Swarming Critters
Forget puppies and cats—the Minor Prophets were much bigger fans of swarming insects and fish. One of the things that made these critters so useful was that they were teeming with significance. T...
Smelting
As Minecrafters know, smelting is a process of extracting a purified metal from a chunk of metal ore or rock. It involves lots and lots of heat; the fire burns up the impurities. Smelting seems to...
The Whale
We think the big guy deserves his own headline. The big fish sent to swallow Jonah and then to vomit him out is used to illustrate God’s total control over the most powerful forces of nature in a...
Exile and Return
In ancient times, invaders and conquerors typically carried off the inhabitants of the conquered nations and relocated them to the country of the invaders. They then repopulated the conquered natio...
Wordplay
You wouldn’t know it from the English translation, but the Minor Prophets love puns, puzzles and other forms of wordplay. For example:Amos Chapter 8 opens with God showing Amos a basket of figs....