Prophecy and Personal History

Question

Isaiah was the greatest of the Hebrew prophets but little is known about him. If he was such a great prophet, why is his personal history unknown? Joel, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, and Malachi are entirely unknown figures; possibly some are pseudonyms.

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    While I have never seen a source that deals with your question directly, I think that the answer may be because the individual life-history of most of the Prophets is of no consequence to the eternal truths of their prophecies. It is Isaiah’s incredible messages that are recorded for posterity – not the personal stories that surround his life.

    The Books of the Torah are not history books, but rather are teachings to guide us in leading lives of moral Monotheism as taught by the Creator of all.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team