The new wealth and new openness to foreign trade created, in Hosea’s view, other forces threatening Israel’s exclusive loyalty to God. In contrast, Hosea focused on the theme of Israel’s loyalty to God. (“Joseph” is one term used to refer to the Northern Kingdom.) He castigated those who “lie on beds of ivory, sprawled on their couches, eating the fattest of sheep and cattle from the stalls who drink from wine bowls, and anoint themselves with the choicest oils, but are not concerned about the ruin of (the House of) Joseph.” (Amos 6:4-6). In response to this, Amos focused in his prophecies on the economic disparities created by Israel’s newfound wealth, criticizing the wealthy Israelites’ lack of concern for the fate of the poor. was Jeroboam II (son of Joash), who built Israel into a wealthy trading empire by controlling the trade routes to Damascus on both sides of the Jordan. The king of Israel from approximately 790 to 750 B.C.E. Hosea and Amosīoth Hosea and Amos were composed in the second half of the eighth century, in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Even within a single time period, there is a remarkable diversity of views. But nowhere in the Bible does a single book present as wide a variety of views on these subjects as does the collection of the Twelve Minor Prophets. What does God demand of humans? How do historical events signify God’s word? These are questions that appear throughout Biblical prophecy. One theme that unifies the 12 prophets is Israel’s relationship with God. ,to parts of the books of Zechariah and Malachi, which are probably from the beginning of the fourth century B.C.E. They range in time from Hosea and Amos, both of whom date to the middle of the eighth century B.C.E. One of these, Obadiah, is only a single chapter long, and the longest (Hosea and Zechariah) are each 14 chapters.

“Minor” refers not to their importance but to their length: All were considered important enough to enter the Hebrew Bible, but none was long enough to form an independent book. It is, as its name implies, not a unified whole but a collection of 12 independent books, by (at least) 12 different prophets. The “Twelve Minor Prophets” is the eighth and last “book” in the second section of the Hebrew Bible, the Nevi’im, or Prophets. My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help Donate

Minor prophets