Pre-exilic Prophecy

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Question
Why were the exiles of Judah and Israel preceded by so much activity from Hebrew prophets?
Answer
The role of the prophets was clearly to warn the people of their sins, to call them to repent, and to remind them of the covenant between God and the people of Israel through Moses, to remind them of the blessings for obedience and the curses for disobedience. So, this is why there was so much activity. The people had gone far away from God, from the law, and were worshiping foreign gods. So, they were warned over and over that they had to return to the Lord. For example, in the northern kingdom, the kings were all evil, and the nation received many warnings, so their captivity occurred earlier. The northern kingdom of Israel was taken to the Assyrian exile sooner than the southern kingdom. The prophets also warned the southern kingdom. They not only warned them using the law, but they also warned them using what happened to the northern kingdom — "Be careful, this happened to the northern kingdom because they rebelled." So, the prophetic activity also increased among the southern kingdom. These are the reasons for the prophetic activity that preceded the exile.

Answer by Mr. Sherif Atef Fahim

Mr. Sherif Atef Fahim teaches at Alexandria School of Theology in Egypt.