Hosea
Chapters: 13
Setting: Ephraim, northern Israel in mid-8th century BC
Summary: Like the major prophets, Hosea's message is one of doom and destruction for Israel, laced with the promise of redemption. Again, the imagery of an adulterous wife and "whoredom" is used to describe how the people of Israel are betraying their covenant with God and worshipping false idols, like Baal. This is mirrored in Hosea with the literal story of his wife committing adultery, making it difficult to interpret at times whether the prophet is railing against Israel or his wife. Curiously, God instructs Hosea to marry a prostitute, which has no doubt been a bone of contention for more pious biblical scholars, and has often led to this passage being interpreted symbolically. Equally problematic is Hosea's apparent attack on prophets themselves – "the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man mad" (9:7) – while he also takes aim at the practice of animal sacrifices, an act of worship detailed at length in the Book of Leviticus.
Key quotes: My favourite passage in Hosea is the imagery of baking to describe the adulterous sexual passions of the people, "They are all adulterers, as an oven heated by the baker, who ceaseth from raising after he hath kneaded the dough, until it be leavened ... For they have made ready their heart like an oven, whiles they lie in wait: their baker sleepeth all the night; in the morning it burneth as a flaming fire. They are all hot as an oven, and have devoured their judges ... Ephraim, he hath mixed himself among the people; Ephraim is a cake not turned" (7:4-8). Also noteworthy for its influence on the English language is the line, "For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind" (8:7); this image is repeated near the end of the book, in a very poetic passage, "Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney" (13:3).
Joel
Chapters: 3
Setting: Unclear, likely to be Second Temple period (after 516 BC)
Summary: Very similar in tone to the lamentations of Jeremiah, and similar in content to the major prophetical books in its expression of hope that Jerusalem will be restored and rival nations destroyed, in this case Egypt and Edom. Joel entreats the people of Israel to repent their sins in order to activate this prophecy, which will not only bring about an end to the drought and the army of locusts plaguing the land but also ensure the promised outpouring of the divine spirit.
Key quotes: "Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth" (1:8), in order that the bounty of the divine spirit be bestowed: "Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil" (2:23-24). This promise of a "great and terrible day of the Lord" is accompanied by apocalyptic imagery, "The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining" (3:15).
Amos
Chapters: 9
Setting: Israel in the region of Jeroboam II (788-747BC)
Summary: A contemporary of Isaiah and Hosea, Amos lived in the southern kingdom of Judah but preached in the northern kingdom of Israel, notably Samaria. The Book of Amos is believed to be the oldest prophetical book and its structure is different to the rest, in that it starts with oracles against the nations and then focuses in on Israel, which is denounced mercilessly for the rest of the book. The main focus of Amos' anger is the oppression of the poor, with the elites of Israel condemned – "they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes" (2:6). This is the sort of biblical narrative, and element of Christian rhetoric – blasting the indulgent rich, giving voice to the downtrodden – that I appreciate most. This, and Amos' clash with the established church as represented by the priest Amaziah, gives him the status of an outsider, and one controversial element to the book is whether Amos should be considered a prophet at all, given his assertion at 7:14: "Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit". This reminds me a little of Bob Dylan's rejection of the "spokesmen of a generation" tag, preferring to be called a "song & dance man" instead. Amos clearly is a prophet, given his visions in chapters 7-9 (featuring locust, fire and a basket of fruit) and the epilogue to the book is pretty special too – see quote below – after all the invective.
Key quotes: "Woe to them that are at ease in Zion ... That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick ... That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments" (6:1, 4-6). As well as the wealthy, Amos also upbraids Israel's corrupt lawmakers, "Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth" (5:7). After all the denunciation, Amos finishes with a flourish: "In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen ... I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old ... Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt ... and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God" (9:11-15).
Obadiah
Chapters: 1
Setting: Likely 6th century BC Israel, making Obadiah a contemporary of Jeremiah
Summary: Containing just one chapter of 21 verses, Obadiah is the shortest book in the bible. Its main focus is Edom, a brother nation to Israel, that took sides against Jerusalem when it came under attack. Obadiah's prophecy relates to the retribution that Edom will face for its disloyalty, along with other enemy nations, on the day that the Lord returns to vindicate Jerusalem.
Key quotes: "As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee" (1:15). "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them, and devour them; and there shall not be any remaining of the house of Esau; for the Lord hath spoken it" (1:18).
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