Handout for the second of five sessions on the Old Testament at Bible & Culture 2010.

1. Bible & Culture 2010" OT Prophets
Handling the OT Prophets
1. Five key questions
What is the historical context?
How is the prophetʼs message presented?
What main problems does the prophet diagnose?
What are the remedies?
What is the underlying message about God and humanity?
2. Genres within the prophets
a. Oracles
i. Messenger speech
e.g. Amos 7:14–17
• Prophetic word formula (the word of the Lord came to X)
• Commissioning formula (Go and say . . . )
• Messenger formula (This is what the Lord says . . . )
• Message
ii. Vision
e.g. Amos 7:1–9; 8:1ff; 9:1ff
• Announcement of vision
• Transition
• Vision sequence
iii. Judgment oracles
e.g. Amos 2:6–16
• Accusation
• Link (logical connective)
• Announcement of judgment
© Tony Watkins" 1" www.tonywatkins.org

2. Bible & Culture 2010" OT Prophets
iv. Covenant lawsuit
e.g. Amos 3:1–15?
• Summons
• Charge
• Evidence
• Verdict
v. Woe oracle
e.g. Amos 5:18–27; 6:1–7(14?)
• Announcement of distress
• Reason for distress
• Prediction of disaster
vi. Salvation oracles
e.g. Amos 9:11–15
• Indication of situation
• Reference to the future
• Proclamation of radical change
• Blessing
vii. Lament
e.g. Amos 5:1–17
viii. Oracles against the nations
e.g. Amos 1:3 – 2:5
b. Narratives
i. commissioning
e.g. Ezekiel 1 – 3
• Divine confrontation
• Introductory word
• Commission
• Objection(s)
• Reassurances
• Sign(s)
© Tony Watkins" 2" www.tonywatkins.org

3. Bible & Culture 2010" OT Prophets
ii. vision
e.g. Ezekiel 37:1–14
iii. symbolic action
e.g. Ezekiel 4:1 – 5:17
c. Prayer
e.g. Jonah 2
d. Apocalyptic
e.g. Daniel 7
e. Allegory
e.g. Ezekiel 17
f. Poetry
Most of the material by the prophets is written in poetic form. Some key features:
i. Parallelism
ii. Figures of speech
iii. Imagery
iv. Symbolism
© Tony Watkins" 3" www.tonywatkins.org