Answer
Using the terms Major Prophets and Minor Prophets is simply a way to divide the Old Testament prophetic books. There are five Major Prophets: the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. There are twelve Minor Prophets: the books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. The Minor Prophets are also sometimes called The Twelve.
The Major Prophets are described as “major” because those books are longer, generally speaking, and their content has broad, even global implications. The Minor Prophets are described as “minor” because those books are shorter, for the most part, and their content is more narrowly focused. That does not mean the Minor Prophets are any less inspired than the Major Prophets. It is simply a matter of God choosing to reveal more to some prophets than He did to others.
The Major and Minor Prophets are among the least read books of the Bible for Christians. On one level, this is understandable, as the prophets often employed symbolic language, obscure allusions, and harsh warnings. Their many condemnations against individuals and nations do not make for light reading.
Still, the Major and Minor Prophets should not be ignored. There is much to be learned in this portion of Scripture, and a study of the Major and Minor Prophets is certainly rewarding (2 Timothy 3:16). We read of Christ’s birth in Isaiah and Micah. We learn of Christ’s atoning sacrifice in Isaiah. We read of Christ’s return in Ezekiel, Daniel, and Zechariah. Jonah presents the mercy of Christ, and Hosea illustrates His steadfast love. Habakkuk proclaims a truth quoted twice in the New Testament, that “the just shall live by his faith” (Habakkuk 2:4, NKJV; cf. Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11). God’s holiness, wrath, grace, and forgiveness—it’s all included in the Major and Minor Prophets.
The Major and Minor Prophets should be considered essential reading for God’s people. They contain things God wants us to know, because “no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20–21).
