Prophecy is not confined to the section called “the Prophets.” It runs from the first pages of Scripture to the last — opened by Moses in Genesis and sealed by John in Revelation. Below are the writers of prophecy in the order their books stand in the Bible. The sixteen “writing prophets” whose books bear their names are rows 3–18; the rest are the other inspired writers who recorded prophecy.
| # | Writer | Book(s) | Audience | When (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old Testament | ||||
| 1 | Moses | Genesis–Deuteronomy | Israel, the covenant nation | c. 1400 BC |
| 2 | David & the psalmists | Psalms | Israel at worship | c. 1000 BC |
| 3 | Isaiah | Isaiah | Judah & Jerusalem (and the nations) | 740–680 BC |
| 4 | Jeremiah | Jeremiah; Lamentations | Judah in her last days | 626–580 BC |
| 5 | Ezekiel | Ezekiel | The Jewish exiles in Babylon | 593–570 BC |
| 6 | Daniel | Daniel | The exiles & the Gentile empires | 605–530 BC |
| 7 | Hosea | Hosea | The northern kingdom (Israel/Ephraim) | 755–715 BC |
| 8 | Joel | Joel | Judah & Jerusalem | c. 835 BC * |
| 9 | Amos | Amos | The northern kingdom (Israel) | c. 760 BC |
| 10 | Obadiah | Obadiah | Edom (comfort to Judah) | c. 845 BC * |
| 11 | Jonah | Jonah | Nineveh (Assyria) | c. 780 BC |
| 12 | Micah | Micah | Judah & Israel (Samaria & Jerusalem) | 735–700 BC |
| 13 | Nahum | Nahum | Nineveh (Assyria); comfort to Judah | c. 650 BC |
| 14 | Habakkuk | Habakkuk | Judah (concerning the Chaldeans) | c. 605 BC |
| 15 | Zephaniah | Zephaniah | Judah & Jerusalem | c. 630 BC |
| 16 | Haggai | Haggai | The returned exiles (temple rebuilders) | 520 BC |
| 17 | Zechariah | Zechariah | The returned exiles | 520–518 BC |
| 18 | Malachi | Malachi | Post-exilic Israel (priests & people) | c. 430 BC |
| New Testament | ||||
| 19 | Matthew | Gospel of Matthew | Jewish readers (Jesus as Messiah-King) | c. AD 60 |
| 20 | Mark | Gospel of Mark | Roman / Gentile believers | c. AD 55–65 |
| 21 | Luke | Gospel of Luke; Acts | Gentile readers (Theophilus) | c. AD 60 |
| 22 | John | Gospel of John | All, “that ye might believe” | c. AD 85–90 |
| 23 | Paul | 1–2 Thessalonians; 1 Corinthians 15; 2 Timothy | The churches (mostly Gentile) | c. AD 51–67 |
| 24 | Peter | 2 Peter | Scattered believers | c. AD 65 |
| 25 | Jude | Jude | The church (against apostasy) | c. AD 65–80 |
| 26 | John | Revelation | The seven churches / all the church | c. AD 95 |
* Date genuinely debated among scholars (Joel and Obadiah especially). All dates are approximate estimates and vary between conservative and critical scholars.
Canon order vs. chronological order
This table follows canon order — where the books sit in the Bible. That is not the same as chronological order, when the prophets actually spoke. Obadiah, Joel, Jonah, and Amos likely prophesied before Isaiah, though they stand later in the page order; Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi are the latest, after the return from exile. The whole span, though, is bracketed by prophecy — Moses opens it, John closes it.
Bible Prophecy Explorer is a free, non-commercial study resource. Scripture references are to the King James Version. This reference lists the human writers through whom the prophecies were given; the great majority of Scripture’s predictions are catalogued and examined across the site.