Prophets in Judaism


According to Rashi, there were 48 prophets and 7 prophetesses of Judaism. The last Jewish prophet is believed to have been Malachi. In Jewish tradition it is believed that the period of prophecy, called Nevuah, ended with Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi at which time the "Shechinah departed from Israel".

Jewish prophets

According to the Talmud, there were 48 prophets and seven prophetesses.

The 48 Jewish prophets

  1. Abraham
  2. Isaac
  3. Jacob
  4. Moses
  5. Aaron
  6. Joshua
  7. Phineas
  8. Elkanah
  9. Eli
  10. Samuel
  11. Gad
  12. Nathan
  13. David
  14. Solomon
  15. Iddo
  16. Michaiah son of Imlah
  17. Obadiah or Ovadyah
  18. Ahijah the Shilonite
  19. Jehu son of Hanani
  20. Azariah son of Oded
  21. Jahaziel the Levite
  22. Eliezer son of Dodavahu
  23. Hosea or Hoshea
  24. Amos
  25. Micah the Morashtite or Mikhah
  26. Amoz
  27. Elijah
  28. Elisha
  29. Jonah son of Amittai or Yonah
  30. Isaiah
  31. Joel or Yo'el
  32. Nahum or Nachum
  33. Habakkuk or Habaquq
  34. Zephaniah or Tsefania
  35. Uriah
  36. Jeremiah
  37. Ezekiel
  38. Shemaiah
  39. Baruch
  40. Neriah
  41. Seraiah
  42. Mehseiah
  43. Haggai
  44. Zechariah Zekharia
  45. Malachi or Malakhi
  46. Mordecai Bilshan
  47. Oded
  48. Hanani

    The seven prophetesses

  49. Sarah
  50. Miriam
  51. Deborah
  52. Hannah
  53. Abigail
  54. Huldah
  55. Esther

    Many more prophets in the era of prophecy

Although the Talmud states that only “48 prophets and 7 prophetesses prophesied to Israel”, it does not mean that there were only 55 prophets. The Talmud there challenges this with other examples, and concludes by citing a Baraita tradition that the number of prophets in the era of prophecy was double the number of Israelites who left Egypt. The 55 prophets are recorded, because they said prophecies that have eternal relevance for future generations and not just for their own generation, or own ecstatic encounter with God. Hebrew scripture makes references to groups of such ecstatic prophets, for example concerning King Saul: