Prophetic Midrash

The Southern Kingdom of Judah had the longest list of prophets -- twenty-one in all. Working with good kings and bad, these prophets fought to save Judah from destruction. In the end, though, the temple was destroyed, Jerusalem came under siege, and the Jews were carried away into captivity. The Prophets of the Southern Kingdom are: Oded the Exhorter (aka Obed, עֹדֵד) Azariah ben Oded (aka Azaryah, Azaryohu, עֲזַרְיָה) Hanani (aka Chanoni, Haroeh, חֲנָנִי) Jehu ben Hanani (aka Yehu, Yeihu, יְהוּא) Jahaziel ben Zechariah (aka Haziel, Yachziel, יַחֲזִיאֵל) Eliezer ben Dodavah (aka Eliezar, Elozor, אֱלִיעֶזֶר) Obadiah of Eliphaz (aka Abdy, Ovadiah, Ovadyah, עֹבַדְיָה) Joel ben Pethuel (aka Ioel, Yo'el, יוֹאֵל) Zechariah ben Jehoiada (aka Zekaryah, זְכַרְיָה) Amoz ben Josiah I (aka Amotz, Omotz, אָמֹוץ) Isaiah ben Amoz (aka Esaias, Esaye, Yeshayah, Yeshayahu, יְשַׁעְיָהוּ) Zechariah ben Jeberechiah (aka Zekaryah, זְכַרְיָה) Micah of Moresheth (aka Micha

The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem was followed by a seventy-year exile that left most of the Jewish population spread throughout Mesopotamia -- primarily modern-day Iraq and Iran. The period called the Captivity gave rise to four prophets: Daniel of Judah (aka Belteshazzar, Belteshatztzar, Daniyel, Daniyyel, דָנִיֵּאל) Ezekiel ben Buzi (aka Dhul-Kifl, Ezechiel, Ezechlel, Hizqeel, Yechezkel, Yechezqel, Yehezkel, Zulkifl, ذو-الكفل ,יְחֶזקֵאל) Mordecai ben Jair (aka Mordechai, Mordekhai, מָרְדֳכַי) Seraiah ben Neriah (aka Serayah, Soroyoh, שֶׁר־צִוָּ) Image: Detail from 'Daniel in the Lion's Den,' by Peter Paul Rubens c. 1615