Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Building Bridges: A World Religions Program for 8th-9th Grades

Leader Resource 2: Ten Hebrew Prophets

Category: Daniel

  • Was carried off to Babylon at a young age
  • Served as a dream interpreter in the royal court of King Nebuchadnezzar; predicted Armageddon
  • Interpreted the "handwriting on the wall" which foretold the destruction of King Belshazzar's kingdom: "God has numbered the days of your kingdom and will end it, He has weighed you on the scales and found you wanting, your kingdom will be divided and portioned off to others" (this is where the phrase "the handwriting on the wall" comes from)

Category: Deborah

  • Only female judge of Israel
  • Her story is told in the Book of Judges
  • Delivered judgments beneath a palm tree
  • Was a poet
  • Fought alongside Barak and other men and women against enemies of Israel, who they conquered

Category: Elijah

  • Convinced the people of Israel to stop worshipping the god Baal, and to worship the one true God
  • Expected by some believers to return to earth before the Messiah
  • Traditionally, invited to every Passover seder by an open door and a place set at the table

Category: Isaiah

  • Prophesied restoration of the nation of Israel
  • Predicted events 700 years in the future
  • The subject of stories on which Handel based his "Messiah" symphony
  • Went barefoot and naked three years to get people to pay attention to his prophecies
  • Predicted a future "servant of the lord" or Messiah

Category: Jeremiah

  • Was sent by God to warn the Jews that they had broken their covenant with God by worshipping false idols
  • Prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and hardship for the Jewish people for years to come
  • Predicted that someday all nations would join in accepting God's sovereignty
  • Thought by some to be the author of the Book of Lamentations—five poems that tell the story of Jerusalem's destruction by the Babylonians
  • Known as "the weeping prophet"

Category: Jonah

  • Told by God to preach to people of Ninevah, but ran away from God
  • Sailed on a ship which was struck by a destructive storm, then asked to be thrown overboard so the sailors on board could live
  • Survived three days in the belly of a fish
  • Accepting God's charge, traveled to Ninevah to prophesy the city's doom; the people repented and God spared them
  • Was angry that God was so forgiving

Category: Joshua

  • Leader of Israelites after Moses
  • Prophesied that God would protect God's people as they conquered the land that was to be Israel
  • Led the Israelites around the big wall surrounding the city of Jericho. They marched around the wall for seven days. On the last day, the Israelites marched around the city seven times, blew a ram's horn, shouted, the wall fell down and the city was conquered.
  • In a battle, asked God to stop the sun so the battle could continue in daylight

Category: Miriam

  • Led the women in dancing to praise God after leaving Egypt
  • Followed baby sibling Moses along river until Pharaoh's daughter found the baby
  • Was struck with a skin disease after questioning God's special relationship with Moses; was cured after being exiled for seven days
  • Has a name that was the source of the common Christian name "Mary"
  • Sometimes is celebrated at Passover with a cup or an orange on the seder table

Category: Noah

  • Prophesied a flood that lasted 120 years
  • Collected a male and female of every animal to carry onto a wooden ark (boat)
  • First tiller of the soil
  • Planted the first vineyard

Category: Samuel (Shmuel)

  • Was a judge, at a time when Jews had no kings, but judges
  • Was told by God to appoint Saul as the first king. Saul was the first to start building a kingdom of Jerusalem and preparing for first temple; Saul was succeeded by son-in-law David, who was succeeded by Solomon, who finally built the temple.