What Are the Major Prophets? An Easy Way to Remember

A Hidden Book Among Big Names

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel. You may have heard those names before, but there's another book tucked into this group. Its title describes what people do when their hearts are broken. Lamentations. Today we'll put all five of those books in order with two Ahs, A Sad Story, and the Guy Named Ed.

Welcome And Series Roadmap

Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable bite-sized chunks. This is part four of our five-part series on learning the names of the Old Testament books in order. If this is your first one, you're fine. Listen along, we'll do a quick review, and then go back to the earlier episodes whenever you can.

The 5 12 5 5 12 Drill

So I've been saying this in every episode. I had a Bible teacher who used to beat on his desk and drill us on five numbers. Those five numbers represented the five groups of books, or the five groupings of books in the Old Testament and how many books are in each group. So that was our first step towards learning the actual books of the Bible. So what he would do, he would use his desk. I'll use this drum. He'd say five, twelve, five, five, twelve, five, twelve, five, five, twelve. So wait, did you all say did you all say it with me? Let's do it one more time. And say it with me this time. Okay. So

Rapid Review Of The First 22

first we'll do a quick review of all 22 books we learned so far. I'll give you the cue and you'll try the names. Oh, and and and just so you you know, today is our fourth groups. So it's it's gonna cover 5125, that group. That's um five books that are called major prophets. But first, we are gonna do a review of the books we've learned so far. So I'll give you the cue, you say the names, and then I'll say the names. Okay, so the cue, the first cue, goats eat lettuce, not donuts. Yes, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Okay, the next one, Joshua judges Ruth. Right, that's the easy one. Joshua judges Ruth. The sentence is the cue. Okay, the next one. Samuel crowns the kings. Right, and I hope you remember that there are two of each of these: first and second Samuel, first and second kings, first and second chronicles. Okay, next, Nia and the sandwich. That remember that was E N-E, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. And the last one we looked at was Job's Pet Parrot Eats Seeds. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs. Okay. So those that's 22 books. Wow.

What Makes A Major Prophet

So now these next five books are typically called the major prophets. And the major means they're longer, describes their length. Most of these books are long. Isaiah itself has 66 chapters. And there is one exception: Lamentations. That one's short, it's only five chapters. But it's here because it belongs right next to Jeremiah. And we'll get to why in a second. So the order of these five books is Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel. If you've listened to our series on the book of Isaiah, you've already met the first one. So that's Isaiah.

Two Ahs, A Sad Song And Ed

And here's the cue. Both Isaiah and the next book, Jeremiah, end with A-H-A. Isaiah, Jeremiah. Okay, so that's the first cue. The next thing is a sad song. That's Lamentations, a sad song. And then there's a guy named Ed. So as I said, Isaiah and Jeremiah both end in ah lamentations. That's the sad song. It's a book of poems grieving the fall of Jerusalem and the heartbreak Jeremiah had warned about. So it sits right next to Jeremiah. So we have Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Lamentations. And then there's Ed, E. D. That's Ezekiel and Daniel. And those are two prophets who lived far from home in a place called Babylon. So we have the two eyes, a sad song, and a guy named Ed. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel. Say him with me. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Quick check, who's Ed? Right, you got it, Ezekiel and Daniel. So say all five with me again. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and Daniel. So now when you hear Daniel, you'll know that's a prophet far from home. And when you hear Jeremiah, you'll know the sad song comes right after it.

Practice Plan And Next Group Teaser

So for today, I want you to review everything we've covered so far and then add these five. Say them out loud. As I always say, check your table of contents, then look away and try saying them again. Tomorrow is the last group. Twelve short books. Some of the names we'll practice slowly, and we'll have a little help from Christmas. Until then, keep reading, keep seeking, and keep growing in your fame.