Book of the Prophets – Ask the Rabbi
Q. How can the second section of the Bible be called Neviim (Prophets), when the first section (Torah) is a record of the Father of Prophecy, Moses?
A. If we are to be honest, the third section of the Bible (Ketuvim) also contains prophecies, so it is not only one of two sections but the whole Bible is a Prophetic work.
Abravanel explains that the Biblical names Torah, Neviim and Ketuvim reflect authorship and not necessarily content.
The first section presents the highest level of prophecy as found in Moses. The second and third sections are on a lower level of prophecy.
It should also be pointed out that the phenomenon of prophecy in the Bible is not cheap exhibitionism, i.e. gazing into a crystal ball to ascertain the future. The word navi, a prophet, indicates a forthteller of God’s word, not necessarily a foreteller or prognosticator.
Thus King David is a prophet whether or not he predicted future events and his Psalms are often works of prophecy.
