wish
arrangement of the twelve minor prophets is in a sense chronological;
that is, they put the earlier prophets at the beginning, and the later
at the end of the collection. It does not appear, however, that they
intended to follow the order of time with exactness. If they did, then
in the judgment of many they committed errors. The particulars must be
discussed as the books come up separately for consideration.

In regard to the first six, the arrangement of the Septuagint
differs from the Masoretic, which is followed in our version, as
follows:

MASORETIC TEXT. SEPTUAGINT VERSION.

1. Hosea. 1. Hosea.
2. Joel. 2. Amos.
3. Amos. 3. Micah.
4. Obadiah. 4. Joel.
5. Jonah. 5. Obadiah.
6. Micah. 6. Jonah.

2. This precious collection contains the earliest as well as the latest
writings of the Hebrew prophets, except such as are embodied in the
historical books; for Hosea, Joel, and Amos, at least, are older than
Isaiah, and the three prophets of the restoration are younger than
Ezekiel and Daniel. The minor prophets exhibit a great diversity of
manner and style--the rugged and sententious, the full and flowing, the
oratorical, and the simple and unadorned. In them are passages attaining
to the sublimity of Isaiah, to the tenderness and pathos of Jeremiah,
and to the vehemence of Ezekiel. Nowhere do we find sin rebuked with
more awful severity, the true meaning of the law more clearly expounded,
or the future glory of Zion more confidently predicted. That some of
these writings are obscure and of difficult interpretation cannot be
denied. This arises partly from the character of the style, as in the
case of Hosea and others; partly from the nature of the themes
discussed, as in Zechariah; partly from our ignorance of the times and
circumstances of the writers. Nevertheless the prayerful student will
find in them a rich treasury of divine truth, which will abundantly
reward the labor bestowed upon it.

I. HOSEA.

3. The prophecies of Hosea were addressed immediately to the kingdom of
the ten tribes, yet so that he did not overlook Judah; for he considered
the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel as constituting together the
covenant people of God. Of his personal history we know nothing except
that