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Ethics in the Prophets and the Pentateuch

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Do you think the prophets (major and minor) are different from the Pentateuch and earlier sections of the OT, according to traditional dating, as far as their ethical content, or is there just more of an emphasis on ethics because of the demands of their situation?

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Solution Summary

The ethics in the Prophets of the Old Testament present the same ethics as that found in the rest of the Old Testament, but in a clear and more explicit way.

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You have asked about how the ethics found in the prophets compared to the ethics found elsewhere in the OT. I think you are asking for general observations, so I will do my best to stay general in what I suggest.

To make this comparison, you need to start with defining what you mean by the "ethics" found in the various texts. For example, although the Pentateuch offers a continuous narrative from the beginning until the end of Israel's journey to the Promised Land, a large portion of it contains legal and priestly commands/directives on various offerings/building the tabernacle/the arrangement of the camp/what may be eaten/the policing of cleanness/etc. (e.g., almost all of Leviticus and Deuteronomy and large portions of Exodus and Numbers). The ethics in the narrative and the ethics in the legal portions have different focuses, and it is hard to say which is more important (e.g., is the Pentateuch primarily narrative or does the narrative serve as a vehicle through which God gives laws?) A lot of the narrative depicts a playing out of the laws (e.g., the death of Nadab and Abihu, the stoning of a blasphemer, etc.). I would argue that the overriding ethical message of the Pentateuch is that God is simultaneously good, gracious, and holy, and through the narrative of history, He reveals Himself to those He chooses and teaches them to trust and obey Him. For example, the number of Israel's offences on the way from Egypt to the Promised Land makes for a long list, and many of these offences relate to failing to trust (e.g., murmuring for food and water and desiring to return to ...

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Michael MacKenzie, MA
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  • BMus, Dalhousie University
  • MA, University of Toronto
  • BEd, Wilfrid Laurier University
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