Major Prophets

The Major Prophets are the four most important prophets whose writings form part of the Old Testament. They are:

• Isaiah
• Jeremiah
• Ezekiel
• Daniel.

The term 'Major Prophets' can also refer to the books of the Bible written by these prophets, which include one named after each prophet, plus Lamentations, which was written by Jeremiah. The Book of Daniel has never been ranked among the Nevi'im, or Prophets, by the Jews, but is ranked by the Jews as belonging to that division of the Tanakh called the Ketuvim, or Writings.

It should be noted that the most important prophet in the Old Testament is in fact Elijah (at the transfiguration, he represented the prophets just as Moses represented the law), but he is not usually considered one of the Major Prophets in this usage, as he did not write a biblical book. Most of Elijah's deeds are recounted in the first book of Samuel.