The role of prophets in the history of Israel is a significant theme throughout the Old Testament. Prophets were chosen by God to deliver His messages, often calling the people of Israel to repentance and warning them of the consequences of their disobedience. Despite their divine mandate, many prophets faced persecution and rejection from the very people they were sent to guide.

Biblical Instances of Persecution

1. Moses: Although not persecuted in the same manner as later prophets, Moses faced significant opposition from the Israelites during their journey through the wilderness. The people frequently grumbled against him and questioned his leadership, as seen in Exodus 17:3: "But the people thirsted there for water, and they grumbled against Moses, saying, 'Why have you brought us out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?'"

2. Elijah: Elijah's confrontation with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel is a notable example of prophetic persecution. Jezebel sought to kill Elijah after he defeated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. In 1 Kings 19:2, Jezebel sends a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them."

3. Jeremiah: Known as the "weeping prophet," Jeremiah endured significant persecution for his prophecies against Judah and Jerusalem. He was beaten, put in stocks (Jeremiah 20:2), and later thrown into a cistern (Jeremiah 38:6). Despite his suffering, Jeremiah remained faithful to his calling, as seen in Jeremiah 20:9: "But if I say, 'I will not mention Him or speak any more in His name,' His message becomes a fire burning in my heart, shut up in my bones, and I become weary of holding it in, and I cannot prevail."

4. Zechariah: The son of Jehoiada the priest, Zechariah was stoned to death by order of King Joash for his prophetic rebuke. 2 Chronicles 24:21 records this tragic event: "But they conspired against him, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD."

5. Amos: Amos faced opposition from Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, who accused him of conspiracy and sought to expel him from the land. Amos 7:12-13 recounts Amaziah's words: "Then Amaziah said to Amos, 'Go away, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah. Earn your bread there and do your prophesying there, but never prophesy at Bethel again, because it is the king’s sanctuary and the temple of the kingdom.'"

New Testament Reflection

The New Testament reflects on the persecution of the prophets as a recurring theme in Israel's history. Jesus Himself lamented over Jerusalem's treatment of the prophets, saying in Matthew 23:37: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling!"

Stephen, the first Christian martyr, also highlighted this pattern in his speech before the Sanhedrin. In Acts 7:52, he declared, "Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered Him."

Theological Implications

The persecution of the prophets underscores the persistent rebellion and hardness of heart among the people of Israel. Despite God's continuous efforts to guide and correct His people through His messengers, they often chose to reject and persecute those sent to them. This pattern serves as a sobering reminder of the human tendency to resist divine correction and the cost of faithfulness for those who speak God's truth.2 Chronicles 36:16
But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Matthew 5:12
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Concerning the Kingdom of the Jews, which was Founded by the one ...
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persecuted them, and wished to ... has been foretold by their prophets so long ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 34 concerning the kingdom of.htm

Refutation of the Jews
... Let the Jews, who have investigated the matter ... The Assyrians oppressed Israel, the
Egyptians persecuted them, the Babylonians ... did any of the holy prophets or of ...
/.../athanasius/on the incarnation of the word/chapter 6 refutation of the.htm

Prophets in their Country.
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/.../origens commentary on the gospel of matthew/18 prophets in their country.htm

Acts XXVI
... being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even to ... That the Jews had not
succeeded, with all their ... those things which Moses and the prophets did say ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xxvi.htm

Demonstration xxi. --Of Persecution.
... also the Jews, the congregation of wicked men, persecuted. ... he knew that for malice
the Jews were accusing Him ... fulfilled the visions and the Prophets, His Father ...
/.../aphrahat/aphrahat select demonstrations/demonstration xxi of persecution.htm

Expository Treatise against the Jews.
... of the world;" that is, they have persecuted me with a ... None of the righteous or prophets
called himself the Son of ... as in the person of the Jews, Solomon speaks ...
/.../expository treatise against the jews.htm

For Though Man was Created in Grace, God, Foreseeing his ...
... For neither was the law for the Jews alone, nor were the Prophets sent for them
only, but, though sent to the Jews and persecuted by the Jews, they were for ...
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Jews.
... thoughts of men, as it is written in the prophets. ... The extreme aversion of the Jews
to every thing ... for many centuries they have been persecuted, plundered, and ...
//christianbookshelf.org/hayward/the book of religions/jews.htm

No Salvation to the Jews Except through Christ.
... Chapter XXVI."No salvation to the Jews except through Christ ... say so; but those who
have persecuted and do ... along with the patriarchs and the prophets, and the ...
/.../chapter xxvi no salvation to the.htm

It is Proved from the Prophets that the Passion and Death of ...
... And the prophets had predicted that all these things ... time the Emperor Vespasian subdued
the Jews, and laid ... forsook the Lord their God, and persecuted their King ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xlvi it is proved from.htm

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