in general, a person who foretells future events; but is particularly applied to such inspired persons among the Jews as were commissioned by God to declare his will and purposes to that people. Among the canonical books of the Old Testament, we have the writings of 16 prophets, four of whom are denominated the greater prophets, viz. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel; to called from the length or extent of their writings, which exceed those of the others, viz. Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, who are called the lesser prophets, from the shortness of their writings. The Jews do not place Daniel among the prophets, because, they say, he lived the life of a courtier rather than that of a prophet. An account of the several writings of the prophets may be seen each under its particular head. See the article ISAIAH, &c.