The former prophets are the same as the so-called Christian Old Testament historical works. These works tell us of the establishment of the Israelites and the troubles that they faced. However, they introduced a number of prophets that received oracles from God, including Elias, Elijah, Samuel, and Nathan. The former prophets include the works of Joshua, from the 8th-7th century BCE and Judges, from the 7th-6th century BCE. They also include the works of Samuel or 1 Samuel and. 2 Samuel, as well as Kings, or 1 Kings and 2 Kings. all coming from the 7th-6th century BCE. These writings indicate what happened to the Israelites as they struggled in the new promised land. They gradually went from a few judges to a full-blown kingdom, with many prophets with their divine oracles along the way.
divine oracles
The oracle against Babylon (Isa 13:1-13:1)
“The oracle
Concerning Babylon
That Isaiah
Son of Amoz
Saw.”
Now begins a series of divine oracles against foreign countries. Obviously despite the title indicating that Isaiah, the son of Amoz, saw this, the Babylonian captivity did not happen in the 8th century BCE, but in the 6th and 7th century BCE. Babylon was the largest city in the world with over 200,000 people, probably the first city to have this many people living in one place during the 18th century BCE (Hammurabi, 1792–1750 BCE), and 6th-7th century BCE (Nebuchadnezzar II, 604–561 BC). This city was located about 50 miles south of present day Baghdad, in present day Hillah, Iraq, between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River, but mostly on the Euphrates River. Babylon was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire from around 911-609 BCE. In 539 BCE, the Persians put an end to the Assyrians after a century of disputes. In the 4th century BCE the Greeks under Alexander the Great took over Babylon. Babylon may have been the inspiration for the story about the Tower of Babel in Genesis, chapter 11.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 