Part of the increasingly popular EP Study Commentary Series.

There were no investigative journalists in the ancient world to bring to the attention of the public matters which the rich and powerful wished to keep hidden.

To a certain extent the journalists role was fulfilled in ancient Israel by the prophets of Yahweh, amongst whom was numbered Isaiah. He exposed the follies of the rich, oppression in society, commented on the inadequacies of foreign alliances and resolutely confronted wayward kings.

The role of a prophet, however, differed in many key respects from that of a journalist. For one thing, the prophet was called and commissioned by God for the role that he had to play. A true prophet did not opt for this as a career: it was divinely assigned to him.