Questions From Readers

◼ Which Bible writer was a “general,” as mentioned in the book The Bible​—God’s Word or Man’s?a

That helpful book about God’s Word says on page 10: “The Bible is also unique because of the claim made by many of its writers. Some 40 individuals, including kings, shepherds, fishermen, civil servants, priests, at least one general, and a physician, had a hand in writing the different parts of the Bible. But time and again, the writers made the same claim: that they were writing not their own thoughts but God’s.”

Some have asked which Bible writers were identified with those various professions or activities. In this regard, please consider the following:

Kings: A number of Bible writers were kings. David and Solomon may come to mind most readily. (Psalm 3, superscription; Proverbs 1:1; Ecclesiastes 1:1) However, the song in Isaiah 38:10-20 was written by Hezekiah. (Isa 38 Verse 9) Many scholars believe that he also composed Psalm 119, perhaps before becoming king. And Hezekiah played a role in compiling Proverbs chapters 25–29. (Proverbs 25:1) The last chapter of Proverbs was prepared by “Lemuel the king.” Some identify him with King Hezekiah, though others think that Lemuel was King Solomon.​—Proverbs 31:1.

Shepherds: David and the prophet Amos worked as shepherds. (1 Samuel 16:11-13; 17:15, 28, 34; Amos 1:1) Amos wrote the Bible book bearing his name, and David composed numerous psalms. The famous Psalm 23 certainly reflects David’s familiarity with shepherding.

Fishermen: Of Jesus’ apostles who were fishermen, John and Peter were later inspired to write books of the Bible. (Matthew 4:18-22) Under divine inspiration John penned a Gospel account as well as three letters and the book of Revelation. Peter wrote two inspired letters.

Civil servants: Both Daniel and Nehemiah were civil servants of foreign governments that exercised authority over God’s people. (Nehemiah 1:1, 11; 2:1, 2; Daniel 1:19; 2:49; 6:1-3) Two Bible books bear the names of these men.

Priests: Two of God’s prophets used to pen Bible books were priests. They were Jeremiah and Ezekiel. (Jeremiah 1:1; Ezekiel 1:1-3) Additionally, Ezra was an Aaronic priest who “was a skilled copyist in the law of Moses.” He “prepared his heart to consult the law of Jehovah and to do it and to teach in Israel regulation and justice.”​—Ezra 7:1-6, 10, 11.

General: The role Joshua played in leading the army as the Israelites moved into the Promised Land and battled against many enemy peoples qualifies him as a general. (Joshua 1:1-3; 11:5, 6) He was privileged to write the book of Joshua. Then, too, some Bible readers may view David as a man who functioned as a general before he became a king.​—1 Samuel 19:8; 23:1-5.

Physician: Finally, Colossians 4:14 mentions “Luke the beloved physician.” Luke wrote the Gospel bearing his name, and evidently Acts of Apostles as well.

[Footnotes]