The previous few minor prophets were written during Judah’s Pre-Exile period. The next couple skip entirely past the exile and are set as a group of captives return to the promised land to reestablish their ancient home.
Because of Judah’s insistence on selfish, harmful ways and their consistent refusal of God’s invitations to repentance and wholesome living, the disaster God had warned of, came: the Babylonian Captivity. The army of Babylon laid siege, destroyed Jerusalem’s protective wall, and took the population to Babylon as captives. There they finished out their lives.
God sent some prophets during the Babylonian Captivity, but they are not among the Bible’s minor prophets. Jeremiah survived into the captivity and continued to prophecy. Daniel was taken captive as a young man and prophesied in Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel was born in captivity.
The prophet Jeremiah had revealed a particular message from God: after 70 years in captivity, Judah would return to their homeland. As an old man, the prophet Daniel realized that meant the return would happen in his own time.
And finally, a small contingent did return, under the civil leadership of the governor Zerubbabel and the religious leadership of the priest Joshua. Harassed by enemies, underfunded, and disorganized, this group nevertheless established a barely sustainable life in the promised land.
Much later than this, under Nehemiah and Ezra, a second wave came to improve on this hardscrabble existence.
But that was long afterward. We will be discussing the first group of returnees.