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Qur'an accuses Jews of killing their prophets:

And [recall] when you said, "O Moses, we can never endure one [kind of] food. So call upon your Lord to bring forth for us from the earth its green herbs and its cucumbers and its garlic and its lentils and its onions." [Moses] said, "Would you exchange what is better for what is less? Go into [any] settlement and indeed, you will have what you have asked." And they were covered with humiliation and poverty and returned with anger from Allah [upon them]. That was because they [repeatedly] disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right. That was because they disobeyed and were [habitually] transgressing. Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans [before Prophet Muhammad] - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve. [Quran 2:61-62]

Is there any truth behind that claim according to the Jewish tradition ? Have Jews killed any of their prophets according to their own tradition ?

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    There's a bit of truth. There were evil kings of Judah, and Israel (at some point in history, the kingdoms split) and those Kings killed prophets that disagreed with them. There were also moments in which prophets came to condemn people to death by the sword from incoming nations, such prophets were occasionally thrown in prison for a similar reason, mostly because there were OTHER prophets prophesying the exact opposite (that God would deliver them). So it wasn't always the easiest to know which prophet to follow
    – Aaron
    Jun 16, 2016 at 23:59
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    On the flip side, there were also people who were helping and saving the prophets. Some people hid them in caves and fed them, etc. So while there were some out to kill prophets, there were also those out to save them
    – Aaron
    Jun 17, 2016 at 0:01
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    For the record, all of the events mentioned by @Aaron occurred long after the time of Moses. Jun 17, 2016 at 0:40

3 Answers 3

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Yes. Jews killed many prophets. And here is a proof from 1 Kings 19 (14).

Then the Lord spoke his word to him: “Elijah! Why are you here?”

10 He answered, “Lord God All-Powerful, I have always served you as well as I could. But the people of Israel have broken their agreement with you, destroyed your altars, and killed your prophets with swords. I am the only prophet left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.”

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  • Imran Khan, Welcome to Mi Yodeya, and thanks for bringing in this relevant source! I look forward to seeing you around.
    – Isaac Moses
    Jan 18, 2017 at 19:06
  • I haven't been on here for a while here For a while I am not here now because today someone asked me a question on something I wrote. Please ( I know you are a moderator) There is a reason that it's brought down not to to be melamed torah l'goyim, and this is applicable here b/c that faith says we are Rashaim b/c of what was asked and answered, This seems like a troll, He's not wise because he knew this it's written In his book, This is one of the reasons they say Yiddin are Rashim, I hope you understand what I mean PS I know this is an old post
    – Sochacz
    Oct 17, 2023 at 18:42
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Yes, the Jews did kill a prophet-- Zechariah the High Priest and Prophet:

ורוח אלהים לבשה את־זכריה בן־יהוידע הכהן ויעמד מעל לעם ויאמר להם כה אמר האלהים למה אתם עברים את־מצות יהוה ולא תצליחו כי־עזבתם את־יהוה ויעזב אתכם. ויקשרו עליו וירגמהו אבן במצות המלך בחצר בית יהוה

Then the spirit of God enveloped Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest; he stood above the people and said to them, “Thus God said: Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD when you cannot succeed? Since you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.” They conspired against him and killed him by stoning in the court of the House of the LORD, by order of the king (Chronicles 24:20-21).

However, to echo @Salmononius2, this event took place hundreds of years after the Exodus.

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    Just to clarify that this is not the same Zechariah as in "the Book of Zechariah".
    – Double AA
    Jun 17, 2016 at 4:13
  • Thanks for the answer. By the way, the verse doesn't explicitly says killing the prophets took at the same time of Moses.
    – SpiderRico
    Jun 17, 2016 at 14:11
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    The verse says that at the time of Moses, they had already (in the past) killed prophets.
    – user9907
    Jun 17, 2016 at 16:34
  • Zechariah was killed as a high priest who dared criticize the king… not as a prophet Jan 17, 2017 at 18:40
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Yes the idolator King Manasseh killed his grandfather, the prophet Isaiah (Yevamoth 49b).

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  • Related (see footnote 3): judaism.stackexchange.com/a/40541
    – Fred
    Jun 22, 2016 at 20:30
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    Isaiah was not King Manasseh's grandfather...do you have a source for this? Ahaz was his grandfather.
    – ezra
    Dec 22, 2016 at 5:13
  • @EzraHoerster Manasseh, like most people had two grandfathers.
    – Double AA
    Dec 30, 2016 at 0:45
  • @DoubleAA - Ah, to be honest the thought had not occurred to me that Manasseh's maternal grandfather could be the prophet Isaiah. Perhaps you could provide a source for this claim?
    – ezra
    Dec 30, 2016 at 1:58
  • Gemara Brachos. The king didn't have any children because he saw (Ruch Hakodesh). that one of his children will be wicked, he got sick and Isaiah visited him And told him he needs to have children because it is a Mitzva He should not worry about any outcome. The king said then let me marry your daughter, perhaps in the merit of me and you We will have a righteous son. They did so. He had two sons Menasha killed his brother as a baby
    – Sochacz
    Oct 17, 2023 at 18:45

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