Midrash sa Mikas 1:1: Aggadat Bereshit

[4] This is from the commentary on the book of Ezekiel. The vision of Isaiah: Two prophets prophesied in this language, Isaiah and Obadiah. Isaiah is the greatest among the prophets, and Obadiah is the smallest among the prophets. Some say that he was a convert. How do we know this? Because every prophet who does not mention his father mentions his place of origin. Thus, Hosea son of Beeri's origin is mentioned (Hosea 1:1) because his father was also a prophet. Amos mentions his place of origin, "The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa" (Amos 1:1). Similarly, Micah the Morashtite (Micah 1:1) is mentioned as a prophet. Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo the prophet (Zechariah 1:1) was a son of a prophet. Zephaniah was a son of a prophet. Obadiah did not mention either his father or his place of origin, but merely his vision (Obadiah 1:1), as he was a convert and the least of the prophets. However, Isaiah's vision is the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, and Obadiah's vision, both are equal. So why did Obadiah prophesy only before the elders, as it says, "The vision of Obadiah: Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom" (Obadiah 1:1)? This is because it came from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, from the mouth of the Sanhedrin. How do we know this? Because it says, "We have heard a rumor from the Lord" (Jeremiah 50:46). Similarly, Isaiah prophesied from the mouth of the Sanhedrin, as it says, "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send?" (Isaiah 6:8), from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, and "Who will go for us?" (Isaiah 6:8), from the mouth of the Sanhedrin. Although they prophesied from the Holy One, blessed be He, if the Sanhedrin did not permit it, they had no authority to prophesy. This is why "Whom shall I send?" is from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, and "Who will go for us?" is from the mouth of the Sanhedrin. Therefore, both of them prophesied in a vision, as the gematria of "vision" [חזון] is seventy-one, and they both prophesied in the seventy-one member Sanhedrin. Rabbi Benaiah says that the vision that they both prophesied in the seventy-one member Sanhedrin is in the same language. Isaiah is the greatest among the prophets, and Obadiah is the smallest among the prophets. Why? Because there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few (1 Samuel 14:6).