I recently reread Richard Pratt’s essay, “Historical Contingencies and Biblical Predictions,” which was his inaugural address presented to the faculty of Reformed Theological Seminary (Orlando) upon his installation as professor of Old Testament in 1993. Operating from a confessional, Calvinistic perspective, he explores “the role of historical contingencies intervening between Old Testament predictions and their fulfillments.” His study has implications for hermeneutics and for theological debates like open theism.
Here is a summary of one of his key sections:
To sum up, we have seen that intervening historical contingencies had a bearing on all
three major types of prophetic predictions.Some predictions explicitly told the original listeners that their actions would effect outcomes.
A few passages assured that a prediction would be realized, but precisely how that outcome would look still remained subject to contingencies.
Beyond this, unqualified predictions, the bulk of the prophetic material, always operated with tacit conditions. In all cases, significant responses preceding fulfillments had
the potential of effecting to some degree how Yahweh would direct the future.
I find Pratt’s exegesis largely convincing and am happy to commend the essay. I would suggest one caveat, however: if you read it substituting the term “prophetic proclamation/announcement” instead of “prediction,” I think it makes a lot more sense.