Sep 01, 2004 a jonah, son of amittai, is also mentioned in ii kings 14. The vast majority of commentators and students of the book of jonah still adhere to one of the first three readings or some combination thereof see david kimhi on 1. Jonah and the whale almost serves as a cipher or cliffsnotes kind of summary for the book, despite the facts that 1 the book never calls the animal in question a whale but simply a fish or big fish, and 2 the fish episode is hardly what the book of jonah is primarily about. The theme of repentance nominates it for being read on yom kippur, but it has less to say. Though the book contains no direct prophecy, the experience of jonah is itself a reflection of the message of god. The book of jonah stands as an important link in the prophetic chain, giving readers a glimpse of christs death and resurrection hundreds of years before they actually occurred. It is an important book to both religious traditions christianity and jewish. The book of jonah closes with sullen and unwilling jonah still preferring death to gods outpouring of mercy upon anyone except jonah and his jewish relatives. The man jonah was the main character of the book, he was the son of amittai jonah 1. The book of jonah stands unique among the biblical books of the prophets because it is almost entirely narrative.
Jonah did not want to go on this mission and attempted to flee to tarshish in spain. The book of jonah, written primarily in the third person, does not explicitly name the prophet as the author of his own account, but we have no reason to doubt either the inspiration or the historical veracity of the book. Unfortunate or not, the book of jonah, which may best be understood as a parable, is included in the section known as neviim in the hebrew bible tanach and the prophetic books, the twelve, in english versions of the bible. In the book of jonah, jonah the prophet is instructed to go to a pagan city nineveh to preach to the ninevites, hoping that they will repent for their sins. Therefore, my interpretation of what jonah is saying is that the belly of the fish was his grave, and grave is a place for the deadyou do not put a live man in a grave. The book of jonah is about an event that jesus said took place in history. The book of jonah revolves around jonahs memorable complaint to yhwh 4. Literary analysis of jonah chiasmus in jonah has been noted by numerous biblical scholars. The book of jonah merely mentions a great fish jonahi, 17, and although the english version in matthewxii, 40 uses the word whale, the greek original has katoj, which is a general word meaning a huge seamonster. The book of jonah demonstrates the sovereignty of the almighty as he employs his creation to accomplish the divine plan. Jul 18, 2012 jonah has awakened, and, in the metaphorical sense, the dry ground represents the solid truth of the higher conscious state. Josephus interpretation of jonah volume 17 issue 1 louis h. God does not desire that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance 1 tim 2. An interpretation of the book of jonah, bull, geoffrey t on.
This meant according to the understanding of jonah that nineveh would be destroyed. Jonah, ruth, and esther cliffsnotes study guides book. Yonah is a strange prophet, and sefer yonah the book of jonah a strange book. The book of jonah is narrative history and a prophetic oracle. Jonah 2 is packed almost completely with a prayer connected to jonahs experiences while waiting in the belly of the great fish that had swallowed him. A bible commentary for teaching and preaching offers a full interpretation of the biblical text, combining historical scholarship and theological purpose. Instead of rejoicing, jonah became upset because of gods compassion. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a bitter man. Analysis of the book of jonah essay 2162 words bartleby. Jonah or jonas, in the hebrew bible tanakhold testament, is a prophet of the northern kingdom of israel in about the 8th century bce. What is the meaning of the biblical story of jonah in. To calm a storm, the crew throws jonah into the sea, where he is swallowed by a great fish god. The story of jonah has numerous theological implications, and this has long been.
Summary of the book of jonah the story of the bible. This makes jonah one of the few prophets who hailed from the northern kingdom of israel. The book of jonah is the fifth book in the christian canons and the jewish tanakh. The prayer is clearly about jonahs soul, and it is a great read when your lower nature seems to be ruling your life. Our interpretation, however, explains the plot, the characters, and the dialogue as embodying the primordial struggle between justice and mercy. During jonahs years as a prophet, israel stood tall. The book of jonah is different from the other minor prophets, for it is the personal experience of the prophet himself. He is the central figure of the book of jonah, in which he is called upon by god to travel to nineveh and warn its residents of impending divine wrath. Journal of the evangelical theological society 23 1980. Book of jonah overview insight for living ministries.
The theme of repentance nominates it for being read on. Catholics are free to understand the story of jonah and the whale as literal history or as didactic fiction. Although yonah is generally defined as dove, its actual meaning. Perhaps the third quarter of the eighth century is the most likely date for the book, after the public ministries of amos and hosea and before the fall of samaria to assyria in 722721. The final position is that the story of jonah is to be taken as literal history, but some problems with dating the events and the miracles described in the book have been taken by some critics as an argument against a literal interpretation bullock 5357. Not only does sasson go phrase by phrase through the fourchapter book of jonah, discussing the book, discussing sources, but he provides us with an excellent translation, and. The book begins with god telling jonah to go to the great city of nineveh. In catholicism and fundamentalism, karl keating writes. Jonah, gods objectionable mercy, and the way of wisdom the. Although the book of jonah is not about world missions, the theme of gods mission to the world is definitely present in the book. The story, about a prophet named jonah, was written to criticize and rebuke the narrow spirit of nationalism that jonah observed among so many of the jewish people.
The book is replete with irony, wherein much of its humor lies. Not only does sasson go phrase by phrase through the fourchapter book of jonah, discussing the book, discussing sources, but he provides us with an excellent translation, and lengthy introduction and postscripts. Jonah is identified as a prophet and servant of god during the reign of king jeroboam ii of israel 2 kings 14. Incorporated into each session are touchstone texts from the book of jonah and from the book of jonah. It tells of a hebrew prophet named jonah son of amittai who is sent by god to prophesy the destruction of nineveh but tries to escape the divine mission. A palestinian feminist reading of the book of jonah elca.
Jonah, gods objectionable mercy, and the way of wisdom. A jonah, son of amittai, is also mentioned in ii kings 14. The book contains fascination interaction between men and god, which sasson brings out well. When the call of god came to him, jonah could not see beyond his own selfish desire for god to punish the assyrians.
The name jonah means dove in hebrew, but jonahs character is anything but dovelike. When god calls abraham to offer his son isaac as a sacrifice, abraham gets up early in the morning and goes, but when god calls jonah, jonah runs away. Many have questioned whether the book of jonah is historical. Nevertheless, focus on the whale highlights the genre. Literary characteristics unlike most other prophetic parts of the ot, this book is a narrative account of a single prophetic mission. Still, the book gives significant clues about how it was meant to be read. Apart from the book traditionally ascribed to him, jonah is mentioned only once in the old testament, 2 kings 14. Apr 15, 2018 jonah 2 is packed almost completely with a prayer connected to jonah s experiences while waiting in the belly of the great fish that had swallowed him. However, the book of jonah is independent of the book of kings and has its own agenda.
David guzik commentary on jonah 1, where jonah receives a call from god, but decides to run from him, which god prevents by sending a storm. Josephus has transformed what bickerman has called a morality play, which, in the bible, focuses upon the sinful people of nineveh, their genuine repentance, and their forgiveness by god, into a historical episode centering upon the historical figure of jonah, who, as a prophet, is closely akin to the historian, and. The name jonah is derived from the hebrew word yonah meaning dove. However, to my knowledge this is the first attempt to present an overall literary analysis of the book as a whole. Jonah has awakened, and, in the metaphorical sense, the dry ground represents the solid truth of the higher conscious state. Intro to jonah biblica the international bible society. God never gives up on jonah and the people of nineveh because he is slow to anger, loving and compassionate. But he could not understand how god could love even foreign nations who did bad things. Through some supernatural events, god convinced him to obey and carry out the lords plan. He was gods instrument to carry out gods will on earth. In the belly of the fish for three days, jonah cries out to god, repents. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of jonah in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. Although the book is written in the third person, the traditional view is that jonah is the author of the book, and there is no persuasive reason to theorize about an unknown author.
Key personalities include jonah, the captain and the ships crew and the people of nineveh. The other literal interpretation is that jonah indeed underwent what the story, read as straight history, says he did but survived only because of a positive miracle, and several different sorts of miracles have been suggested, such as suspended animation on jonahs part or a fish with a remarkably large air supply and decidedly mild. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. Psychology and the interpretation of the book of jonah stuart lasine journal for the study of the old testament 2017 41. The storyline to this point is a drily humorous and largerthanlife portrayal one should note the repeated use of the adjective g. As we have seen, jonah, like many literary works, does not identify its genre but leaves it to the reader to discern. The book of jonah is also the only one that isnt a compilation of prophecies condemning the wicked and rewarding the righteous. It would be presumptuous to think that one could, in a brief article, speak the final word on the questions in debate. The book of jonah relates how god told jonah to go to the major assyrian city of nineveh and there prophecy that after 40 days it would be overturned.
The catholic church is silent on the proper interpretation of many biblical passages, readers being allowed to accept one of several understandings. And one of the synagogue readings for yom kippur is the book of jonah in hebrew, sefer yonah. So, the first main meaning in oed for literal is o f or pertaining to letters of the alphabet. Jonah 4 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. This is the perfect type of fleshly israels rejection of christ and of christianity throughout history. Josephus has transformed what bickerman has called a morality play, which, in the bible, focuses upon the sinful people of nineveh, their genuine repentance, and their forgiveness by god, into a historical episode centering upon the historical figure of jonah, who, as a prophet, is closely akin to the historian, and upon. The crew try to row and row and do things their own way, whereas jonah wants to jump into the sea. This little roll of four short chapters has given rise to almost as much discussion and difference of opinion as the first four chapters of genesis. T he book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord.
The book of jonah is an example that will be used to determine if this particular story describes an accurate recount of history, or if it teaches the readers a lesson. The following structure is based on a careful analysis of the content of jonah in the hebrew text. It is one of trei asar the twelve prophets in the tanakh, and in christian tradition as oi dodeka prophetai or ton dodekapropheton, greek for the twelve prophets. Our previous treatment of jonah illustrates the importance of the discernment of genre for interpretation of the bible. I am drawn to the book of jonah not only because i. Verses 12 this book is a story about god and jonah. Jonah, the book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. Certainly, god desired jonah to proclaim a message to nineveh in the hopes that they would turn from their wicked ways. Jonah means dove and is a representation of the divine spirit crew of the ship are the thoughts that come into our minds. The book of jonah was likely written between 793 and 758 b. Although often classified with the prophets, the book of jonah is not a prophetic book. The analysis of the various imaginative genre classifications of the book of jonah shows that scholars have viewed the book as an allegory, parable, mashal, prophetic legend, midrash, novella, or.
Jonah 4 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on the. Outline of the book of jonah jonah doesnt like his duty, so he tries to flee from god on a ship. It contains its own story of penitence and divine forgiveness, and as a result, the book of jonah is read in the synagogue on the climactic day of yom kippur at the afternoon minchah service. The supposed legendary character of some of the events e. The story is presented much like that of elijah and elisha. The book of jonah is about god and how great his heart is toward prodigal sons and daughters who run away from him. A free bible commentary on the book of jonah in simple english. Modern scholars are divided as to whether jonah composed the prayer during his time in the fish or recorded it later the text does not make it clear, and its not important to make a distinction.
The book of jonah recounts real events in the life and ministry of the prophet himself. Interpretation revives the neglected art of expository writing that explains the books of. In conclusion, i encourage you to read jonahs prayer again while he is in the belly of the whale. Determining date and authorship of jonah remains problematic, as explicit references do not exist within the narrative. Jonah is commanded to go east to nineveh but flees toward the westernmost possible point 1. Jonah free bible commentary in easy english easyenglish bible. It brings an understanding of what the text says into dialogue with the critical questions and problems of contemporary life and faith.
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