Revised by Tyler Mayfield (5/24)
SUMMARY
God calls JonahJonah son of Amittai was a rebellious prophet who fled from the Lord’s command, only to be delivered by a big and fish and bring about the repentance of Nineveh. to be a prophet to the wicked city Nineveh, but Jonah flees across the sea in the opposite direction. When God sends a storm to threaten the ship, the sailors and Jonah dialogue about Jonah’s identity and his purpose on the journey. They learn that he is fleeing from God. The sailors attempt to escape from the storm, but eventually the prophet is thrown overboard. God sends a large fish to rescue Jonah, and, in the fish’s belly, Jonah sings a song of thanks. The fish spits Jonah up on dry land, and God calls Jonah to go to Nineveh a second time. Jonah goes to Nineveh, preaches a short sermon, and the whole city repents. The king of Nineveh issues a decree that all people and animals turn from their evil ways. Jonah becomes angry at this outcome and admits to God that the reason he had fled in the first place was that he had known that God would be merciful to the city. Jonah had wanted the city destroyed. God then uses a plant to try to teach Jonah that God loves all creatures, but Jonah remains angry. The story ends with God’s question to Jonah about God’s concern for Nineveh.
SO WHAT?
The Book of Jonah ends with a question. God asks Jonah, “Should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?” Jonah does not answer. The question is left then for the reader to answer. Should God be concerned even about those who live in Nineveh, those we might consider our enemies? And if God is, shouldn’t we also be concerned?
WHERE DO I FIND IT?
Jonah is the fifth of the so-called “minor prophets,” the 12 shorter prophetic books that make up the final portion of the Old Testament.
WHO WROTE IT?
The author of the Book of Jonah is anonymous. We know nothing of the author other than what we can intuit from the book. 2 Kings 14:25 speaks of a prophet named Jonah son of Amittai who lived during the reign of King Jeroboam IIThe king of Israel (786-746) during a time when Israel increased in prosperity and power. in the 8th century BCE. But the book of Jonah does not ascribe the book’s authorship to this historical figure. Some people think that Jonah wrote this book, but unlike other prophetic books, the Book of Jonah is a story about Jonah and does not contain collections of messages spoken by the prophet. Most scholars accept that the historical Jonah was not the author, only the inspiration for a later story.
WHEN WAS IT WRITTEN?
The date when Jonah was written is uncertain. Because of certain features of the language of the book and because of its theological themes, many scholars conclude that the book was written sometime between 500-400 BCE, after the Babylonian exile. At that time, there was great tension between Jews and Gentiles in JudahJudah was the name of Jacob’s fourth son and one of the 12 tribes. and that is a major theme of the book.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Jonah is about a Hebrew prophet who rebels against God and flees from God’s command. But God redirects the fleeing prophet, who ends up preaching a message that brings the wicked city of Nineveh to repentRepentance is a central biblical teaching. All people are sinful and God desires that all people repent of their sins. The Hebrew word for repent means to “turn away” from sin. The Greek word for repentance means to “change on’e mind,” more specifically, it means….
HOW DO I READ IT?
Jonah is a story. When a person reads a story, he or she pays attention to things such as plot and characters. In terms of Jonah’s plot, one basic issue is, “What will God do with a prophet who disobeys God’s command?” A second central issue is, “On whom will God have mercy–just the Israelites, or also Nineveh and other places and people of great evil?” There are two central characters: Jonah and God. The basic issue with God is the question of whether God will have mercyMercy is a term used to describe leniency or compassion. God’s mercy is frequently referred to or invoked in both the Old and New Testaments. on rebellious and wicked people–such as those who live in Nineveh or a prophet who rebels. The basic question with Jonah is whether he can learn to accommodate his own sense of right and wrong to the realities of God’s mercy.
