Skip to search skip to content skip to footer we use cookies to improve your experience. It tells the story of a hebrew prophet named jonah ben amittai who is sent by god to prophesy the destruction of nineveh but tries to escape the divine mission. Daniel, book of, a book of the third division of the hebrew bible, the hagiographa, named for a man daniel whose fortunes and predictions are the subject of the book. The book of jonah, which was once read by scholars with an impossibly straight face, is now regularly read as satire. Jonah, gods objectionable mercy, and the way of wisdom. The book of jonah is a largerthanlife story of every individual who seeks closeness with god.
The complexity of the motives in the book of jonah is palpable. In this article i look at how these satirical readings at once release humour and constrain it, by tailoring humour to a pedagogic purpose and heaping all our laughter upon the prophets head. Literary analysis of jonah chiasmus in jonah has been noted by numerous biblical scholars. Sefer yonah is a book in the hebrew bible, situated in the neviim of the tanakh and the prophets of the old testament. After being swallowed by a fish, jonah prays to god in its belly. 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. Sep 30, 2006 the book of jonah is typically recited during the yom kippur afternoon services, said goldman, rabbi of the chabad jewish center of oklahoma city, and barry cohen, rabbi at temple bnai israel. The story of jonah, like every story told by the torah, isin its entiretya timeless teaching. Reasons for the traditional acceptance of the historicity of jonah.
Yet what depths of the soul does jonahs deep sealine sound. This meant according to the understanding of jonah that nineveh would be destroyed. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah. Oct 01, 2017 the story of the prophet jonah that we customarily read on yom kippur captures the essence of the holiday, that we need to put ourselves aside and act for the benefit of others the story of. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a bitter man. Shipmates, this book, containing only four chaptersfour yarnsis one of the smallest strands in the mighty cable of the scriptures.
Its incredibly complex and obscure hebrew allowing for multiple translations and meanings. Following the lead of the hebrew masoretic text, the title of the book is derived from the principal character, jonah. The book is prophetic in that it speaks a word of judgment and grace to a specific audience, evoking amendment of thought and life. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim in the hebrew bible. Jonah, gods objectionable mercy, and the way of wisdom the. It tells the story of a hebrew prophet named jonah ben amittai who is sent by god to prophesy the destruction of nineveh but tries. Certainly, god desired jonah to proclaim a message to.
Apart from the book traditionally ascribed to him, jonah is mentioned only once in the old testament, 2 kings 14. The story of jonah and the whale the book of jonah. The meaning of the jonah story read on yom kippur michael. 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. What hitherto has been called divine justice is merely the display of the omnipotence of god. Jonah or jonas, in the hebrew bible tanakhold testament, is a prophet of the northern kingdom of israel in about the 8th century bce. In other words, if pagan sailors and wicked ninevites could respond with repentance to prophetic preaching, jewish hearers ought to do likewise. Certainly, god desired jonah to proclaim a message to nineveh in the hopes that they would turn from their wicked ways. It merely tells his history, as the books of the kings tell of elijah, elisha, micaiah, or yimlah ben zimlah. Pirqe derabbi eliezer reads this prayer midrashically, as a description of an alternative mission for jonah in the underworld, in which he saves the fish from the leviathan and promises to bring it the leviathan as a sacrifice for the righteous in the end of days. The late nahum sarna was professor emeritus of biblical studies at brandeis university. Allusions in rabbinic literature to the biblical character jonah, the unwilling prophet on whom the book of jonah centers, contain various expansions, elaborations and inferences beyond what is presented in. Josephus interpretation of jonah volume 17 issue 1 louis h.
May all the jewish people be inscribed and sealed in the book of life for. Nov 21, 2012 although the book of jonah is not about world missions, the theme of gods mission to the world is definitely present in the book. T he book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord. The world is a looking glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Fifth in the canonical order of the minor prophets. Our interpretation, however, explains the plot, the characters, and the dialogue as embodying the primordial struggle between justice and mercy. Like anything in life, the reward for success reflects the amount of effort put. The book relates a story concerning an obscure hebrew prophet named jonah ben amittai who lived during the reign of jeroboam ii 786746 bce. 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. 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. The holiest day in the jewish calendar is yom kippur, the day of atonement, with its theme of repentance. 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. It is a wonderful and thorough study of the book of jonah.
Jonah is the only place in the bible where the essence of jewish identity is so succinctly and powerfully summarized. The story has a long interpretive history and has become well known through popular childrens stories. According to the septuagint text of the book of tobias xiv, 4, the words of jonah in regard to the destruction of ninive are accepted as facts. Jonah is the prophetic book that is traditionally read during the afternoon service on yom kippur jonah and the meaning of our lives by rabbi steven bob provides a contemporary, personal perspective. The negative result reached by these arguments of the book of job may be stated as follows. While there are differing opinions on the exact interpretation of the word. Jonah s escape from the mission he was granted describes the jewish peoples escape from their role to unite above their divisions and exemplify that unity for humanity.
Jonah, ruth, and esther cliffsnotes study guides book. The story of the prophet jonah is recorded in the book of jonah, which is part of the bible, and is read in the synagogue every year on the day of atonement. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. What i found very helpful, as a christian minister, was a jewish perspective of a jewish book. The book of jonah stands unique in the prophetical canon, in that it does not contain any predictions, but simply relates the story of its hero, beginning for that reason with waye. The book relates a story concerning an obscure hebrew prophet named jonah. The story of jonah as allegory, parable or history. Jonah did not want to go on this mission and attempted to flee to tarshish in spain. Simon examines various points of view as he goes on an extensive verse by verse examination of the story of jonah. The whole story ends with the lesson received by jonah, the purpose of the book having thus been accomplished. And one of the synagogue readings for yom kippur is the book of jonah. The book of jonah is the fifth book in the christian canons and the jewish tanakh.
Job is a book that ranks as one of the most difficult books in thetanach bible, for two reasons. The day is an annual observance of fasting, prayer and repentance. The short book of jonah tells the story of the prophet jonah who refused to obey the commandment of jehovah to call nineveh to repentance. 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. Written by the prophet jonah, son of amittai, around 785760 b. It was republished in bible history daily on september 20, 2015. And one of the synagogue readings for yom kippur is the book of jonah in.
However, to my knowledge this is the first attempt to present an overall literary analysis of the book as a whole. Apr 04, 2020 in this essay, to further treat its tripartite theme, we will analyze and consider the book of jonahs historical context, literary milieu, and theological purpose and significance. 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 is typically recited during the yom kippur afternoon services, said goldman, rabbi of the chabad jewish center of oklahoma city, and barry cohen, rabbi at temple bnai israel. The following structure is based on a careful analysis of the content of jonah. How the story of jonah relates to the jewish people. Both men said the jewish holiday is a time of deep reflection and introspection. The meaning of yom kippur in relation to the jonah story. The zealous jewish patriot did not want nineveh to repent. When the book of daniel is examined for content and literary character, it falls naturally into two roughly equal parts which may be designated daniel a. For hundreds of years sunday schools all over the country have taught children the biblical story of jonah and the whale. The prayer is clearly about jonahs soul, and it is a great read when your lower nature seems to be ruling your life. The complex and delicate nature of the subject matter.
Jonah belongs only seemingly to the prophets who were also writers. 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 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. 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. Sometimes we are jonah, complaining and afraid, dissatisfied and inconsolable. Book of jonah, the fifth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, embraced in a single book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. Set in the reign of jeroboam ii, it was probably written in the postexilic period, some time between the late 5th to early 4th century bc. The talmud ascribes the composition of the twelve prophets to the men of the great assembly bava batra 15a. Set in the reign of jeroboam ii 786746 bc, it was probably written in the postexilic period, some time between the late 5th to early 4th century bc.
Commentators who have interpreted the book as an historical narrative identify jonah with the 8thcent. Although often classified with the prophets, the book of jonah is not a prophetic book. It differs from them in that while they for the most part contain prophetic discourses, with a minimum of narrative material, the book of jonah is mainly occupied with a narrative, and the prophetic message in it is almost incidental. 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. We have been invited to consider the relationship between scripture and theology with special reference to wisdom. There is a paradoxical recognition that the closer one comes to god, the more one becomes conscious of the chasm separating gods wisdom from our own. It is an important book to both religious traditions christianity and jewish. Book of jonah, destruction and captivity by the assyrians. Jonah, the book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. One of the most intriguing facets of studying the book of jonah is locating its historical setting.
Jul 18, 2012 jonah has awakened, and, in the metaphorical sense, the dry ground represents the solid truth of the higher conscious state. In this article i look at how these satirical readings at once release. In the modem scholarly version of this exegesis, the book of jonah is described as a polemic against the narrow exclusivism prevalent among the returnees to zion that resulted from the travails of the destruction of the first temple, the exile and persian domination. Many have questioned whether the book of jonah is historical. The sailors realization of jonah as the cause of the storm.
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