Preview of the post
The Jonah series on the Prophets Section explores meanings of the story of Jonah. This is post number one of twelve and presents the story so the reader and the blogger will be looking at the same story thereby (hopefully) eliminating misunderstandings caused by one of those entities referring to one interpretation of an episode of the story while the other entity is referring to another interpretation of the same episode.
After reading the series, the reader might find the Jonah Discussion Questions thought-provoking.
Jonah
- Introduction
The story is really an oddball. Generally, in the Bible, God’s prophets obeyed God and disbelievers disobeyed God; however, in the story of Jonah these roles are exactly reversed: god’s prophet, Jonah, disobeys by first trying to run away then by constantly arguing with God, then by apparently disavowing the action at the end of the story and simply disappearing; whereas, the pagans of Nineveh (and even to some extent, the sailors on the ship) immediately obey God’s instructions. Furthermore, in most Bible stories, God steps in to save His people, even to the point of destroying their enemies (see, e.g., God’s actions in the Exodus story); however, in this story, God actually saves the very people who will ultimately conquer and exile His chosen people from their homes. Proper interpretation of the story can thus be a prime example of the exception proving the theory.
The story of Jonah delves into various aspects of punishment, repentance, its process, implications and results – both for man and for God. However, the story is more than that. It also delves deeper into an exploration of the God/Man relationship and further illustrates the power of the Israeli God over all, not just Jews, but non-believers and other countries with other gods as well. The story thus vividly illustrates the concept of Hebrew Monotheism: there is only one god, and that god has power over all, Jew and non-Jew alike and will welcome all – so long as those who have transgressed properly repent.
The story is often interpreted as showing God’s mercy extending to all, even beyond the bounds of believers and nationality, and it is this reason that it is commonly retold on Yom Kippur. The story is also used in non-Jewish situations (see, for example, Matt 12:41 and Luke 11:29-32, and Church fathers who cite the story as a lesson on the efficacy of repentance, see, e.g., St. Clement of Rome, Epistle to the Corinthians 7, St. John Chrysostom, Ep. 1.15, among others)[1].
Therefore, it seems worthwhile to further consider the story. This series considers the story and its many interpretations and implications.
The story
Jonah is instructed by God to “go at once to Nineveh[2] and proclaim judgment upon it; for their wickedness has come before me.” Jonah 1:1. Instead of obeying, Jonah attempted to flee to Tarshish by ship from Joppa (Jonah 1:3).
God caused a mighty wind and tempest to engulf the ship and endangered the ship that it might break up (Jonah 1:4). The sailors prayed to their own god and threw ship’s cargo overboard. Meanwhile, Jonah slept in the hold (Jonah 1:5).
The sailors cast lots to find out on whose account the misfortune that has come upon them, and the lot fell upon Jonah (Jonah 1:7) after which Jonah confessed that he was fleeing from an order from his God (Jonah 1:9). Jonah then told the sailors that the way to calm the sea was to cast him overboard (Jonah 1:12). The sailors tried to row to shore, but failed and cried out to God: “Oh, please, Lord, do not let us perish on account of this man’s life. Do not hold us guilty of killing an innocent person! For You, O Lord, by Your will, have brought this about.” (Jonah 1:14). They cast Jonah overboard, and the sea stopped raging (Jonah 1:15).
The Lord then provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah remained in the fish for three days and three nights and prayed all the while (Jonah 2:1-3). During the prayers, Jonah repented and agreed to carry out his mission (Jonah 2:10). God then had the fish deposit Jonah onto dry land (Jonah 2:11).
God again instructed Jonah to go to Nineveh “and proclaim to it what I tell you.” (Jonah 3:1-2). Jonah complied stating “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” (Jonah 3:4). The people of Nineveh believed and complied: “They proclaimed a fast, and great and small alike put on sackcloth.” (Jonah 3:6) Even the king “rose from his throne, took off his robe, put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he had the word cried through Nineveh: ‘By decree of the king and his nobles: No man or beast – of flock or herd – shall taste anything. They shall not graze and they shall not drink water! They shall be covered with sackcloth -man and beast – and shall cry mightily to God. Let everyone turn back from his evil ways and from the injustice of which he is guilty. Who know but that God may turn and relent? He may turn back from His wrath, so that we do not perish.” (Jonah 3:7-9).
God renounced the punishment He had planned to bring upon them, and did not carry it out (Jonah 3:10).
Jonah was displeased by God’s action of renouncing punishment and asked God to take his life (Jonah 4:1). God then asked Jonah: “Are you that deeply grieved?” (Jonah 4:4). There is no answer from Jonah.
Jonah was resting at a place east of the city and made a booth and sat under it in the shade to see what would happen to the city (Jonah 4:5). God provided a ricinus plant to shade Jonah and Jonah was happy for the shade (Jonah 4:6). However, the next day at dawn, “God provided a worm, which attacked the plant so that it withered.” (Jonah 4:7). The sun then punished Jonah and he (again) begged for death (Jonah 4:8). God said to Jonah: “Are you so deeply grieved about the plant?” and Jonah replied “Yes” “so deeply that I want to die.” (Jonah 4:9).
This time, God replies to Jonah with instructions: “You cared about the plant, which you did not work for and which you did not grow, which appeared overnight and perished overnight. And should not I care about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons wh do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well!” (Jonah 4:10-11). There is no reply from Jonah. The story ends there.
Preview of the next post
The next post, post two of fourteen, presents several common interpretations of the story of Jonah.
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[1] The story has also been used by non-Jews to show Jonah as a petty, narrow-minded, bigoted, stiff-necked representative of his people, and has thus been given a strong anti-Semitic reading. The story has also been viewed as showing Jonah as being worthy of worship by Christians over Jesus because Jonah was swallowed by a fish and lived inside the fish for three days which is a feat greater than resurrection (see Elias Beckerman, Four Strange Books of the Bible (Jonah/Daniel/Kohelth/Esther) (New York; Schocken Books, 1967), p 3). Further, the book has no support in archaeological studies, and is not really a prophetic book since Jonah prophesizes only one time.
[2] It might be interesting to note that at the time many historians agree that Jonah served as a prophet, about 770-750 B.C.E., the actual city of Nineveh, although it may have been the largest city in the world, was experiencing military and diplomatic setbacks, famine, popular uprisings, an earthquake and an eclipse. It is also interesting to note that the actual city of Nineveh was destroyed somewhere around 612 B.C.E. and was never rebuilt. It is also interesting to note that Jonah is the only prophet sent to save heathens.