Pdf the literary genre of the book of jonah researchgate. Jonah, the man who ran from god catholic daily reflections. This was a sign that he was a real prophet, preaching a true message from the living god. Calkins, on page 168 of his book, illustrates this with his list of allegorical meanings. The prophet is identified as jonah, son of amittai, who lived under the.
Jonah 4 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. The latest book from the reflectionary follows the big story from the very beginning of everything up to the wonder of easter morning and its out now. In any case, from its style it is quite clear that the book of jonah was written centuries later. Jan 09, 2012 the following is a reflection on jonah 3. But what jonah quotes from his scriptures such as the passages cited above, he has now twisted into biting sarcasm.
But as against all the rest, his book does not purport to be the prophecy or writing of a prophet. Raymond calkins in his book, the modern message of the minor prophets, writes. Beautifully balanced, deep and profound jonah s adventure opens a window into the heart of god. Interestingly, the book of jonah consists of only 4 chapters, 48 verses, and just over 1,300 words. A reflection on anger, forgiveness, and letting go. Commentators who have interpreted the book as an historical narrative identify jonah with the 8thcent.
Now, i dont mean to imply that the book of jonah is a testament to the inexorable will of god. A plant of uncertain identity, probably the ricinus communis, or castor oil tree. I am currently taking a course that is an introduction to the bible. 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 reflection on anger, forgiveness, and letting go claudia. Highlights from the books of obadiah, jonah, and micah. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. Certainly, god desired jonah to proclaim a message to nineveh in the hopes that they would turn from their wicked ways. Did jonah think that god was not present in the ship or in the sea and that he could slip out of his hand. It is a divine lesson plan of the lords that holds infinite truths to be studied forever. You will not find a better character study on jonah, or better exegetical and pastoral commentary on the book of jonah than this book, under the unpredictable plant. Jesse tree reflections john the baptist jonah scribd. Commentary on the book of jonah jonah 1 1the word of the lord came to jonah the son of amittai saying, 2arise, go to nineveh the great city and cry against it, for their wickedness has come up before me. Jesus did not consider the book of jonah to be a fable or myth.
In the end, god won and jonah went to nineveh to preach. This is a similar activity for lent using 14 readings to hang on a lenten tree. While modern skeptics may find it impossible that a man could survive inside a great fish for three days, jesus compared himself to jonah, showing that this prophet existed and that the story was historically accurate. Imagine what would have happened if jonah would have just listened to god from the very beginning. 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 book of jonah, therefore, is a statement made through the wonderful medium of the story of jonah of gods compassion even of a pagan people like the ninevites who were enemies of the jews. The first two installments offered reflections on life after the. Todays first reading is about jonah entering nineveh and telling the people they have forty days before the city would be destroyed. The lesson taught by the episode of the tree at the end of the book is that comfort is a. Jan 21, 2009 jonah went through a very deep process of conviction of sin.
Jonah did not want to go on this mission and attempted to flee to tarshish in spain. Jonah had to repent of his pride, arrogance and prejudice to get to the place where he was able to minister the gospel of grace to the people of nineveh. Getting into jonah by seeing the books literary structures. It concerns a disobedient prophet who rejected his divine commission, was cast overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and returned to his starting point. God does not desire that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance 1 tim 2. The book of jonah is read in its entirety during the afternoon service on the day of yom kippur, as the haftorah, the prophetic reading, appended to the reading of the law. In their reflections on this verse, the commentators speak about the prayer as a. The significance and application of the book of jonah. The book is anonymous, and there are no indicators elsewhere in scripture to identify the author.
Fifth in the canonical order of the minor prophets. The book of jonah was likely written between 793 and 758 b. We often think of the book of jonah as being about the conversion of nineveh, but it is just as much about the conversion of jonah. The story has a long interpretive history and has become well known through popular childrens stories. The book of jonah closes abruptly with an epistolary warning based on the emblematic trope of a fastgrowing vine present in persian narratives, and popularized in fables such as the gourd and the palm tree during the renaissance, for example by andrea alciato. The literary content of the book of jonah begins with the call of the prophet to proclaim the message of yhwh to nineveh in assyria. You can find the best commentary on jonah for you using the tools on the right side. Jonah 14 nkjv jonahs disobedience now the word bible. Van gorder jonah the book of jonah is different from the other minor prophets, for it is the personal experience of the prophet himself. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a bitter man. In judaism, it is the haftarah portion read during the afternoon of yom kippur to instill reflection on gods willingness to forgive those who. So god sends him a gourd tree for shade, but only for a day. Date since jonah prophesied during the reign of jeroboam ii 782753. Jonahs reluctance to bring that message mirrors the israelites equally stubborn disinterest in the relation of the assyrians to god.
Let me share with you seven great lessons from the book of jonah. The story of jonah is our story, with its details of rebellion. Reflection jonah prays, god delivers life of prayer question from source book. The best part is that the people of nineveh listened to him and changed their lives. The book of jonah preface those of you who are familiar with the story of jonah and the whale know that jonah hopped a ship heading in the opposite direction when god commanded him to. This post continues some of my work sharing the significance and application of specific books of the bible. His psalm, recorded in verses 29, was composed in the stomach of the fish and later recorded for our edification.
The book of jonah demonstrates the sovereignty of the almighty as he employs his creation to accomplish the divine plan. 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. 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. Sep 21, 2015 this post continues some of my work sharing the significance and application of specific books of the bible. 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 foundational source for the book was likely jonahs own telling of the story after his return from nineveh. Jonahis not literal historyit is not a short story but an allegory, similar to the parables of jesus. The story is presented much like that of elijah and elisha. I am an undergraduate student at a christian, and i wanted to say how absolutely helpful your response to the question is the book of jonah fact or fiction. These words begin the bible book of obadiahthe prophet reveals nothing about himself except his name in the book that he composed in 607 b.
Highlights from the books of obadiah, jonah, and micah the vision of obadiah. Through some supernatural events, god convinced him to obey and carry out the lords plan. In all the book of god we scarcely find a servant of the lord and such a one we are sure jonah was, for the scripture calls him so so very much out of temper as he is here, so very. Summaryafter jonah told the sailors about the god he served, and they put it together with what he had already told them of his flight from gods presence, they became extremely afraid. We have bible verses that tell the christmas story printed out, and we read one each day of advent then hang them on the christmas tree. Perhaps jonah was a sign to the nivevites because of his amazing story. It also contains one of the most concise expressions of gods love for us coupled with his understandable frustration over the fact that we just dont get it.
Solomon, bishop of the methodist church in singapore from 2000 2012 also from the same author, robert m. Jonah has been a favorite subject for midrashic commentary. They asked him how the sea could be made calm again, and he told them to throw himself into it. Eugene peterson gives you the fruit of his soul in this book, and you will be nourished and helped to nourish others by it as well. Plus jonah on his way to wales, corby the crow and abraham with his satnav.
Jonah 1 kjv now the word of the lord came unto bible gateway. Jonah 1 kjv now the word of the lord came unto bible. This meant according to the understanding of jonah that nineveh would be destroyed. The book of jonah preface those of you who are familiar with the story of jonah and the whale know that jonah hopped a ship heading in the opposite direction when god commanded him to go preach to the ninevites. One tradition said he was from zebulon, another from the israelite tribe of asher. Read jonah 4 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. A short reflection on jonah the torch boston colleges. 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.
The book of jonah is a book of the neviim in the hebrew bible. Jonah went through a very deep process of conviction of sin. It would be presumptuous to think that one could, in a brief article, speak the final word on the questions in debate. And one of the synagogue readings for yom kippur is the book of jonah in. Rather, i think that jonahs story is intended to be. I welcome your feedback and insights into these important books of the bible. The theme of jonah is the gods divine mercy is applied without favoritism to. With those five little words jonah becomes the most successful prophet in the. The book of jonah is not the creative story of a human author. 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. Mar 16, 2018 in a pair of articles on literary structure and the book of jonah, ernst wendland argues for what makes a chiasm valid, with a test case in the book of jonah. Also on this site is a reflection on the gospel lesson for the same day, and a version of the prayers of the people for all epiphany.
He was gods instrument to carry out gods will on earth. We are told, for example, that the great fish that swallowed jonah was specially created for this occasion when god created the world. Jonah, the book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. The book of jonah is one of those pieces of biblical literature accustomed to taking a beating from skeptics conditioned to not only dismiss it but to regularly mock those willing to uphold the idea of its historicity and authenticity. May 27, 2012 i am an undergraduate student at a christian, and i wanted to say how absolutely helpful your response to the question is the book of jonah fact or fiction. 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.
Jesse tree reflections written by erin manning to be used with. Although we also get this comic situation where god shelters jonah out there in the desert with a tree that grows up where he is sulking, after which god takes it away and jonah blows up again. They heard of jonahs strange experience of being swallowed by a large fish and surviving the ordeal. In fact, god used your article to speak to me personally. Jonah is identified as a prophet and servant of god during the reign of king jeroboam ii of israel 2 kings 14. Yhwh absorbs jonahs anger, and jonah stomps outside the city to sulk and to see what would become of the city. Take five for faith daily reflections sunday scripture. Commentary on the book of jonah relevant bible teaching.
The book of jonah has been a source of inspiration for me for many years. Although the content of the message is coming judgment 1. The primary purpose of the book of jonah is to engage readers in theological reflection on the compas. Commentary on the book of jonah by yair davidiy britam. The book of jonah is one of my favorite books in the bible. Of the fifteen old testament passages read in orthodox practice at the vesperal divine liturgy of holy saturday, the fourth consists of the entire, brief book of jonah. The title of the book is the name of the main character, jonah. Listen to chuck swindoll s overview of jonah in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. Angels will thrill with the story of the whale, special fish, or great fish, forever. The book of jonah the book of jonah is one of the old testament books of the minor profits. 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.
In a pair of articles on literary structure and the book of jonah, ernst wendland argues for what makes a chiasm valid, with a test case in the book of jonah. The book of jonah stands unique among the biblical books of the prophets because. The book is prophetic in that it speaks a word of judgment and grace to a specific audience, evoking amendment of thought and life. Indeed, it is a common phenomenon for students to find within the classrooms of even supposedly. The northern tribes were not all exiled at once but in stages. Book of jonah overview insight for living ministries. Let us now move on to the content of this psalm of the prodigal prophet to see what it teaches us about jonah, about israel, and about ourselves. Yes, jonah has taught me a lot, especially what not to do. Jonah is a sign to the ninevites while jesus is a sign to this generation. Reflections on the authenticity of the book of jonah. Among the books of minor profits, the book of jonah is very unique because jonah was the only prophet who is recorded as having run away from god. The sign of jonah tells us how those details are grounded in the person and preaching of jesus christ. Though the book contains no direct prophecy, the experience of jonah is itself a reflection of the message of god. Consequences of disobedienceout of the frying pan, into the fire.