Throughout the book, jonah is repeatedly referred to in the third person, causing some to search for another author. Literary analysis of jonah chiasmus in jonah has been noted by numerous biblical scholars. The book of jonah was likely written between 793 and 758 b. He was gods instrument to carry out gods will on earth. Jonah therefore is the only prophet of the ot revealing the grace of god towards the heathen. Top 5 commentaries on the book of jonah ligonier ministries. But the book describes a great kindness rendered by god to people who were typically israels enemies. 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. Book of jonah overview insight for living ministries. Best jonah commentaries updated for 2020 best bible. Date since jonah prophesied during the reign of jeroboam ii 782753. Reflections on the biblical unconscious, avivah gottlieb zornberg writes, the book of jonah invites interpretation from the first verse to the last. The primary purpose of the book of jonah is to engage readers in theological reflection on the compas.
For hundreds of years sunday schools all over the country have taught children the biblical story of jonah and the whale. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. Woodard literary analysis of the book of jonah indicates a number of features found in the ot tragedies about samson and saul, as well as the tragic narrative of adam and eve. My jewish learning is a notforprofit and relies on your help. The foundational source for the book was likely jonah s own telling of the story after his return from nineveh. This book of jonah, though it be placed here in the midst of the prophetical books of scripture, is yet rather a history than a prophecy. The book is anonymous, and there are no indicators elsewhere in scripture to identify the author. Not only did the prophet jonah refuse his gods will, but he pouted and scorned god when he didnt get his way. The prophetic significance of this book not only lies in the short message in nineveh but also in the entire history of jonah described in his book. Now the word of the lord came to jonah the son of amittai, saying. Full text in english of the book of jonah my jewish learning. No writer in the bible tells such a bad story about himself. Amp then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them.
This book was an exceptionally good and concise commentary on the book of jonah. Relating jonah to ancient hebrew tragedy suggests a broader, more sophisticated expression. When he was in trouble, under the tokens of gods displeasure against him for sin. Although yonah is generally defined as dove, its actual meaning. The book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord. It was not an uncommon old testament practice, however, to write in the third person e. Though i must state that the author is writing from the view of didactic fiction meaning that he views the book of jonah as based on a historical figure and life, but not a record of literal history. Passing over the brief prophecy of obadiah, with its veiled reference to the messiah in saviours who will go up on mount zion, under the leadership of the jehovahsaviour, for the kingdom shall be the lords obadiah 1.
The historicity and assyrian background of the book of jonah. What is the meaning of the biblical story of jonah in. However, because of the literary style of the book and the amazing adventures that are said to have befallen the prophet jonah, many modern scholars propose. Commentary on the book of jonah relevant bible teaching. This quote from authors william lasor, david hubbard and frederic bush is important in our understanding of the book of jonah. Study jonah using matthew henrys bible commentary concise to better understand scripture with full outline and verse meaning. At the end of chapter 1, jonah, who is a most reluctant prophet on the run. But understand after years of being told the bible is inerrant and true from cover to cover with no mistakes, this great men have done a wonderful thing by showing these flaws. 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.
A firm principle in biblical study is that, even in a clearly historical passage, the theological message is more important than historical details. The witness of jonah max reich the messianic hope of israel. Ac 1188 2 but then we find a startling, thoughtprovoking passage in. What is the difference between quarantine and isolation. In its scope a single extended episode, compactness, vividness and character delineation, it is much like the book. The significance and application of the book of jonah. Intro to jonah biblica the international bible society. 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. Learn jonah books bible with free interactive flashcards. Bible contradictions explained come reason ministries. The simple, expansive story of jonah thin difference. The name jonah is derived from the hebrew word yonah meaning dove. This miracle has also a symbolical meaning for israel. Historical background to jonah the grace commentary.
I still believe the essence of the bible is true but now know that god. The purpose of this book is to show that god is a merciful and gracious god. As is often the case in biblical narratives, the author has compressed much into a small space. Many have questioned whether the book of jonah is historical. Jonah, the book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. Unpublished class notes in 103 introduction to hebrew exegesis. A sense of gods goodwill to us, notwithstanding our offences, opens the lips in prayer, which were closed with the dread of wrath. T he book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord. You will also find options for commentaries on jonah that help pastors, teachers, and readers with application of the bible, commentaries that approach the scripture versebyverse, classic christian commentaries, and much more. 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. But the deeper meaning beyond the literal story takes us beyond a man who was swallowed by a big fish. May 14, 2016 jonah is traditionally credited as the author of the book named after him. It is about gods grace but also accepting gods calls in our lives as well as accepting gods grace when it happens for others.
While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a. If every little detail in a biblical account were given, it might clear up the discrepancies, but the bible itself would be so bulky and hard to follow that it would not be nearly as useful to the reader. 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. 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. Furthermore, the autobiographical information revealed within its pages clearly points to jonah as the author. The story of a fish swallowing a man and the man living sounds impossible, and since most liberal scholars deny the possibility of the supernatural, they reject the book of jonah as anything but a fairy tale. The most difficult and troubling passages often open their meaning and significance in. Our previous treatment of jonah illustrates the importance of the discernment of genre for interpretation of the bible. Jonahs experiences form the main contents and purpose of the book. 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. Such a criticism of jesus and the bible writers epitomizes the impotence of. Key personalities include jonah, the captain and the ships crew and the people of nineveh.
Book of jonah matthew henrys bible commentary concise. Scholars have long disagreed on the central message of the book of jonah. Jonah or jonas, in the hebrew bible tanakhold testament, is a prophet of the northern kingdom of israel in about the 8th century bce. This opening sermon on a series in the book of jonah is designed to.
The following structure is based on a careful analysis of the content of jonah in the hebrew text. Jonah is regarded as a prophet in islam and the biblical narrative of jonah is repeated, with a few notable differences, in the quran. Apocalypse explained ae 538 11 particulars in the book of jonah are historical, and yet prophetical, involving and representing such arcana, as do all the other historicals of the word. Jonah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. The story of jonah a lesson in courage and mercy youtube. Still, the book gives significant clues about how it was meant to be read. As we have seen, jonah, like many literary works, does not identify its genre but leaves it to the reader to discern. Introduction jonah is one of the most ridiculed books by liberal scholars. A paper presented in 381 bible researchold testament. Verses 12 this book is a story about god and jonah. 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.
It is possible that jonah, like job, was written andor expanded by a sage to teach a theological truth i. He is cast into the sea, and miraculously preserved. When studying scripture, it is critical to gain understanding of the historical background and cultural setting of the book or passage being studied. Concern for the salvation of all people, including ones enemies, is the proper attitude for people of god. First of all we may justifiably point out that the bible does not speak of a whale.
The book of jonah merely mentions a great fish jonah i, 17, and although the. Jonah and the whale definition of jonah and the whale at. The title of the book is the name of the main character, jonah. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading jonah brazos theological commentary on the bible. The book of jonah is unique among the books of the prophets. 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. Written by the prophet jonah, son of amittai, around 785760 b. Most prophetic books record the messages of the prophet, but in jonah the only prophetic message is five words in 3. When the call of god came to him, jonah could not see beyond his own selfish desire for god to punish the assyrians. Jonah has only four chapters, which makes it easy to outline the book chapterbychapter. Jonah brazos theological commentary on the bible kindle edition by cary, phillip. The distinctive nature of the book of jonah is revealed in several ways. Jonah brazos theological commentary on the bible kindle.
Min the book of jonah reveals that the lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up jonah. And jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights 1. The book of jonah reveals that the lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up jonah. It would be presumptuous to think that one could, in a brief article, speak the final word on the questions in debate. Aside from portions of the book of jeremiah and daniel, all of the other prophetic books focus primarily on the message of the prophet. Although the author of jonah is never identified in the book itself, jonah himself has traditionally been identified as the author. It is a book of contradictions, which ends in an unanswered question. Jonah was a prophet in the land of israel about 800750 bc. The book of jonah demonstrates the sovereignty of the almighty as he employs his creation to accomplish the divine plan. If thats the case, he must have had a moment of clarity after the events took place. But the book of jonah is not the only old testament book in which he is mentioned.
However, to my knowledge this is the first attempt to present an overall literary analysis of the book as a whole. Feb 28, 2009 the style of the book of jonah is distinctive among the prophetic books. Apr 26, 2010 many that were listed on the lists and websites appeared to me to be either noncontradictory, easily explained, or simply too petty to really count significantly against the claim of biblical. During this time, an important event happened to israel. It is particularly difficult to identify the central theme that unites all the elements of the story in the book of jonah into a literary and conceptual whole. Surprised by grace is a great book which delivers depth and context on the story of jonah. It is a story we should understand and apply in our communities today, where irrational words and actions are driving tribal passions instead of the mission of gods grace.
Sep 21, 2015 this post continues some of my work sharing the significance and application of specific books of the bible. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Jonah was an israelite whom god had called to be a prophet but who refused to accept his. If you have ever attended church, sunday school, or bedtime story sessions as a child, you have likely heard about the story in the book of jonah at some point. Choose from 500 different sets of jonah books bible flashcards on quizlet. The god of the bible is a truly loving and forgiving god. There are a number of helpful commentaries on jonah, and the following are five of the best. The book begins with god telling jonah to go to the great city of nineveh. In that vein, it stands unique among the minor prophets. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a bitter man. Excerpted with permission from the jps biblical commentary. Jonah was the son of amittai, of gathhepher in zebulun called gittahhepher in jos 19. Unfortunately, many christians thoughtlessly cast aspersions upon this important book in the canon of scripture without realizing that they are playing into the hands of the critics and innocently becoming the dupes of.
When the army of syria defeated the army of israel in war, it took some of israels land. The book of jonah is narrative history and a prophetic oracle. The book of jonah is one of the most analyzed biblical texts in history. You can find the best commentary on jonah for you using the tools on the right side. 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. Jonah had forsaken the lord, resigning from his ministry as a prophet in israel. The issue is complicated somewhat by the use of the.
But jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. For an explanation of the history of salvation, see the overview of the bible, pp. We are happy to grant permission for items in the alleged discrepancies. Highlights from the books of obadiah, jonah, and micah the vision of obadiah. The audience of the book of jonah was the people of israel and all future readers of the bible and, typically, prophets issued warnings or gave instructions to the people of israel. I used to think that god never gave reasons for what he does but now i am convinced that god always makes commentary to jonah rev. I still believe the essence of the bible is true but now know that god is not limited by it. Through some supernatural events, god convinced him to obey and carry out the lords plan. Pastor tullian enlivens a short book in the bible with strength and context which delivers meaning for us today. Jonah and the whale definition at, a free online dictionary with. Is there a difference between jonah, joel, and amos.
All visitors to oxford biblical studies online can access these essays, but. The main theme of the book of jonah is gods sovereignty over all people and his divine plan to extend his gift of mercy and salvation beyond israel to include the gentile nations. I welcome your feedback and insights into these important books of the bible. But he could not understand how god could love even foreign nations who did bad things. Jonah is the book of the bible which perhaps has been criticized more than any other. Apologetics press was jonah swallowed by a fish or a whale. Ironically, jonah the israelite begrudges gods abundant grace, while gentiles are converted to saving faith through the power of the preached word. In herman melvilles mobydick 1851, father mapple delivers a sermon on the book of jonah. It tells of a hebrew prophet named jonah son of amittai who is sent by god to. Dive into an intriguing tale of mercy in the book of jonah. It follows the book of obadiah, the shortest book in the ot, which is comprised of a diatribe against edom. Rather than being a series of oracles of the prophet, this book tells of an episode in the prophets life. Highlights from the books of obadiah, jonah, and micah.
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