THE BOOK OF JONAH

Jonah – a narrative

JONAH is the fifth of the minor prophets at the end of the Old Testament.

Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 as a prophet working during the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel the northern kingdom, c. 793-753BC. He foretold the extension of Israel’s borders during this time of relative prosperity when the Assyrian threat was reduced. However, the book is anonymous and claims only to be about him and not by him.

The real question raised by Jonah is not did he get swallowed by a big fish (the Bible uses a different word than “whale”), but what sort of book is it meant to be? Is it history, theology, a parable, a moral tale for children, satire or a combination of these?

There are secondary points too. Firstly, the book is not about Israel (or Judah) but about Assyria (of which Nineveh was the capital at one time) and no reference is made to “God’s people”. Secondly, Nineveh was never as big as Jonah claims in 3:3 (unless he means a wider administrative district outside the city wall). And thirdly, there is no other evidence for this incident. Certainly, God’s initial prediction was not then fulfilled; Nineveh did not fall at this time although it did later. But the story shows that the prediction of doom had assumed impenitence, and Nineveh’s humbling brought a stay of execution.

In favour of the book’s historicity, we should note that Jesus quoted Jonah as a parallel to his own resurrection (Matthew 12:39,40; Luke 11:30,32). This could imply that Jesus accepted the historical reality of Jonah, but even if he did his allusion is still primarily to Jonah as a figurative “type”.

To focus too closely on the historical likelihood of events (which can never be either verified or discounted) can distract today’s reader from the timeless message of this small but important book. Christians will assume it has a historical basis and note that the references to the fish (which cause most problems) are slight and incidental.

The author says little of the method of rescue but a lot about the fact of rescue. It will help to focus on what the book intended to say to its original readers and what God can say through it to us now.

For today, the Book of Jonah is clear on several points. For example, we should be willing to do hard things God asks of us. And we should also remember that God cares for the world, and not just for the Church. No one should be surprised if God’s plans differ from our own.