Jonah - Introduction

Jonah is one of the minor prophets, but is without doubt the most well-known. One of the key questions is how are we to interpret Jonah. There are some who say we should view the book as allegory or parable, ie not as a historical event. However, there is a Jonah in 2 Kings 14:25, who is called Jonah of Amittai and was a prophet. So to reject the book as non-historical is unwarranted. We also need to appreciate that the primary reason for rejecting the book as historical is his being swallowed by a fish. The book does make historical sense. Jesus refers to Jonah (Matt 12:39-41), though the references would be valid whether or not Jonah was allegorical or historical.

In 2 Kings 14:25 we read that Jonah prophesied who predicted restoration of Israel’s boundaries, so that would make him more popular than the Jeremiah’s of this world! If we look at the book it is more in line with the records of Elijah and Elisha, than being like other prophetic books. Ie the emphasis is on the life of the prophet and his relationship with God.

God sends Jonah to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. It is important to realise that this happened at a time when Assyria was not that powerful, it is about fifty years before Assyria became the dominant power in the region, eventually conquering the northern kingdom of Israel.

The book stresses God’s concern for all nations, all peoples, not just Israel, Jonah needed to appreciate this, and whether he ever did is left open in the book. Jonah can be seen as being representative of Israel. For Israel, like Jonah, had no interest in other nations receiving God’s mercy, and this was one of the many failings of the land.

A link can be drawn between Jonah and Amos. Jonah went to the land of Nineveh, preached repentance, and much to Jonah’s annoyance they did repent and so were saved. Amos went to the land of Israel (northern kingdom), preached repentance and was rejected. Eventually destruction came upon the land. This mirrors, in some ways, the reaction of the Jews and the Gentiles to the gospel. But we should always remember that the final part of Amos is salvation for the Israel as well.

As for the big fish (the Hebrew is literally big fish, rather than whale), it certainly is unusual. There are some tales that lend some credence to the possibility of it happening. However, the approach I take is to accept it as face, but one that I cannot explain.