The book is prose narrative throughout, except the prayer of thanksgiving in the second chapter jon 2. His making use of us is an evidence of his being at peace with us. 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 jonah rose up to flee to tarshish from the presence of the lord. Its a bit warm, even under his umbrella, so god sends a plant that grows up overnight to shade the pouting prophet. The book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord.
The purpose of this book is to show that god is a merciful and gracious god. Written by the prophet jonah, son of amittai, around 785760 b. The book of hosea consists of fourteen chapters, which was the record for a minor prophet until zechariah tied it a couple centuries later. Although the author of jonah is never identified in the book itself, jonah himself has traditionally been identified as the author. 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 is the perfect type of fleshly israels rejection of christ and of christianity throughout history. The book of jonah includes the famous story of the great fish often erroneously thought of as a whale has led many to dismiss this book as merely a biblical fish story. Best jonah commentaries updated for 2020 best bible. It spits him out when jonah repents, and god tells him to go to nineveh again. Perhaps we could reflect upon a few of these matters.
I am drawn to the book of jonah not only because i. During this time, an important event happened to israel. This opening sermon on a series in the book of jonah is designed to. When the people of nineveh hear jonahs message from god, the most. T he book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord. Jonah 1 bible commentary john gills exposition of the bible.
Jonah 1 commentary albert barnes notes on the whole bible. He urged everyone to truly repent, in the hopes that god would relent, turn from his fierce anger. You can find the best commentary on jonah for you using the tools on the right side. Unpublished class notes in 103 introduction to hebrew exegesis. 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. In that vein, it stands unique among the minor prophets. Using human logic many so called scholars, have questioned the authenticity of the book of jonah, because they find it hard to believe a fish could shallow and man and the man live. Jonah was called by god to take a message to nineveh modern mosul in iraq but ran away instead.
Jonah 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary by albert barnes, a dedicated student of the bible, continues to be very popular even today. This did not mean, however, that jonah remained the same. The bible tells us that god prepared a great fish which swallowed jonah. When i read the third and fourth chapters of the book of jonah, i get that same. The prophet jonah may be the loneliest man in the hebrew bible. The fundamental biblical axiom of ethical monotheism is defined by both. For an explanation of the history of salvation, see the overview of the bible, pp. Jonah is the fifth of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve in hebrew scripture. Throughout the book, jonah is repeatedly referred to in the third person, causing some to search for. On the pyschoanalysis of crime and punishment 1959, david braybrooke. Go to nineveh, the great city, and proclaim to them that their wickedness has forced itself upon me. Concern for the salvation of all people, including ones enemies, is the proper attitude for people of god.
Now he obeys and goes to nineveh, the capital of israels ancient enemy. But jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. The book depicts the larger scope of gods purpose for israel. The book of jonah is filled with valuable information and timeless lessons. Narrator jonah set about running away from yahweh, and going to tarshish. The book of jonah is narrative history and a prophetic oracle. The book is replete with irony, wherein much of its humor lies.
Jonah is the book of the bible which perhaps has been criticized more than any other. The book of jonah tells the story of a hebrew prophet named jonah ben amittai. A commentary on the book of jonah cooper abrams bible truth. Most striking of all is the application of psalm 16. The book of jonah is one of the key readings in judaism during yom kippur, the day of atonement, which occurs on the tenth day of tishri following rosh hashanah, generally in september or early october. The discovery of jonah and his disobedience as the cause of the tempest, and how it was made, jonah 1. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. In this fourpart article series, well look at the book of jonah with four techniques in mind. There are allusions, in his prayer, to the great messianic psalms 22, 69 and 16. Israel was chosen to serve as the carrier of faith in order to.
Arise, go to nineveh, that great city the capital of the assyrian empire. Jonah 14 nlt jonah runs from the lord the lord bible. Visit our library of inductive bible studies for more in depth inductive studies on this and other books of the bible you can use in your small group. The book begins with god telling jonah to go to the great city of nineveh. Many critics however want to lower the book of jonah to an allegory, a parable or a legend because of the miracles described in it especially the appearing of the great fish devouring jonah. The second book after jonah is nahum, another diatribe. From the presence of the lord, houbigant reads, through fear of the lord. Though the book does not identify its author, tradition has ascribed it to the prophet himself, jonah son of amittai. Its the first time in the book that jonah is happy. But jonah still holds to his hope that god will blast the city. Jonah, insights into the prophetic gift bible explained. The pursuit and arrest of him for that disobedience by a storm, in which he was asleep. 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.
Though the book contains no direct prophecy, the experience of jonah is itself a reflection of the message of god. Key personalities include jonah, the captain and the ships crew and the people of nineveh. The forceful blocking of his flight, by contrast, is meant to point us toward the true meaning of election. Gods resentment of it, by sending a storm into the sea, where he was, which terrified the mariners, and put the ship in danger of being lost, jonah 1. The book is named after its principal character, whose name means dove. The book of jonah closes with sullen and unwilling jonah still preferring death to gods outpouring of mercy upon anyone except jonah and his jewish relatives. He goes to joppa and boards a ship bound for tarshish. It follows the book of obadiah, the shortest book in the ot, which is comprised of a diatribe against edom. A wild storm threatens jonah s runaway ship voyage. Now the word of the lord an impulse or revelation from the lord, significative of his will.
When studying scripture, it is critical to gain understanding of the historical background and cultural setting of the book or passage being studied. The issue is complicated somewhat by the use of the. We know from the last verse of the book that a very large number of people were living in nineveh. The story is about a certain prophet, jonah and a city called nineveh. Gods rebuke of this attitude allows the book of jonah to function canonically to. Jonah is commanded to go east to nineveh but flees toward the westernmost possible point 1. We read nowhere in the book that jonah confessed his sin and received a new heart. Reasons to trust the book of jonah it contains verifyable geographical and historical data.
Jonah 1, new international version niv the bible app. It is probable he had been before acquainted with the word of the lord, and knew his voice from that of a stranger. Jonahs genocidal and suicidal attitude and gods rebuke. Summaryas soon as jonah s proclamation reached ninevehs king, he began mourning, and proclaimed that every man and beast in the land should refrain from eating food or drinking. The name jonah means dove in hebrew, but jonahs character is anything but dovelike. No writer in the bible tells such a bad story about himself. He was gods instrument to carry out gods will on earth. Jonah 4 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on the. So he goes a safe distance outside of town and pulls up his lawn chair to watch the fireworks 4. Following the lead of the hebrew masoretic text, the title of the book is derived from the principal character, jonah. Miracles are also seen in many other credible bible books. The word of the lord came to jonah and jonah refused. Israel, the northern country consisting of ten tribes, and judah, the remaining two tribes in the south. Jonah rose up to flee unto tarshish which, according to josephus, was tarsus, the capital of cilicia.
All 66 books of the bible in easy, onesentence summaries. Watch our overview video on the book of jonah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Jonah is accordingly taken as the representative of this antipathy toward gentiles, and his flight is explained as a refusal to show them the way to repentance and salvation. I did over a monthlong sermon series on the book of jonah at door of hope. He went down to g joppa and found a ship going to f tarshish.
The story is presented much like that of elijah and elisha. The theme of repentance nominates it for being read on yom kippur, but it has less to say. 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. Now l nineveh was an exceedingly great city, 1 three days journey in breadth. Yonah is a strange prophet, and sefer yonah the book of jonah a strange book. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.
Irony exists in the gaps, between what we are told and what we are meant to understand. Jonah s mission to nineveh implied that a heathen city afforded as legitimate a field for the prophets labors as israel, and with a more successful result compare am 9. Ac 1188 2 but then we find a startling, thoughtprovoking passage in. Israel has failed as a witness for god as has jonah and has been in the sea of nations or the dispersion for a long time. His word came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like. Jonah is the only old testament prophet whose ministry is entirely on foreign soil.
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. 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. In this final study of the book of jonah, you will learn what the book of jonah is all about. The casting of him into the sea at his own motion, and with his own consent, though. 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. For being only four chapters long, the book of jonah packs quite a punch.
He neither endeavoured to avoid hearing the command, nor declined to obey it. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of jonah in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. The historicity and assyrian background of the book of jonah. He quotes short fragments from various psalms, and adapts them to meet his own case. Intro to jonah biblica the international bible society. When god calls abraham to offer his son isaac as a sacrifice, abraham gets up early in the morning and goes, but when god calls jonah, jonah runs away. Jonah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. So he went down to joppa, found a ship which was going to tarshish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to tarshish from the presence of the lord. Jonah is identified as a prophet and servant of god during the reign of king jeroboam ii of israel 2 kings 14. When god had a message for the people, he spoke through the prophets. Jonah, the book of definition and meaning bible dictionary. God calls jonah to proclaim judgment to nineveh, but jonah resists and attempts to flee so he doesnt have to complete his holy mission.
Book of jonah overview insight for living ministries. 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. Through some supernatural events, god convinced him to obey and carry out the lords plan. Jonah 3 then the word of the lord came to jonah the. What we see instead is a rising tide of violence, an epidemic of sexually. The book makes no direct claim regarding authorship. Jonah was a prophet in the land of israel about 800750 bc. The story of jonah is about the compassionate god whose mercy has no. Secondly the book of jonah contains a typological representation of the history of the people of israel.
The most difficult and troubling passages often open their meaning and significance in. Dive into an intriguing tale of mercy in the book of jonah. Now nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days journey. Feb 16, 2018 ok, this is a brief but pointed synopsis of the story, please understand that much more can be gotten if you will read and meditate on the story for yourself. Jonah is the most widely known of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament. In a prayer to yhwh jonah explained that he initially fled to tarshish in order to forestall this gracious outcome in nineveh because he knew of gods gracious character. Jonah studies questions for four sessions 4 dramatised text of the book of jonah narrator the word of yahweh was addressed to jonah son of amittai. It would be presumptuous to think that one could, in a brief article, speak the final word on the questions in debate.
And jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a bitter man. The book of the twelve prophets was originally on one. The message of the book of jonah christian articles. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. Of course the lord watched him do this and created a great. He thought he could escape on a boat bound for tarshish, which was about a thousand miles in the wrong direction. 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. Vernon mcgee, thru the bible radio, 1979, pg36 other so called evidence that jonah remained alive concerns when he actually prayed. 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. But who then wrote the book and where do those intimate details of the story come from.
First, we should note that this marvelous narrative has suffered the brunt of the critics barbs for a long while. A threepart series examining the book of jonah, its genre, and implications for evangelical apologists who view the story as history. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a. Pagan sailors search for gods help, and jonah is revealed as the cause of their turmoil. Before you attempt to answer the questions below you should read these chapters in the bible and answer the questions at the end of each chapter found at the website answer the questions below and then click ok to send your answers.
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