Jonah.1

[1] Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

[2] Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

[3] But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

[4] But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.

[5] 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. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

[6] So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.

[7] And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.

[8] Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?

[9] And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.

[10] Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.

[11] Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.

[12] And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.

[13] Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.

[14] Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.

[15] So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.

[16] Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.

[17] Now 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.

Jonah.2

[1] Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly,

[2] And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.

[3] For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.

[4] Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.

[5] The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.

[6] I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.

[7] When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.

[8] They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

[9] But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.

[10] And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.

Jonah.3

[1] And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,

[2] Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.

[3] So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey.

[4] And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.

[5] So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

[6] For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

[7] And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

[8] But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.

[9] Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

[10] And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.

Jonah.4

[1] But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.

[2] And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

[3] Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.

[4] Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?

[5] So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.

[6] And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.

[7] But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.

[8] And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.

[9] And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.

[10] Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:

[11] And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?

The Book of Jonah is a narrative that explores themes of God's compassion, human disobedience, repentance, and the universality of God's mercy. It stands out among the prophetic books for its focus on the prophet's internal struggle and God's dealings with him, rather than an extensive collection of oracles.

Here's a detailed explanation of the narrative, chapter by chapter:

Jonah Chapter 1: The Prophet's Disobedience and Divine Pursuit

• Verses 1-2: The Divine Commission: The narrative begins with a direct command from the LORD to Jonah, son of Amittai. He is instructed to go to Nineveh, the "great city," and "cry against it" because its "wickedness" has come to God's attention.

  • Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire, a powerful and often brutal enemy of Israel. This assignment would have been deeply undesirable for an Israelite prophet.
  • The phrase "cry against it" implies a proclamation of judgment.

• Verse 3: Jonah's Rebellion: Instead of obeying, Jonah "rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD."

  • Tarshish is generally believed to have been a distant port city in the western Mediterranean, possibly in modern-day Spain. It represents the opposite direction of Nineveh, symbolizing Jonah's attempt to escape God's call and, in his mind, God's presence.
  • He travels to Joppa (modern Jaffa), a port city in Israel, finds a ship bound for Tarshish, pays the fare, and boards it. The repetition "to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD" emphasizes his determined disobedience.

• Verses 4-5: The Divine Response – The Storm: The LORD "sent out a great wind into the sea," causing a "mighty tempest" that threatened to break the ship apart.

  • The mariners, who are pagan, react with fear. Each "cried every man unto his god" and they "cast forth the wares...into the sea, to lighten it." This shows their religious piety and practical efforts to save themselves.
  • In stark contrast, Jonah "was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep." His sleep can be interpreted as a sign of spiritual apathy, denial, or an attempt to escape his guilt.

• Verses 6-7: Jonah Confronted: The shipmaster, finding Jonah asleep, rebukes him: "What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not."

  • The pagan shipmaster ironically calls the prophet of the true God to prayer.
  • The sailors then decide to cast lots to determine who is responsible for this divinely sent calamity. The lot falls on Jonah, identifying him as the cause of their trouble.

• Verses 8-10: Jonah's Confession: The sailors question Jonah about his identity and the reason for the disaster.

  • Jonah identifies himself: "I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land."
    • His claim to "fear the LORD" is ironic given his current disobedience.
    • His description of God as the creator of "the sea and the dry land" highlights the futility of trying to escape God by sea.
  • When the men learn he is fleeing from the LORD (because he had told them, perhaps before the storm intensified or during the questioning), they become "exceedingly afraid" and ask, "Why hast thou done this?" They recognize the gravity of defying such a powerful God.

• Verses 11-12: Jonah's Proposed Solution: The sailors ask Jonah what they should do to him to calm the sea, which continues to rage.

  • Jonah, now acknowledging his culpability, tells them: "Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you." He accepts responsibility and suggests his own death as the means to appease God and save the ship.

• Verses 13-16: The Sailors' Reluctance and Jonah's Expulsion: Despite Jonah's confession, the sailors, showing remarkable compassion, "rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not."

  • When their efforts fail, they pray to the LORD (Jonah's God), pleading not to perish for Jonah's life and not to be held accountable for "innocent blood" (if they are wrong about his guilt, or perhaps referring to their general reluctance to take a life). They acknowledge God's sovereign will: "for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee."
  • They then cast Jonah into the sea, and "the sea ceased from her raging."
  • This event profoundly impacts the pagan sailors: "Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows." They convert, or at least show profound reverence, to Yahweh.

• Verse 17: The Great Fish: "Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah." This is not a punishment in the sense of final destruction, but a divine intervention to save Jonah from drowning and to bring him to a point of submission.

  • Jonah remains "in the belly of the fish three days and three nights," a period often seen as symbolic of death and resurrection, and famously referenced by Jesus (Matthew 12:40).

Jonah Chapter 2: Jonah's Prayer of Thanksgiving

• Verse 1: The Setting of the Prayer: "Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly." Confined and in distress, Jonah finally turns to God.

• Verses 2-7: Content of the Prayer – A Psalm of Thanksgiving: This prayer is less a plea for deliverance (as he is already in a form of "rescue" from the sea) and more a reflection on his near-death experience and God's intervention.

  • He recounts his cry from "the belly of hell" (Sheol, the place of the dead) and God's hearing him (v. 2).
  • He acknowledges God's hand in his predicament: "For thou hadst cast me into the deep" (v. 3), recognizing the storm and his being thrown overboard as ultimately orchestrated by God.
  • He describes his despair, feeling "cast out of thy sight," yet expresses a hope to "look again toward thy holy temple" (v. 4). The temple in Jerusalem represented God's presence among His people.
  • He vividly portrays the experience of drowning: "The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever" (vv. 5-6a).
  • Despite this, he praises God: "yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption [the pit/grave], O LORD my God" (v. 6b).
  • He recalls that in his fainting state, "I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple" (v. 7).

• Verses 8-9: Reflections and Vows:

  • Jonah contrasts himself with idolaters: "They that observe lying vanities [idols] forsake their own mercy [or, their own steadfast love/grace that could be theirs from God]" (v. 8). This implies a renewed understanding of the futility of false gods and the true source of mercy.
  • He vows: "But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD" (v. 9). This is a declaration of renewed commitment and an affirmation of God's ultimate power to save.

• Verse 10: Deliverance: "And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land." God's control over creation is again demonstrated. Jonah is given a second chance.

Jonah Chapter 3: Reluctant Obedience and Nineveh's Repentance

• Verses 1-3a: The Second Commission: "And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee."

  • God patiently reiterates His command. This time, the instruction is to deliver the specific message God provides.
  • "So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD." Jonah obeys, though his subsequent actions suggest it's with reluctance rather than a changed heart towards the Ninevites.

• Verses 3b-4: Jonah's Minimalist Preaching:

  • The narrative emphasizes Nineveh's immense size: "an exceeding great city of three days' journey" (meaning it would take three days to walk across it).
  • Jonah enters the city "a day's journey" (perhaps only a third of the way in) and delivers a stark, five-word sermon in Hebrew (eight in English): "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown."
    • The message is one of impending doom, with no explicit call for repentance or mention of God's mercy. This brevity might reflect Jonah's own lack of enthusiasm or desire for Nineveh's destruction.

• Verses 5-9: Nineveh's Astonishing Repentance: Despite the minimal message, the response is extraordinary.

  • "So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them" (v. 5). Their belief is in "God" (Elohim), not specifically Yahweh, but they respond to the divine warning. Sackcloth and fasting were traditional signs of mourning and repentance.
  • Word reaches the king of Nineveh, who also repents dramatically: "he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes" (v. 6). This is a profound act of humility for a powerful monarch.
  • The king issues a decree (vv. 7-8) for a city-wide fast and repentance, extending even to animals: "Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing...But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands."
    • The inclusion of animals emphasizes the totality of the repentance.
    • The call is to "turn from his evil way, and from the violence" – a specific acknowledgement of their sins.
  • The king expresses hope in God's mercy: "Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?" (v. 9). This demonstrates an understanding that repentance might avert divine judgment. The term "repent" here for God means to relent or change course based on new circumstances (human repentance).

• Verse 10: God's Merciful Response: "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."

  • God responds to their genuine repentance by relenting from the threatened destruction. This highlights God's compassion and willingness to forgive when there is sincere change.

Jonah Chapter 4: The Prophet's Anger and God's Final Lesson

• Verses 1-3: Jonah's Displeasure: "But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry."

  • Jonah is not pleased by Nineveh's salvation; he is angry that God spared Israel's enemies.
  • He prays to the LORD, revealing his true motivation for fleeing in the first place: "I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil" (v. 2).
    • Jonah knew God's character (quoting a common Old Testament description of God, e.g., Exodus 34:6-7), and he fled precisely because he suspected God might forgive Nineveh, an outcome he did not desire. He wanted judgment, not mercy, for his enemies.
  • His anger leads him to despair: "Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live" (v. 3). He would rather die than see God's mercy extended to the Ninevites.

• Verse 4: God's Gentle Question: The LORD responds to Jonah's outburst with a question: "Doest thou well to be angry?" (or "Is it right for you to be angry?"). This is a gentle challenge to Jonah's perspective.

• Verses 5-8: The Object Lesson of the Gourd:

  • Jonah goes out of the city, sits to its east, builds a shelter ("booth"), and waits "till he might see what would become of the city," perhaps still hoping for its destruction or wanting to see God's next move.
  • The LORD God "prepared a gourd" (a fast-growing plant) to grow over Jonah, providing shade and alleviating his discomfort ("grief"). Jonah was "exceeding glad of the gourd" (v. 6). He appreciates this small comfort.
  • The next day, God "prepared a worm" that attacked the gourd, causing it to wither (v. 7).
  • Then, God "prepared a vehement east wind," and the sun beat down on Jonah's head, causing him to faint. Again, he wishes for death: "It is better for me to die than to live" (v. 8). His comfort was temporary and easily removed.

• Verses 9-11: God's Concluding Argument:

  • God again questions Jonah: "Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd?" Jonah defiantly replies, "I do well to be angry, even unto death" (v. 9). He feels justified in his anger over the loss of the plant.
  • The LORD then delivers the book's powerful climax and central message (vv. 10-11):
    • "Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:" God points out Jonah's compassion for a temporary, insignificant plant for which he had no investment.
    • "And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons [120,000] that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?"
      • God contrasts Jonah's selfish pity for the plant with His own profound compassion for the vast population of Nineveh.
      • The phrase "cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand" is often interpreted as referring to young children (innocents) or, more broadly, to people who are morally and spiritually ignorant.
      • The inclusion of "much cattle" further emphasizes God's care for all of His creation and underscores the absurdity of Jonah valuing a plant more than numerous human lives and animals.

The book ends with God's rhetorical question, leaving Jonah (and the reader) to ponder the vastness of divine compassion compared to narrow human selfishness and nationalism.

Summary of Key Points:

• God's Sovereignty: God controls nature (storms, fish, plants, worms, wind) and the affairs of nations.
• God's Universal Mercy: God's compassion is not limited to Israel but extends to all people, even Israel's enemies, if they repent.
• Human Disobedience and Prejudice: Jonah represents the tendency to resist God's will, especially when it challenges personal prejudices or nationalistic sentiments.
• The Nature of Repentance: True repentance involves turning from evil ways, and God responds to such repentance with forgiveness.
• The Prophetic Task: The book challenges a narrow view of the prophet's role, showing that it includes calling even enemies to repentance.
• Divine Pedagogy: God patiently teaches Jonah through direct commands, natural events, and object lessons.

The narrative of Jonah is a masterful story that uses irony and character contrast to deliver a profound theological message about the boundless and surprising nature of God's love and mercy.