7 INSIGHTS FOR READING JONAH

Have you ever felt weighed down by the introduction to Jonah in your study Bible? By the time you finish reading it you no longer have time to actually read Jonah? Here is a fast forward introduction to reading the book of Jonah that won't bog you down with details. Here are seven facts to help you understand what you are reading. 

1. Jonah is Titled After the Main Character

Many minor prophets contained in the Old Testament are named after the author, but in this case, it is named after the main character—Jonah.

2. Jonah is Anonymously Authored

The foundational source for the book was most likely of Jonah’s own telling of the story after his return from Nineveh, but there is nothing in scripture to identify the author.

3. Jonah is a Historical Narrative 

It is not a fictional myth, parable or allegory. The book was written during the Reign of Jeroboam II in the times of 2Kings sometime between the eight and third centuries B.C. (2Kings 14:23-28).

4. Jonah is About the Ceaseless Compassion of God

The compassion of God, which is assumed by Jonah for the Israelites is expanded to include the pagan sailors and the pagan city of Nineveh. 

“The Primary purpose of the book of Jonah is to engage readers in theological reflection on the compassionate character of God, and in self-reflection on the degree to which their to which their own character reflects this compassion, to the end that they become vehicles of this compassion in the world that God has made and so deeply cares about” (ESV Study Bible).

5. Jonah is divided into two main sections

The book of Jonah is divided into to main sections by the phrase, “The word of the Lord came to Jonah”. The first time the phrase is used (1:1) when the Lord commands Jonah to arise, go and preach against Nineveh and Jonah flees. The second time the phrase is used (3:1) follows Jonah’s humbling in the belly of a great fish, and remains reluctantly obedient to God’s command to call out against Nineveh. This structure illustrate both our continual stubbornness to surrender to the Lords authority and the Lord’s ultimate sovereignty.

6. Jonah Provides a Type for the Resurrection of Christ

“A “type” is a special example or symbol, or picture that God designed beforehand, and that he placed in history at an earlier point in time, in order to point forward to a later, larger fulfillment” (ESV Study Bible). Jesus identified this type when he said, “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt 12:40). 

7. Jonah is Written Like a Satire

The book of Jonah is literary masterpiece using many literary devices to communicate its message. It is written as a satire, which exposes human folly, as it exposes Jonah’s folly. Jonah’s bad attitude against Ninevites are continually contrasted against God’s attitude towards them. In each scene, Jonah is seen as a laughable character to be pitied.