Jonah -- The Preacher of Repentance (1): Who Was Jonah?

Jonah — The Preacher of Repentance (1): Moral Tale or Historical Event?

3rd Century Roman Sarcophagus Depicting Jonah and the Great Fish

A Well-Known Story

Most everyone knows the story of Jonah. Jonah was a reluctant Hebrew prophet who, while fleeing from his divine commission, was thrown overboard in the midst of a horrific storm by his terrified shipmates, only to be swallowed by a big fish (usually assumed to be a whale). Jonah then spent three days and nights in the fish’s belly, before being vomited up by the fish on a foreign shore. Once safely on land, Jonah fulfilled his evangelistic mission, went to Nineveh as commanded, and preached to the Ninevites who repented en masse. The story is simple enough it can be understood by a child, but profound enough that theologians and biblical scholars still debate its meaning.

Whenever considering any book of the Bible it is important to ask and answer several questions to make sure we interpret the book and its message correctly. Who was Jonah, when did he live, why did he write this book, and what is in it? How does this particular prophecy compare with the other Minor Prophets who lived and ministered about the same time? These questions are especially important with a book like Jonah, which many think to be an allegory or a moral fable, seeing the story as so implausible that it cannot possibly be speaking of historical events. How can someone be swallowed alive by a whale and live for three days? No, the critics say, this cannot be history, so it must be an allegory, a teaching parable, or a work of fiction, designed to teach us some important spiritual or moral truth.

When we interpret Jonah’s prophecy through this fictional lens, the reader’s focus usually falls upon Jonah himself, the prime example of a reluctant prophet who refuses to obey God’s will. By not obeying God, Jonah finds himself in the belly of a whale, until God relents and the whale then spits Jonah out safe and sound–if a bit shook up. The moral to the story is that should God call you to do something you do not want to do, learn the lesson of the story of Jonah. Obey the Lord and avoid the kind of calamity which comes upon those who, like Jonah, will not do what they know God wants them to do.

No Mere Morality Tale

But when we ask and then answer the “Who?” “When?” “Why?” and “What?” questions, it becomes clear that Jonah’s prophecy is not an allegory, nor does it offer such a trivial and moralistic message. This is not a “once upon a time in a land far away” kind of book. The prophecy opens with Jonah’s personal ancestry–revealing the name of his father enabling us to compare other biblical references to this family, thereby tying Jonah’s ministry directly to the reign of Jeroboam II, one of the last rulers of Israel (the Northern Kingdom).

Jonah’s prophecy comes in the form of a prophetic narrative (much like 1 and 2 Kings) with a song/Psalm included within the narrative (chapter 2). It is clearly set in a particular period of time–the final days of Israel (the Northern Kingdom). Yet unlike the books of the Kings, the Book of Jonah does not emphasize God’s prophet’s obedience to undertake a difficult prophetic call. On the contrary, the Book of Jonah focuses upon the prophet’s determined reluctance to fulfill his mission.[1] But what is that mission? That is the critical question not often properly considered.

When the reader steps back from the sensational particulars of the story–the sailors and the storm, the big fish, the three days–what becomes clear is that God’s ultimate purpose (whether Jonah responds appropriately to that purpose or not) is to extend salvation into the heart of the same nation (Assyria) which is about to invade Israel (the Northern Kingdom), wiping Israel out and killing, capturing, or exiling its inhabitants. Jonah’s reluctance to preach YHWH’s message to Israel’s enemy highlights the importance of his message. During the days of judgment upon Israel and Judah (mid 700's B.C.), YHWH’s gracious purpose is to save sinners, and that purpose is not limited just to Israel.

God’s Mercy Upon Israel’s Gentile Oppressors

As for the prophecy, Jonah is the one through whom God’s purpose is revealed. He clearly functions as the protagonist in the story. But we must not miss the larger the redemptive-historical thrust of the prophecy which emphasizes God’s intention to extend salvation to the pagan Gentiles who are outside the covenant line of Israel. When we look at the message of Jonah through the wider lens of redemptive history, his prophecy takes on a whole new and expanded meaning–God’s mercy extends to the ends of the earth–not just to Israel. Jonah’s actions must be interpreted in light of YHWH’s greater purpose. Just as he was merciful to Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II–YHWH sent prophets to warn the nation and call them to repent at a time when the nation turned away from YHWH to gross idolatry–so too YHWH will be merciful to the Gentiles in Nineveh, and even to Jonah’s pagan shipmates [2]. As we read in Revelation 7:9, God’s gracious purpose is to save a multitude so vast they cannot be counted. This becomes clear when the ministry of Jesus comes to its climax and Jesus himself speaks of the “sign of Jonah” as the reason why Israel must believe and accept Jesus’ teaching–the “sign of Jonah,” foretells of Jesus’ forthcoming resurrection from the dead after three days and nights in the tomb. Christ’s death and resurrection is the foundation for that gospel which is to be preached to the ends of the earth–the “sign of Jonah” lives on in the church’s mission to preach the gospel to all nations.

Who Was Jonah?

Well then, who was Jonah? We learn in verse 1, that Jonah was the son of Amittai, who is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 in connection with the reign of Jeroboam II, who “restored the border of Israel from Lebo-hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath-hepher.” Jonah lived about 760 B.C., is the son of a prophet, and from Gath-hepher near Nazareth (in the region of Zebulun). Unlike his contemporary Amos–whose ministry to Israel was on-going when YHWH called Jonah to preach to the Ninevites–Jonah was an Israelite. His name means “dove,” which some commentators consider a subtle message about the book itself–that Jonah is a fictional character who is passive and prone to running away. I see nothing symbolic. This is Jonah’s name, nothing more or less.

Amos and his prophetic oracles are much different in structure and purpose than the prophecy and ministry of Jonah. In fact, the Book of Jonah is unique among the Minor Prophets in terms of its style. Its prophetic narrative is unlike that of the other minor prophets who reflect more the oracle/prophetic contents of a prophet like Amos. The two contemporaries, Jonah and Amos, could not be more different. Amos was not from a prophetic line or guild. Jonah was. Amos was from Judah (the Southern Kingdom). Jonah was a loyal son of Israel–a patriot of sorts, who detested the Assyrians to the north, to whom he was sent to preach, and to whom he refused to go. Amos was called in a dream and then given a series of visions to preach to Israel–a difficult task because his message was confrontational and intended to expose Israel’s sin and call the people to repentance. Jonah also received “the word of the Lord which came to him” establishing him as a prophet in the line of Moses. But Jonah was called by YHWH to go and preach to Nineveh–Israel’s enemy. So the “who?” and “when?” questions find straightforward answers. Jonah is a prophet. He’s contemporary of Amos, and was called by YHWH to preach to the Ninevites about 760 B.C., during the reign of Jeroboam II.

The “why” and “what” questions are more complicated because they are tied to the nature of the book itself. We will tackle these questions next time

To read the next in this series, Jonah, The Preacher of Repentance: Preaching to Your Enemies

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[1] Douglas Stuart, Hosea-Jonah, Word Biblical Commentary, 435.

[2] Bryan D. Estelle, Salvation Through Judgment and Mercy (Phillipsburg: P & R, 2005), 28-29.