Metaphors In Jonah's Actions

Metaphors In The Actions Of Jonah
"Ch. 1" – Jonah realized he cannot seek the Lord and flee from him at the same time; in result a
powerful sea storm arises and Jonah is sacrificed into the sea and swallowed by momentous fish in
order to save the sailors. vv. 3–4: Jonah sails for Tarshish and the Lord sends a storm. vv. 8–12:
Jonah explains himself and wants to be thrown into the sea. vv. 13–16: Sailor's sacrifice Jonah into
the sea.
" Ch. 2" – We can pray to God at anytime and he will listen to us. vv. 1–2: The Lord hears Jonah's
cry. vv. 3–5: Troubles emerge, however; Jonah has faith. vv. 7–9: No matter the joy or troubles in
life we need to exemplify Thanksgiving toward God.
" Ch. 3" – ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
9–10: When you respond to God's calling it pleases him.
" Ch. 4" – Jonah becomes infuriated with the Lord's kindness because he gave salvation to the
Ninevites. v. 1: Jonah did not believe in God's salvation. vv. 1–2: Jonah wanted the Ninevites
destroyed not forgiven. vv. 3–5: Jonah learns a valuable lesson about mercy and forgiveness. vv. 7–
11: Despite all terrible things God is gracious and merciful.
I believe the book of Jonah intends to teach us that God is a gracious and merciful Lord who will
grant salvation to those who desire to repent, by the virtue of; accepting the Lord with all your heart,
mind, and soul. This idea is evident by the content of the book. First, we understand that one cannot
seek God and flee from him simultaneously. He wants us to obey his will even if adversity chooses
to arise. However, Jonah refuses the Lord's will and chooses to disobey him. Consequently, Jonah is
thrown overboard and swallowed by a fish. Although, once Jonah prays for forgiveness the Lord
grants it. Subsequently, Jonah preaches the gospel and the king of Nineveh as well as his people
repent to the Lord and forgives. This angers Jonah, even though the Lord forgave Jonah of his
atrocious act just as he did with the Ninevites. In conclusion, we learn that if we repent and obey the
Lord's calling, God will give an abundance of
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Comparing God And Jonah In The Book Of Jonah
In the book of Jonah we see the vast amount of tension between both God and Jonah. He is one of
the prophets who also believes in tolerance of non–Jews opposite to Ezra's and Nehemiah's stress of
an unadulterated blood race of Jews under a restrictive Jewish God. Jonah is one of a vast line of
important people in the bible who argues with God. As you see in past books of the bible everyone
has stood their own against the Lord. Jonah though decides to try and run from God. The Lord
called to Jonah and said "Arise, go to Ninevah, that great city, and cry against it," but Jonah flees to
Joppa, setting sail on a ship duty–bound for Tarshish, assuming he can evade the Lord. Jonah views
the Lord as sort of a indigenous God of restrained power that his hand would not reach as ... Show
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This is when Jonah is anointed the role of a prophet that is a persuader, as a publicizer of the Lord's
mercy, and the gift of repentance. Ezra and Nehemiah believe when they returned to the promise
land that the lord had returned to them must be at its utmost holiest. That means the the people of the
old Israel that were left behind and married foreign wives had to leave. This is not right in the
meaning that we have today and if you're a follower of the Lord. Most people conclude you are
entitled to follow or not follow at your leisure. God is a God that cares for Jews and gentiles akin.
This is where you could battle equally Jonah's, Ezra's and Nehemiah's because both bring valid
reasoning to their accustoms. Jonah's who believes all should be given the chance and Ezra–
Nehemiah's view that this land should have foreign idols worshipped in their land. I conclude that
this is presented to us in the book of the bible because we must make the choice in whether what's
correct and what's not correct within our

Research Paper On Jonah
Isidore E. Sharpe
Professor Kenneth Yelverton
PWS 102: Homiletics II
12 April 2017
Sermon Preparation/Notes
Jonah
Jonah 2: 2 (NKJV) "In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me.
What is Jonah's background? Jonah or Jonas is the name given in the Hebrew Bible to a prophet of
the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BCE. Jonah was the main character of the
book of Jonah. He was the son of Amittai (Jonah 1:1), and a native of Gathhepher, which was a city
of the tribe of Zebulun in the northern Galilee region. Amittai was also a native of Gath–hepher.
Amittai is only mentioned twice in the Bible, in 2 Kings 14:25 and Jonah 1:1. Nothing is known
about him, other than that he was Jonah's father. Jonah was a prophet of the Lord and he was called
to deliver a message of repentance to the city of Nineveh which was the capital of the Assyrian
Empire. The Assyrians were among the wicked peoples of the ancient world, and they were well–
known for their cruelty.
God will give us assignments that we really do not care for or want. He desires for us to be ... Show
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I can guarantee that we have not done all things right. We have violated God's commands. Without
any doubt, you cannot hide from the presence of God. God will cause an uproar in your life, until no
one around you can find peace and safety. Jonah 1:4 –5 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea,
and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5th All the sailors were afraid
and each cried out to his own god. See people will start letting things go to go or will change what
they been doing to see if they can get a different result. 1:6 And they threw the cargo into the sea to
lighten the ship. They did not understand what was going; all they knew they were about to die. We
have to be aware of the company we keep or the person we let inside our circle. It was not in the
load. Even though, we carry too much baggage and we need to throw some things

Jonah: The Purpose For The Book Of Jonah
In this essay I will argue that a purpose for the book of Jonah being written is to teach us that
knowledge does not equal understanding. This means that although one can be quite knowledgable
about God and His Word, in acquiring this they can also loose their humility and forget their
tendency to error. This can mean that those who have no concept of right and wrong are much more
willing to admit an error when it is pointed out. My first point is the lack of repentance from Jonah
contrasted to the repentance of the mariners. Point number two is Jonah's reaction to being in the
belly of the fish compared to the Ninevites reaction to the cry of impending doom. Finally, my third
point is that Jonah followed a trend of anger against positive injustices ... Show more content on
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Jonah said, "I cried by reason of my affliction unto the Lord" and from this we can infer that Jonah
was only offering a plea because of the position in which he was pinned (Jonah 2:2). In verse 4 he
said, "I am cast out of thy sight," and yet interestingly enough Jonah's whole idea was to run from
God (Jonah 1:3), and now that he has accomplished his desire he feels quite horrible and seemingly
repents by saying, "...I will look again toward Thy holy temple" (Jonah 2:4), all while never taking
ownership for his fault. In contrast to this we see the repentance of the people of Nineveh, whose
"wickedness had come up" before God (Jonah 1:2). In Jonah chapter 3 verse 4 Jonah began walking
through the city and crying "Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown". Interestingly, the text
never said that God gave a time to when Nineveh would be destroyed and from this we can infer
that not only did Jonah struggle to repent but he also overstepped his bounds in his relation to God.
Responding to this, we see that the people of Nineveh "believed God, and proclaimed a fast," "from
the greatest of them to the least of them" (Jonah 3:5) "nor beast, herd nor flock" (Jonah 3:7). We can
infer from this that the Ninevites, as they heard Jonah, repented of their wickedness and even
demonstrated their honesty by proclaiming a fast,

Juxtaposition In Jonah
In Jonah 4, we saw that when you run without God's love, God runs to make you love Him so that
you will begin to love people the way God loves people – more than anything.
Jonah became vehemently angry when God spared Nineveh. He prayed, which is a good thing, but
how he prayed leaves quite a bit to be desired: 3 Therefore now, O LORD, please take my life from
me, for it is better for me to die than to live!"
The LORD is not going to allow His servant to have this wrong attitude, so He confronts Jonah with
a question: 4 Then the LORD said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"
This is a conversation between God and Jonah. We're third party. Jonah is saying to God, "I'm mad
that You spared the Ninevites and forgave them and showed Your love and mercy!"
God responds by asking Jonah a question: "Is it right for you to be angry?"
So what would ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Look at verse 5 ~
5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter
and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.
What does Jonah do here? He made himself a little shelter and watches, pouting, he's still mad!
What does it mean ~ till he might see what would become of the city ~ it means that he is still
holding out hope that GOD changes His mind and lets them have it!
I hope they start doing evil things again so You can blast them into oblivion! That's Jonah! He has
absolutely no love for these people!
He's running without God's love. And God is not going to let up on him any more than He's going to
let up on you and me until we get hearts like God's ~ and start loving people like God loves people!
The rest of this story demonstrates how God is so creative in the way that He deals with people.
Look how He deals with Jonah in verse 6 ~ 6 And the LORD God prepared a plant and made it
come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah
was very grateful for the

Jonah Quotes From 12 Unlikely Heroes
Lessons about God As A.B. Simpson once stated, "All that God requires of [his children] is an
opportunity to show [them] what He can do." God is an omnipotent being, but some people doubt
his power; nevertheless, God will ensure that His plans are carried out despite the challenges placed
before Him. In the book Twelve Unlikely Heroes, John MacArthur retells the story of Jonah and
explains how God used him to deliver the Ninevites, regardless of his prejudices against them.
Jonah's story conveys three important lessons about God, but there are other remarkable biblical
characters which contribute to those lessons as well. The first lesson that the story of Jonah
accentuates is that "God is the sovereign Creator," which is a lesson that can ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
Jonah, for instance, is notorious for his rebellious thoughts and actions against the Ninevites for
their wickedness. Even though God punished Jonah by forcing him to undergo three days in the
belly of a fish, his myopic attitude toward the Ninevites remained unchanged. He despised them so
much, that he "would have preferred death over [their] salvation" (UH, Jonah 122). Jonah's
exasperation with the Ninevites was rooted in the fact that God would give them mercy as long as
they repented; He knew that God could rescue any sinner, but Jonah "wanted nothing to do with
divine pardon being extended to Israel's hostile enemies" (UH, Jonah 122). Although Jonah strongly
opposed giving the Ninevites salvation, God used the "rebellious prophet to bring [the] rebellious
people to faith in himself" (UH, Jonah 124). With the Lord's help, Jonah eventually approached the
sinful people with diffidence and helped hundreds of thousands of them gain salvation from God.
The book of Jonah communicates that God is an all–powerful Creator, Judge, and Savior, which is
also conveyed in the books of some of His other children. Through their stories, it is evident that the
Lord overcomes all obstacles in order to offer mercy to those who deserve it and to carry out His
plan. He never fails those who trust in Him, because everything He does is for their own benefit,
even though it may not seem that way at the

Thematic Essay On The Book Of Jonah
The Book of Jonah
Set around 770–750 BC (Hindson & Towns, 2013, p. 293), the book of Jonah is found within the
Minor Prophets. Unlike the other books in this genre, Jonah provides a personal narrative carved
from a portion of the life of a prophet instead of the word of God spoken through a prophet. While
the book does not identify Jonah as the author outright, he is widely believed to be so. In the book of
Jonah, God commands Jonah to go to Nineveh, an Assyrian city located near modern day Mosul,
Iraq. Instead, he sails west from Joppa on the Mediterranean Sea away from Nineveh toward
Tarshish (Jonah 1:1–3 New American Standard). While on the voyage, God causes a great storm to
come upon the ship and Jonah is reluctantly thrown overboard ... Show more content on
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The exact dates that he lived are not known but it is believed to be between 1050–1000 BC
(Hindson & Towns, 2013, p. 112). He was likely born in Bethlehem (Ruth 2:4) and was a wealthy
relative of Elimelech, Ruth's father–in–law, (Ruth 2:1) as well. Boaz probably took an active role in
overseeing the work in his fields as evidenced by his presence there. When he noticed his widowed
relative, Ruth, gleaning the leftovers from the harvesters, he showed her kindness and gave her
protection in his fields (Ruth 2:5–9). Ruth requested that Boaz redeem her according to the custom
of the time and he accepted on the condition that the relative that was closer in line to Elimilech be
given the first chance. He later claimed the right of redemption by purchasing Naomi's land and
marrying Ruth (Ruth 4:9–10). This marriage began the lineage of David with the birth of Obed and
eventually to Jesus (Ruth 4:16–22). Boaz's role as redeemer was a foreshadowing of the redemptive
act of Jesus Christ. Boaz married an outsider and grafted her into the family lineage just as Jesus
accepts all who believe in Him including gentiles into the kingdom of heaven (Rom

Two Perspectives Of The 'The Book Of Jonah'
"Disobedience is essentially a prideful power struggle against someone in authority over us. It can
be a parent, a priesthood leader, a teacher, or ultimately God. A proud person hates the fact that
someone is above him. He thinks this lowers his position" (Ezra Taft Benson).The book of Jonah is
based off of a man who disobeys God. Jonah disobeys God because he was already aware of how
the people of Ninevah would react to the word of God that he came to share. The Book of Jonah can
be used as a piece of art that describes the late 5th to early 4th century in Nineveh. It shows that God
ultimately has the finally decision and he is able to do things to show others the consequence of
being disobedient. The book of Jonah is written in third person ... Show more content on
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Those that lived in the East believed the story of Jonah but didn't believe that Jesus was crucified
and raised from the dead. One major thing that they could never see their God do was " allow His
prophet to undergo such humiliation" (The Importance of the Book of Jonah).Those that lived in the
West disagreed that Jonah was swallowed by a fish and spit back out in three days." If miracles
cannot take place then the story of Jonah must be false" ( The importance of the book of Jonah).
However both cities are incorrect because the two situations cannot coincide without each other." As
Jonah was swallowed by the fish, Jesus was buried in the tomb" ( The importance of the book of
Jonah).This passage shows that the two situations were connected to each other. Without one you
can't have the other. " As Jonah was given new life, Jesus rose from the death" (The importance of
the book of Jonah). From the source The importance of the book of Jonah readers can inform that
the East and the West had their differences like any other crosstown cities. With time there is hope
that the two cities can be educated and shown that without Jesus dying on the cross for our sins,
Jonah wouldn't have been able to repent and pray for deliverance from the belly of the whale.
Because of Adam and Eve Jesus sacrificed his life and allowed men to torture him so those that are
like Jonah and don't obey God's commands can be given a chance to ask for forgiveness and try to
do what was right in the first

Book Of Jonah
The book of Jonah is one that is very interesting because it is such a common story that is told
children, however, about half of the book is left out. Educators typically don't include chapters three
and four within their storytelling, so I was curious to learn about the rest of Jonah and what it would
entail for the relationship between Jonah and God. Within chapters three and four, Jonah is called to
go the city of Nineveh and give them a message that their city will be destroyed in forty days if they
did not repent for their sins. The people then decide that they want to turn from their evil ways and
repent for God. God than changes his mind and gives the people a second chance, however, Jonah is
angry about this decision. He remains angry ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The journal by Karolien Vermeulen presented an interpretation that the people actually saved the
city themselves. In her debate, she explains that God had sent out a warning to the people and
because of that, the Ninevites responded by turning themselves around and looking up towards God.
While doing that, they actually eliminated the need to destroy the city. Vermeulen says within the
journal, "The Ninevites brought themselves down; they were subjected to self–destruction.
Paradoxically, they saved the city with this action, at least in the story world created in the book of
Jonah" (Vermeulen 224). I found this interpretation very interesting because it runs parallel to my
earlier question of the people's sorrow. I do think that the people fear of their own destruction
contributes to that fact that they were so willing to give themselves over to God. I also wonder if
God had instead told the people that they would gain eternal salvation and had not given them a
warning if they still would have

Book Of Jonah Research Paper
Introduction
1.1 Jonah, who was the son of Amittai, (meaning my Dove) was from a town called Gath–hepher in
Zebulun, a territory in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam. "Jonah remains one of the smallest books
of the Prophets and is almost entirely narrative but does contain one oracle in Jonah 3:4 which
conveys this comic tale about a reluctant people."1 "In the Book of Kings, (2 Kings 14–25)2 we
learn that the historical Jonah prophesied to King Jeroboam II to expand the Northern Kingdom of
Israel into lands formerly possessed by Assyria. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria which was an
empire particularly feared and hated barbaric group. "It was Assyria that conquered and destroyed
the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE (approximately ... Show more content on
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"An Analysis of the "Book of Jonah"." Judaism 43, no. 1 (Winter, 1994): 87,
http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search–proquest–
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1304357903?accountid=12085.
2 All Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible version unless
otherwise noted, The 1977
3 Shulman, Dennis G., PhD. "Jonah: His Story, our Story; His Struggle, our Struggle: Commentary
on Paper by Avivah Gottlieb Zornberg." Psychoanalytic Dialogues18, no. 3 (May, 2008): 329–64,
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/233313382?accountid=12085
4 Ratcliffe, Carolyn Ruth. "The Book of Jonah in the Tradition of Ancient Israelite Wisdom." Order
No. 9528009, Baylor University, 1995. In PROQUESTMS ProQuest Global,
com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/304178087?accountid=1208 1.
Prevailing Conditions
1.2 There are a few one is recognized in Jonah 1:2 where it is declared that Nineveh had great
wickedness and the Lord wants him to proclaim judgement upon them. "It was

Differences Of God's Desires In Genesis And The Book Of...
In the Book of Genesis and the Book of Jonah, God reveals His desires for His people and expects
obedience. These desires involve fulfilling His plan which includes, living in community, behaving
peacefully, obeying and respecting Him, and repenting of sins. God makes His desires known, and
in turn, His people obey and disobey these desires. More specifically, examples of this arise in the
stories pertaining to Adam and Eve, Noah, Cain and Abel, and Jonah and the people of Nineveh.
Noah as well as Jonah and the people of Nineveh show numerous examples of acting on God's plans
and desires in a positive way, while the other examples contrast this and provide instances where
God's desires are not followed. Although there are those who choose not to follow His desires, the
instances where His desires are followed hold the utmost focus and importance because they
represent God's plan coming to fruition through His creation. Beginning with the Book of Genesis,
as God has completed His creation, He explains what He desires for the people that will reside on it
and how he wants them to fulfill His creation. He explains, "Let us make humankind in our image,
according to our likeness" (Gen. 1:26). These words from God present the idea that He wants to be
one with His people and that He wants them to be alike to Him. However, His people will go on to
show that while they are created in His image and likeness, they exhibit flaws and behaviors that are
not associated with God. Another

The Book Of Jonah Essay
People in ministry sometimes feel like Sisyphus pushing his large rock up the hill just to watch all
the work be for not, as the rock rolls back to its starting place. From my experience, you begin the
next day saying, "This time, it will be different" and, you start to push the rock again; however,
again the rock gets away and rolls back to the starting place but, often God's purpose was revealed
in this uphill struggle. The book of Jonah begins with, "The word of the LORD came to Jonah...
saying, "Arise, go to Nineveh the great city..." (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible., 1421) in
the summer of 2010, God called me to become the Youth Pastor at Powell Butte Christian Church.
After four years, I wanted to leave and applied to more than 30 different Churches. Peterson wrote,
"Each time, after making numerous inquiries and posting urgent letters and getting no response, I
gave up and went back to the work to which I had already been assigned, to Nineveh. I never did get
to Tarshish, but I can take no credit. I tried hard enough, and frequently enough. ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
In my case, I was even willing to overlook red flags during my interviews and candidates because I
wanted to get to Tarshish so much. I had romanticized Tarshish to the point that I would overlook
their flaws because anything had to be better than Nineveh. Then Tarshish called me up and even in
their rejection red flags waved right in front of me; however, I still longed for

Jonah And Nahum Assignment
Assignment 11 – Jonah and Nahum assignment
Nineveh is described as a very large city (it took three days to go through it), the capital of the
Gentile nation of Assyria; God calls it "the great city". Jonah does not wish to go to Nineveh to
preach repentance to the people– as God has commanded– because he is convicted that God will not
carry out his threat to destroy the city and he doesn't want to preach against them. In Jonah chapter
one, the sailors learned that God does what he pleases; They showed compassion while also fearing
the LORD. Jonah got mad at God in Jonah 4 because God did not bring on them the destruction he
had threatened, and to Jonah this seemed very wrong. Personally, I do not think that Jonah is
justified in his response.

Jonah And Nineveh Essay
Jonah and Nineveh
Last week, we discussed the moment that Jonah has had with God in the belly of a huge fish. This
heartfelt prayer saved Jonah and reminded him who is boss! This week, we will pick up in Jonah
chapter three. We will dive in and see what God wants us to see and hear.
Literary Markers
As stated above we pick up in Jonah chapter three. At this point, Jonah's mission is renewed and we
see further evidence that God and Jonah have made amends even though the disagreement between
them was high. In verse three, we see that Jonah has went to Nineveh as God asked of him and since
it was a large city, it took him three days to get through it. So we have an in text confirmation that
three days has passed while Jonah proclaimed that God ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
With that said, Jonah's prophetic mission from the earliest starting point: Jonah was escaping at first
in light of the fact that heading off to the heart of an essential Assyrian city presumably implied
unavoidable passing. Who might need to go to a nation that had a rough history with their country?
There were three conceivable situations in the matter of how this story would turn out: God
demolishes the city, which Jonah believed was far–fetched, God saving the city, which Jonah
discovered troublesome, or Jonah winding up with one or a few body parts cut off. In any case,
Jonah saw himself in a losing circumstance. Jonah, or possibly the Second Temple group of
onlookers, may have likewise experienced disgrace. It was the Israelite who fled from God, it was
the Israelite who neglected to supplicate amidst the tempest, it was the Israelite who confronted
judgment in the waters like the rough populace in Genesis chapter six and the Egyptians in the
Exodus occasion. The book of Jonah echoes the scriptural stories of Israel's deliverance, yet now it
is the sailors and the Ninevites who are being conveyed from demolition. The earth was loaded with
viciousness (Genesis 6.13) which made God purge the earth, yet now God saves a standout amongst
the roughest

The Book of Jonah Essay
It is thought that Jonah, the fifth of the Minor Prophets, lived during the reign of Jeroboam II, when
the kingdom was divided. (Lockyer, 198) Although the Book of Jonah is quite short, just two and
one–half pages, it is not short on themes. Because there are so many themes it is hard to classify or
to determine its primary message. (Anchor 936 and New Interpreter's 490) These themes range from
running away, praying, second chances, anger, and God's compassion and mercy, to name a few. The
following will provide a brief explanation of each theme, previously mention, as it relates to the
Book of Jonah.
The first theme, running away and its consequences can be found in Chapter 1:1–2:1. Jonah is called
by God to go to Nineveh and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Verse 5 states that each sailor "cried to his god," which tells the reader that the sailors were pagans;
therefore, the later interpretation is more likely. (New Interpreter's 496) The sailors cast lots to see
whose fault it is for this situation. Using chance to find the perpetrator insinuates that it took divine
intervention to single out Jonah. (New Interpreter's 498) The sailors ask Jonah who he was and
where did he come from and Jonah's answer was "I am a Hebrew." He also stated "I worship the
Lord, the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land." The sailors believe that Jonah has
brought the storm to them and asks "What have you done?" and "What shall we do with you?" (New
American 1011) Feeling the weight of his guilt of running away from God, Jonah tells the sailors to
throw him overboard. They comply unwillingly. Now the Lord still had a mission for Jonah and so
he sent a large fish to swallow him up, which is where he stayed for three days and three nights.
Certainly, the safest and simplest thing Jonah could have done would have been to go to Nineveh
and preach against the city; therefore, running away is never a better answer.
The second theme, prayer, occupies the majority of Chapter 2, specifically verses 3–10, the "Psalm
of Thanksgiving". This is thought to have been a later addition to the story, due to the fact that Jonah
had not been saved yet. (Anchor 939) However,

Jonah's Jonah: The Book Of Jonah
Runaway, rebellion, and shocking; these are 3 word in which best describe the story of Jonah.
Though a exceedingly short book in the Bible, only 4 chapter long, Jonah in nonetheless a
significant book in the Bible. We are not told much about the "prophet;" (if he can even be called
that) but what we do know makes us question how and why he was chosen by God to deliver a very
important message that literally had the fate of an entire city riding on its delivery. We can, however,
conclude book of Jonah is most definitely written by a single author; this is evident in its unified
theme and style. The author of Jonah is relatively unknown. However, it is possible, but unlikely,
that Jonah himself is the author. It is difficult to see a man with such stubbornness and childish
actions wrote this ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In all reality, it most likely written by a third party. Much like the parables that Jesus taught, Jonah
was left "incomplete," if you will. Meaning that we simply do not know how Jonah responds; the
Bible left that part out. As if God leaves that part to us to reflect on our own lives and decide how
we would act in Jonah's place. It is written as a prophetic narrative, but the "hero" is portrayed in a
negative light. Furthermore, the book of Jonah is sensational literature, meaning it is designed to
arouse the imagery in the audience's mind and use that imagery to produce emotion. The time period
is also not very clear. "The actual composition of the book is not datable except within the broadest
boundaries (ca. 750b.c.–250b.c.) simply because there are no certain indicators in it of date (Stuart
432). However, it was obviously between the time when Nineveh was a strong power in the known
world; and most likely between the time when Assyria had taken Israel into exile. However, it is
most plausible that Jonah took place closer to the 750

Lev Shestov's 'Creation From The Void' By Lev Chekhov
In his essay "Creation from the Void", existentialist philosopher Lev Shestov claimed that with
regards to lofty concepts such as love, art, and inspiration, "Chekhov has only to touch them and
they instantly wither and die." While his words may seem a bit radical, they do bear a certain truth.
Even in his early works, Chekhov was at work deconstructing widely held principles and ideologies.
In "Misery", Chekhov does this through his depiction of Iona Potapov, a lonely cab driver whose
son has recently passed away. The story seems set–up to explore ideas relating to death, family, and
society, but trying to find a clear theme hidden in Iona's suffering proves to be a difficult task.
Chekhov tends to raise more questions than he answers. However, this doesn't mean that "Misery" is
lacking in depth. Chekhov just focuses on particular details that capture the complexity and raw
realities of his subject, trusting the reader to find the meaning. In "Misery", one such detail is found
in Iona's name itself, which he shares with a famous Old Testament prophet (referred to as "Jonah"
for distinction). Chekhov's allusion to Jonah introduces a hint of Christian thought into "Misery"
while avoiding its themes, providing him with a platform to deconstruct prominent Christian views
in Russian society and in the works of his literary peers. Chekhov's use of the Jonah allusion is
subtle and cautious. As Julie Sherbinin notes, "Christian legends and iconography do not function in
a

Jonah And The Whale Essay
The story of Jonah is perhaps one of the most famous in scriptures. Even non–Christians typically
know the story of "Jonah and the Whale". However, there is much more to this story than can be
taken at face value. Reading this story within the context of the Old Testament reveals
characteristics of each setting that add more to the story. It is understandable why an Israelite would
have avoided Nineveh; Nineveh was such an undesirable place to the devout follower of God that
even the possibly dangerous and uncontrollable sea was more desirable. It is only when Jonah finds
himself in the pit of darkness that he prays for God's deliverance and carries out the mission God
has called him to. Even after God's grace is given to the people of Nineveh, Jonah runs once again to
create his own shelter in which God must save him once again and impart reason of His grace onto
Jonah. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Ninevah has a long history throughout scripture. It was first built by Nimrod, the mighty hunter
before the Lord, the great–grandson of Noah through Noah's son Ham (Gn. 11–12). However, this
introduction to the city does not give a picture of what the city represented in the Ancient Near
Eastern world. It is not until Isaiah's prophesy in 2 Kings (19:36) that the character of Nineveh
begins to take shape; for it is Nineveh that Sennacherib flees to and calls his home after 185,000 of
his men are struck dead by the Lord. This may not appear to mean much, but the Assyrians were far
from being a Godly city. They worshipped other gods (2 Ki. 19:37), experts in siege warfare (2 Ki.
17:3–6, 18:13, 19:17), and took Judah as a vassal city (2 Ki. 16:7–9, 18:14–16). If the Assyrians
called Nineveh home, it was no friend to the Israelites and would have likely struck fear in any
Israelite called to enter the

Biblical Reflection
In our society today, it can be hard to fully understand and relate to biblical texts written in a
seemingly different world. With stories of great joys and sorrows, I found that although the world
we live in today is different, the messages are still highly relevant. As long as humans are still
imperfect and desired filled beings, we will need the wisdom of these biblical texts to guide us. As
the stories of overcoming hardships and suffering made an impression on me, the stories of love and
acceptance filled me with great emotion. There are many differences that seem to separate
Christians today, whether in arguments such as interpretations or certain beliefs. This has only
divided an undivided religion. I found comfort and strength from texts about love and a calling for
Christians to come together despite differences. In this, I found a deeper connection to myself and
others.
The true nature of living a life through the image of God is not done by simply reading from the
text, but acting through it. Galatians chapter 6 verse 2 states "Bear one another's burdens, and in this
way you will fulfill the law of Christ." As Christ gave his life for the selfless love of us, we must
honor that by in turn pouring out love onto others. We must let people lean on us for strength and
guidance, and in turn we will lean on them. In my life, it can be easy for me to be selfish in my
actions. It's hard sometimes to go out of my way to give people a loving presence

Book Of Jonah Argument Analysis
Before digging into the purpose of Jonah, there is a controversy in the area of interpretation when it
comes to Jonah. Aside from the author's purpose of Jonah, the book's purpose for the individual
"depends on the view on its nature and on a person's exegesis" (Gaebelein, Jonah Section) (a
personal, educated, critical interpretation). There is still much argument over whether the book of
Jonah is historical or parabolic. The parabolic view faces numerous difficulties. For example,
historical references in the Bible such as "2 Kings 14:25" ("BibleGateway." – Quick Search: Jonah.
N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.) would be based on figurative events and not unquestionable fact. This
would cause the entire truth of the Bible to be skewed. If one book in ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.) The historical notion is greatly supported because
God Himself referred to the book of Jonah as historical (see Matthew 12:38–41, Luke 11:29–30,
32). On the parabolic side, there is a main argument against Jonah being historical. It is the
"impossibility" of Jonah surviving in the whale's stomach for three days and three nights (See Jonah
1:17). This argument has flaws. There are instances that display that a person could survive in this
environment (stranger occurrences have happened in our time). Plus, they were of brief periods of
time. On the other hand, "multiple explanations have been stated as to how it could have happened
with little inconvenience for Jonah, but these cannot be stated with certainty." (Gaebelein, Jonah
Section) Since the whale incident is very generalized, personal interpretations should not come into
play. As a note, parabolic interpretations can be categorized as both personal interpretations and
spiritual interpretations that teach moral lessons. Jonah was not sent to preach monotheism or higher
ethics to Nineveh; but the purpose of Jonah's message was to bring Nineveh to repentance.

Analysis of the Book of Jonah Essay
We often read stories in the Bible without taking the historical context into consideration. As a
result, we become unaware of the story's historical validity. In some cases, stories are used to share a
moral concept, or used as a tool to teach a lesson. The Book of Jonah is an example that will be used
to determine if this particular story describes an accurate recount of history, or if it teaches the
readers a lesson. In the Book of Jonah, Jonah (the prophet) is instructed to go to a pagan city
(Nineveh) to preach to the Ninevites, hoping that they will repent for their sins. However, he
challenges God and travels to Tarshish instead. Jonah receives consequences for his actions and
Nineveh is eventually forgiven by God. Although the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In addition, the city of Nineveh is described in Nahum as "bloody, full of deceit, and full of plunder"
(Bolin 117). The Ninevites' actions therefore justified Jonah's decision to disobey God's command
because of how ruthless they were. The nature of the great city disgusted Jonah and made him
believe that the Ninevites were not worthy of God's forgiveness. Although Jonah's intuition to ignore
God's command seems admissible, we later learn that it is not up to Jonah to determine the
Ninevites' fate. To recap the first half of the Book of Jonah, God calls upon Jonah to go to the great
city of Nineveh and send them a message that God will punish the Ninevites if they do not repent
for their sins. Jonah, refusing to help the Ninevites, decides to "flee from God in disobedience"
(Cosby 124) to Tarshish. Jonah boards a ship with a couple of sailors and sets sail to Tarshish.
However during their sail, God sends a terrible storm due to Jonah's disobedience. The sailors
eventually had to throw Jonah into the sea in order to calm the storm. God creates a big fish to
engulf Jonah where Jonah was in its belly for three days and three nights. This part of the story in
particular allows the reader to stop and ponder if Jonah's incident with the big fish really took place
in history. It is impossible to survive one day in a belly of a fish nevertheless three days! Knowing
this bit of information, we can deduce that the

Nineveh In The Book Of Jonah
One of the most well–known books in the bible is the one of Jonah, The book is a great and
inspirational story of how God calls on Jonah to go and preach to the Ninevites and warn them of
the coming destruction. Nineveh is the capital of the Assyrian empire whose notorious reputation
was well known. Owing to the history of the Assyrian empire and Israel, Jonah didn't want to warn
them. His personal view was that they deserved everything coming to them. This leads Jonah to
leave his home and travel in the opposite direction towards the coast of Joppa. To get a clearer
understanding of Jonah and his message, this work will look at the historical context, the content of
Jonah message and if there is any significance for the modern times. 134
The historical context of the book of Jonah is important to look at, as it enables us to gain an
understanding of what was happening in the area at the time. God commanded Prophet Jonah to go
to Nineveh, to an Israelite that would have been the hardest thing to do or even consider doing.
There was an ongoing history of trouble that the Assyrian empire had cause onto his people. In
745BC they invaded northern Israel and they deported the people to the area around Nineveh, they
were an increasing threat to the rest of Israel. They were notorious for their cruelty and atrocities
towards ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Jonah's message teaches us that God is a Just God, that he is willing to give everyone a second
chance to change. It also informs the reader that evil has consequences and deserves punishment,
but also that God is very merciful and always has mercy and compassion upon those turn back to
him, no matter who they are (even our enemies), and that what God really wants is not people's
destruction, but their turning back to Him and knowing his love and mercy in their lives.

Misinterpretation Of Jonah: The Book Of Jonah
The book of Jonah has been a staple in Sunday school classes for many years. It has also been
subject to misinterpretation for many years as there is a much deeper meaning within the book that
has enlightened audience that Jonah was originally written for. However, this remains one of the
best books in that it contains a miracle that seems impossible which directly relates to people
because it is a captivating story in which a man survives in the belly of a giant fish. Many have
translated the word fish for a whale as that is the only fish that comes to mind that would have the
capacity to hold a human. Let us talk about the facts, history, characteristics and some background
that makes up the beloved book.
A prophet named Jonah, the son of Amittai, is mentioned in (New International Version, 2 Kings
14.25). This prophet was from Gath Hepher in Galilee and presumably was the same prophet named
in (Jonah 1.1). The prophet would have prophesied in the reign of King Jeroboam II in 793–753
B.C. (Bible Gateway).
In spite of the fact that the book does not distinguish its writer, tradition has credited it to the
prophet himself. Jonah child of Amittai; (Jonah 1.1), from Gath Hepher; (2 Kings 14.25); in Zebulun
Joshua ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Around 797 B.C. Elisha addressed the lord of Israel concerning future triumphs over Damascus (2
Kings 13.14–19). A couple of years after the fact Jonah forecasted the rebuilding that Jeroboam
finished (2Kings 14.25). Be that as it may, not long after Israel had triumphed, she started to boast
over her newly discovered power. Since she was assuaged of remote weights–alleviation that had
come as per empowering words from Elisha and Jonah–she felt enviously smug about her favored
status with God (Amos 6.1). She centered her religion on desires of the "day of the Lord" (Amos
5:18–20), when God's dimness would overwhelm alternate countries, leaving Israel to loll in his

Exegesis: Jonah
JONAH
OLD TESTAMENT EXEGESIS
K. Andersen
Old Testament
BIB 303
November 28, 2012
Table of Contents
Outline..........................................................2
Introduction....................................................3
Content Analysis..............................................3
Nineveh and Jonah's Decision..............................5
Main Characters...............................................8
Jonah's Rebellion and God's Grace........................11
Conclusion.....................................................12
PracticalApplication..........................................12 Outline
1. Content Analysis: Jonah 1:11–17
2. Background and Introduction: Jonah was instructed by God to go to Nineveh and preach the
message of repentance to them.
a. Nineveh was a terrible place at this time in history.
a.i. It was the capitol of the Assyrian empire.
a.ii. They ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to
him. 17 Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights."
In verse 11, the subject of the sailors thinking has turned from them to Jonah and what he has done
to cause such a thing and how he can fix it.2 Since they know Jonah is a Hebrew and follows the
Hebrew God, they have come to realize and fear his God. Since they asked what they needed to do
with him in verse 11, Jonah's response to them in verse 12 is not pleasing to them. If Jonah would
die from being thrown over board then the blood of his life is on their hands and on their time. So in
verse 13, the sailors exhaust their last option of trying their best to row back to shore. Earlier they
were throwing the cargo overboard to lighten the ship, which considering what the Tarshish ships

were famous for transporting, luxury items (see section: Nineveh and Jonah's Decision, below) the
cargo they discarded may have been of a valuable loss. The sea growing even wilder is an example
of chaos and God's willingness to upset the order of nature and his creation to draw humans closer
to him and awareness of his existence. By verse 14, the sailors are crying out to God and asking for
the blood of

The Book Of Jonah
I choose Jonah, especially chapter 4, to make a response paper from the twelve prophets because
Jonah has unique characters. Most prophets ordinarily show that they just follow God and speak for
God, but Jonah does not do that. He is the prophet of God, yet he attempts to walk on different way
with God.
God Wants to Save Enemy The storyteller of Jonah introduces God's words for Jonah to deliver
God's message to make Nineveh repent their sin. However, Jonah disobeys God, fleeing to Tarshish
as Nineveh is the public enemy of Israel. In addition, he does not think that Nineveh will not hear
his word. However, God wants Jonah to go Nineveh and to make Nineveh to repent their
wickedness, so Jonah needs to go to Nineveh. However, most people start to repent as soon as he
shouts out God's message. For this reason, God changes his mind about the collapse of Nineveh. In
the book of Jonah, God's position against an enemy is very contrast with other prophets. Chen Nan
Jou asserts, "The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However, they show their appearance in contrast. When Jonah hear God's message, he does not
follow God's order but rather flees from God. However, people in a ship and Nineveh immediately
pray and repent to God although they have different religions. For this reason, Jou insists, "In fact,
in the book of Jonah, non–Jews are depicted as devout, religious people." This is ironic, which
indicates that the author of Jonah would emphasize his characteristic to respects other nation and
other religion. It seems to be redacted in the post–exile period when Judah encounters inter–
religious society. Julia M. O'Brien argues, "Jonah was written to challenge nationalism and
exclusivism, advancing instead an inclusive vision of the Jewish community." Therefore, the book
of Jonah is one of the result in Jewish communities' efforts to harmonize their neighbors who are
gentiles that they should

Jonah Is Like Jesus Analysis
Jonah is Like Jesus
The Book of Jonah tells the story of a prophet who did not want to carry out God's will. The Lord
had instructed Jonah to warn the town of Nineveh that their wickedness had enraged Him. Instead of
responding obediently, Jonah ran away from his responsibilities and got on a ship headed to
Tarshish. "He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare,
he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD." The struggle Jonah went through
when completing his task prefigures the apprehensions Jesus had concerning his sacrificial death.
When Jesus was to be crucified, he went to the Garden of Gethsemane admitting his worries about
his future. "Abba, Father," he said, "Everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not
what I will, but what you will." This event in Jesus's life shows he has uncertainties when carrying
out God's requests. These doubts are like those of the earlier prophet. In both cases, the two men put
their trust in God and were ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
When Jonah was aboard the ship headed for Tarshish, the Lord provided a great storm to prevent the
boat from reaching Tarshish. Instantly Jonah knew the outburst of this storm was his fault. So he
said "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will become calm. I know that it is
my fault that this great storm has come upon you." This act of selflessness is similar to the event in
Jesus's life when he sacrifices himself on the cross. "When they came to the place called the Skull,
they crucified him there, along with the criminals–one on his right, the other on his left." Jesus's
sacrifice ensured that humanity would be saved and enter into a new everlasting relationship with
God. Similarly, Jonah saved his shipmates from a potential shipwreck by casting himself into the
sea. This shows that Jonah is like Jesus because he sacrifices himself to save

Book Of Jonah
The book of Jonah is a Prophetic oracle. It can also be classified as narrative history. This book is
believed to have been written by Jonah around 785–760 B.C just before Israel was conquered by the
Assyria .Some of the key personalities in this book include Jonah, the people of Nineveh, the ship's
captain and crew.
The main purpose of this book is to demonstrate God's mercy and grace to mankind. The people of
Nineveh were wicked and deserved God's anger. However, God was patient and tolerant with them.
Jonah, a reluctant prophet, had initially run away when he received God's call to send a repentance
message to the individuals living in Nineveh.
In Chapter one of this book, God issued a directive to Jonah to head to Nineveh and deliver a
repentance message to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The sinful city of Nineveh repented and started obeying god's commandments.
In Chapter four, God teaches Jonah about compassion and love. The repentance of Nineveh was,
however, short–lived as it was destroyed in 612B.C.
There are many important Christian lessons that can be learned from this book. Perhaps the most
significant one is the importance of obeying God's call. Another significant lesson is the merciful
nature of God and His compassion demonstrated by his willingness to forgive sins whenever they
are repented.
The book of Jonah just like other religious texts demonstrates the significance of God's mercy to
mankind. The similarity in concept is quite evident with other religious texts which have also
demonstrated God's grace. However, there exist some notable differences with the other religious
texts. For example, the disobedience of Jonah to God's calling is quite different from other texts
where we have seen men called by God demonstrate total obedience and submission to God's

Jonah As A Theodicy: Understanding The Book Of Jonah
This study uses the term "overarching" to refer to a theme that finds support in all four chapters of
Jonah and is also crucial to understanding the text. Other "sub–themes," while undeniably important,
especially for the discipline of systematic theology, do not strike at the heart of the author's message.
That said, four separate yet overarching themes are outlined below. Each is grounded throughout the
entire text of Jonah. Furthermore, each one is crucial to understanding the author's intent. Love and
Mercy
James Robson may be correct in describing the book of Jonah as a theodicy. God is on trial, and
Jonah is the prosecutor. But what Divine attributes or actions of His are Yahweh defending to Jonah
and his readers? "There are two intertwined

A Summary On Jonah : The Book Of Jonah
Jonah (The Book of) Jonah is a book of the Bible written by the Johan himself approximately 785–
760 BC. (BibleGateway, n.d.) This book of the Bible has only four chapters in it and it is fixed in the
Bible after the book of Obadiah and before Nahum. In the four short chapters for this book of the
Bible Johan goes from turning his back on the Lord, going back to the Lord, the once again
questioning the Lord. The first chapter shows Jonah's defiance of the Lord. The Lord asked Jonah to
go Nineveh and announce the Lord's judgement. But Jonah turned and went the other direction away
from the Lord. (Johan 1:3) Then while on the ship getting away from Nineveh Jonah is swallowed
by a whale. In Chapter 2 Jonah was inside the whale and he starts to pray again to the Lord, telling
him that even though he is in the situation he is in, he will still turn to the Lord always. So, the Lord
commands the whale to sit Jonah out. (Jonah 2:10) The third chapter explains how Jonah is asked by
the Lord to proclaim his message of judgement on Nineveh, Jonah did as the Lord instructed. The
people off Nineveh changing their ways and the judgement was spared by the Lord. Chapter four of
Jonah explains how Jonah becomes angry with the Lord because he does not believe the Lord
should have been so gracious with the people of Nineveh. Jonah believed that they should not have
been spared. (Jonah 4:1–2). Even though this is a short book it has a major theme to it, the Lord's
compassion for

Jonah's Jonah: The Book Of Jonah
Jonah
The book of Jonah does not say who wrote it, but it is unlikely that Jonah was the author because it
speaks badly about him.
Jonah was a prophet in the land of Israel at about 800–750 BC. During this time, Israel shared its
northern border with Syria. When the army of Syria defeated Israel in war, it took a lot of Israel's
land. Then the army of Assyria defeated Syria in war, making Syria weak. Jeroboam then was able
to get his land back. Jonah had said that God would cause this to happen.
When the people of Israel won battles against their enemies, they became proud of their power.
They forgot the special relationship that they had with God. It was at this time that the Lord sent
Jonah to the city of Nineveh.
God asked me to go to Nineveh to preach against their wickedness. I was scared to do that, so I ran
away from the Lord and found a ship to sail to Tarshish. There were other sailors on board with me
and God sent a massive storm and big waves to rise against the ship. I told the sailors that this is
happening because God is mad at me. The ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
While I was in the fish I repented and prayed to the Lord. After the third day and third night the
Lord made the big fish spit me out onto shore. God told me this time to go to the city of Nineveh
and to proclaim the message of God. I obeyed this time and the message was that Nineveh would be
overturned in 40 days. The whole city of Nineveh was scared and repented. God shows relent by
compassion and mercy towards the Ninevites. I was greatly displeased with my success because I
felt bad that I did not listen to God the first time. God prepares a third thing for me by providing me
with a vine to grow over me; I was very happy. God tests me by sending a worm which chewed up
the vine and wind blew stuff away. I was so grieved that I wanted to die. God's lesson for me was to
listen to Him and trust in Him and know that everything He does is for a

Social Injustice Was Rampant During Amos 's Time
Social injustice was rampant during Amos's time. Not only within Israel/Judah, but also in the
foreign kingdoms around them. We are first introduced to the sins of Israel's neighbors in Amos
chapters 1 and 2, which the Lord has found unfavorable which include; crushing Gilead in a cruel
manner ( Amos,1:3 New International Version), selling communities into slavery (Amos 1:6, 1:9),
murdering their brothers, killing women and their babies (Amos 1:11, 1:13), and burning the bones
of others (Amos 2:1). Then we are introduced to the sins of Israel and Judah which include;
forgetting the law (Amos 2:4), worshipping other gods (Amos 2:4), selling people into slavery
(Amos 2:6), treat those under them cruelly (Amos 2:7), and women being shared between father and
son (Amos 2:7) When you look at these two lists it is painfully evident to see that God 's people
were very similar to those around them. Already they were becoming a lot like those around them,
failing to keep themselves pure and separate. When we look at these things that the Lord is finding
issue with, we can see just how many have to do with how they are treating those around them. By
showing his disapproval of these actions, God is showing us His heart on these matters. We can see
that God not only cares about what His people are doing but How His people are treating those
around them and the way that it reflects Him and what it says about His relationship between them
and Him. This speaks to the fact that God wanted

Book Of Jonah Essay
The purpose of the book of Jonah is to show God's people that His plan is exceedingly
compassionate (God is gracious) and exceedingly certain (God is sovereign). The central theme of
the book of Jonah is the God who loves in freedom. We should desire to understand, accept, and
love God's sovereign grace, rather than oppose it or be resentful of it. The book of Jonah stresses the
freedom and primacy of God and God's initiative and grace toward humanity. Christians, applying
the theology of Jonah to the person and work of Jesus, could claim that Jesus Christ is the freedom
of God acting in love toward humanity
Major Themes 1. Mercy–God's compassion extends even beyond what we would like, even to those
whom we ourselves show no mercy. God's Sovereignty–His plan will be carried out and cannot be
avoided. 3. Resentment–The book is a vivid portrait of what bitterness and resentment against other
people and against God's plan can do to a person's soul–even the soul of God's own prophet.
The book of Jonah demonstrates the scope of God's mercy as He receives other nations and the
mediatory role Israel was to fulfill in its prophetic role to the nations. This focus is expressed in the
two central themes of the book: the universality of God's mercy (and by implication, the universality
of His judgment) and the mediatory role of Israel. Included in these two themes of God's freedom
and resourcefulness are His undeviating effort to instill mercy, His right and ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
Is he pleased? Is he grateful? He is neither, but rather complains to God that He is too merciful and
sparing (4.2b). Indeed he infers (we'attâ, 4.3a) from this merciful and sparing nature of God that
God should now kill him. Since the consistent OT association of YHWH's mercy is with life, not
death, Jonah's inference is clearly as mistaken as it could be. So what is happening? And what is to
be done about

A Thematic Analysis Of 'Jonah And The Big Fish'
Oluchi Amadi
English Bible as Literature
Prof. Sonntag
11–03–2015.
Jonah and the Big Fish Analysis Notably known as the universality of God's love, the book of Jonah
is one of the most captivating short stories and books in the bible. Unlike other historical books that
are well– known for their collections of oracles, visions and sermons, The book of Jonah mainly
focuses on narrative; much like the stories of Samuel and Elijah, it establishes Jonah's relationship
with God and God's character and nature. Compared to the other prophets, Jonah is disobedient.
After God instructs Jonah to go to Nineveh and tell the people there to resort from their bad ways,
Jonah refuses to adhere to God's command. Rather than listening to God, Jonah ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
In numerous points in the story, God refuses to abandon his people, which speaks of his compassion
and sympathy. Such example can be seen when Jonah is swallowed by a fish and stays in its belly
for three days and three nights. Although he disobeys God, after praying and realizing his mistake,
God rescues him from his miseries. He now realizes that God loves everyone, irrespective of their
obedience or disobedience. As an article puts it, "He is the God who delivers and forgives those who
repent, but requires obedience from His

Jonah Vs. Jonah In The Book Of Nineveh
The people simply humbled themselves before God and He had mercy on them cancelling His
judgment. Jonah had wanted Nineveh to be destroyed by God and this would prolong the life of the
kingdom of Israel. But instead he was the main source of them hearing the message of repentance.
He had preferred to die instead of fulfilling his divinely appointed mission. Now he had no one to
"blame" for Nineveh's survival except himself and God's mercy. This made Jonah so angry that he
was inconsolable and wanted to die.
Jesus compared to Jonah
In the book of Luke 11:29–32 (also found in Matthew 12:38–45) Jesus Himself speaks about Jonah.
The Pharisees and the Scribes wanted a sign from Jesus.
The Sign ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Grace is God's unmerited favor; it is getting what you don't deserve. If you got what you deserve it
would be payment not unmerited favor.
"Justice is getting what you deserve.
Mercy is not getting what you deserve.
And grace is getting what you absolutely don't deserve..." (Falsani)
At the end of the book, the Bible records that Jonah was so angry that he asks God to let him die but
God does not do so. He then reminds God that he knew Gods character. That God was " a gracious
and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing
harm" and this was his reason for running away to Tarshish. Jonah then decides to go out of the city
and wait and watch the outcome of Nineveh. While he was there God made a plant to grow up
immediately and give him shade, bringing Jonah much joy. But when morning came God appointed
a worm to eat it , then a strong wind and sun to beat down on Jonah till he fainted. At this point,
Jonah still feels that it is better for him to die than live. Jonah expresses to God that he has more pity
on the plant that died that the Ninevities that did not

Jonah 's Attempt For Escape His Divine Mission
Jonah's Attempt to Escape His Divine Mission The book of Jonah is a fascinating one. It is full of
intrigue, suspense, questions, and unbelievable events that let the discerning believer in on the
awesome power of God's correction, His love, and especially His grace. For some reason Jonah,
though a prophet of God who seemingly was willing to follow the Lord's commands, did not adopt
the "grace" attribute of God's character. Jonah was judgmental, as human beings often are, and he
could not see past the egregious sin of Nineveh in order to understand the grace and the heart of
God. Nineveh was a city saturated with sin. Its inhabitants performed evil deeds in the sight of God.
The Assyrian empire ruled this very important city and all of ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
He wanted Nineveh totally destroyed. Jonah did not believed that the Ninevites deserved another
chance, possibly because of the ferociousness of their sin, so he decided that he was not going to
bring the prophetic word of God before them. Knowing that his words had the power to change
people's minds, Jonah did not want even the slightest chance of Nineveh repenting to God (Jonah
1:3). Some ministers in modern day would be wise to revisit the book of Jonah. So many refuse to
preach in certain places because they feel the sin is too great, or that God cannot meet the need, or
even that they are not the right person to bring the word to that group of people. They will claim, as
Jonah did, that the people do not deserve mercy; therefore, it is better to run from the task (and God)
than to preach a word that might change the hearts of man. In running from God, readers can see
just how stubborn and steadfast in his convictions Jonah was. He boarded a boat to Tarshish hoping
foolishly to escape the presence of the Lord (Jonah 1:3). This is an interesting tactic because as a
prophet of God, and a very successful prophet at that, Jonah knew that there was no where he could
go to escape God. For the reader, one would do well to remember that God omnipresent. He is
everywhere all the time. He is also omniscient, so he hears every thought that enters the mind and
knows the exact intentions of each person's

Theme Of Hyperbole In The Parable
In her biblical commentary, Irene Nowell explores the usage of exaggeration in one of her main
concepts regarding Jonah. After God commands him to tell the citizens of Nineveh to repent for
their malicious acts, Jonah decides to flee onto a ship heading over to Tarsish. God becomes aware
of Jonah's whereabouts, so God sends out a "great wind", stirs up a "great storm", and seizes the
sailors with "great fear" (Nowel "Jonah 1"). The repetition of the word "great" exemplifies a
hyperbole to demonstrate the Lord's power. A hyperbole is a literary technique used in a figure of
speech, thus the device evokes strong feelings and impressions, but the statements made should not
be taken literally. It is comprehensible to characterize God as furious and intimidating, however, the
hyperbole within this parable is only used as a dramatic effect to grab the audience's attention. The
emphasis of the wind, the storm, and the feeling of fear among the sailors onboard makes the story
intriguing as readers ponder over the wrath of God, his control over natural elements, and His
supreme sovereignty. Eugene F. Roops' biblical commentary first concept examines the reluctance
of Jonah as he attempts to escape from his responsibility. According to Roops, reluctance upon
receiving divine commission was not uncommon because other prophets object God's message too:
Moses, Gideon, and Jeremiah first feel insufficient to fulfill their divine commission at first, yet all
three

Jonah 4
The message of Jonah 4 has direct application when teaching on (1) grace and (2) forgiveness. The
message of grace is most obvious throughout the Book of Jonah since Jonah received grace when he
disobeyed the command of YHWH and Nineveh receives grace rather than judgment from YHWH.
As regards forgiveness the message of Jonah 4 is often echoed in the preaching and parables of
Jesus when he reminds his audience that God has forgiven them and therefore they should forgive
others.
If the message of Jonah 4 peaks at vv. 6–7 then part of this message of grace must be the
sovereignty of God. Jonah thinks that God should show him grace because he is a Hebrew (as is
made most evident in chapter 2). God think Nineveh should not receive grace because

Metaphors In Jonah's Actions

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