JONAH, BOOK OF.
Analysis. The book of Jonah contains an ac count of the prophet's commission to denounce Nineveh, and of his refusal to undertake the em bassy—of the method he employed to escape the unwelcome task (see TARSIIISH), and the mirac ulous means which God used to curb his self willed spirit, and subdue his petulant and queru lous disposition. The third and fourth chapters briefly detail Jonah's fulfillment of the Divine command, and present us with another exemplifi cation of his refractory temper.
(1) Distraction. His attempt to flee from the presence of the Lord must have sprung from a partial insanity, produced by the excitement of distracting motives in an irascible and melancholy heart. Thc temerity and folly of the fugitive could scarcely be credited, if they had not been equaled by future outbreaks of a similar peevish and morbid infatuation. The mind of Jonah was dark and moody, not unlike a lake which mirrors in the waters the gloomy thunderclouds which overshadow it, and flash over its sullen waves a momentary gleam.
(2) Striking History. The history of Jonah is certainly striking and extraordinary. Its char acteristic prodigy does not resemble the other miraculous phenomena recorded in Scripture; yet we must believe in its literal occurrence, as the Bible affords no indication of its being a myth, allegory, or parable.
(3) Reality. On the other hand, our Savior's pointed and peculiar allusion to it is an evidence of its reality (Matt. xii:40). The opinion of the earlier Jews (Tobit xiv :4 ; Joseph. Antiq. ix:io, 2) is also in favor of the literality of the ad venture. It requires less faith to credit this sim ple excerpt from Jonah's biography, than to believe the numerous hypotheses that have been invented to deprive it of its supernatural character, the great majority of them being clumsy and far fetched. doing violence to the language, and de spite to the spirit of revelation.
(4) Vindication of Reality. In vindication of the reality of this striking narrative, it may be argued that the allusions of Christ to Old Testa ment events on similar occasions arc to actual oc currences (John iii:14; vi :48) ; that thc purpose which God had in view justified his miraculous interposition; that this miracle must have had a salutary effect both on the minds of the Ninevites and on the people of Israel. Neither is the char acter of Jonah improbable. Many reasons might induce him to avoid the discharge of his prophetic duty—fear of being thought a false prophet, scorn of a foreign and hostile racc, desire for their utter destruction, a false dignity which might reckon it beneath his prerogative to officiate among uncir cumcised idolaters (Jahn, Introduction to the Old Testament, translated by S. Turner, pp. 372, 373, translator's notes). Some, who cannot altogether reject the reality of the narrative; suppose it to have had a historical basis, though its present form be fanciful or mythical. Such an opinion is the evident result of a mental struggle betwccn receiving it as a real transaction or regarding it as wholly a fiction. Grimm regards it as a dream produced in that sleep which fell upon Jorfah as he lay on the sides of the ship and others regard this book as an allegory.
These hypotheses are all vague and baseless, and do not merit a special refutation. Endeavoring to free us from one difficulty they plunge us into others yet more intricate and perplexing.
(5) Profane. Wit. Much profanc wit has been expended on the miraculous means of Jonah's de liverance, very unnecessarily and very absurdly; it is simply said, 'The Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah.' Now the species of marine animal is not defined, and the Greek kay tos, KiTOS sea-monster, or wha/e, is often used to specify, not the genus whale, but any large fish or sea-monster. All objections to its being a whale which lodged Jonah in its stomach, from its strait ness of throat, or rareness of haunt in the Medi terranean, are thus removed. The Scripture thus speaks only of an enormous fish, which under God's direction swallowed the prophet, and does not point out the species to which the voracious prowler belonged. Since the days of Bochart it has been a common opinion that the fish was of the shark species, or 'sea-dog' (Bochart, Op. 72; Calmet's Dissertation sur Jonah). Entire hu man bodies have been found in some fishes of thiS kind. The stomach, too, has no influence on any living substance admitted into it. Granting all these facts as proof of what is termed the economy of miracles, still must we say, in refer ence to the supernatural preservation of Jonah, Is anything too hard for the Lord? On what portion of the coast Jonah was set down in safety wc are not informed. The opin ions held as to the peculiar spot by rabbins and other thaumaturgic expositors need not be re pcated. The prophet proceeded, on receiving a second commission, to fulfill it.
(8) Saving of the City. The fearful menace had the dcsircd effect. The city humbled itself before God, and a respite was vouchsafed. The king (Pul, according to Ushcr) and his people fasted, and their penitence was accepted. Thc spirit of Jonah was chafed that thc doom he had uttered was not executed. Hc rctired to a station out of the city whence he might witness the threatened catastrophe. Under the shadow of a gourd prepared hy God he reclined. while Jehovah taught him by the growth and speedy death of this plant, and his attachment to it. a sublime lesson of patient and forgiving generosity.
(7) A Simple Narrative. The book of Jonah is a simple narrative, with the exception of the prayer or thanksgiving in chapter Its style and mode of narration are uniform. There are no traces of compilation, as Nactigall supposed ; neither is the prayer, as De Wette (Einleit. 237) imagines, improperly borrowed from some other sources. That prayer contains, indeed. not only imagery peculiar to itself, but also such imagery as at once was suggested to the mind of a reverent Hebrew preserved in circumstances of extreme jeopardy. On this principle we account for the similarity of some portions of its phraseology to Ps. lix, xlii, etc. The language in both places had been hallowed by frequent usage, and had become the consecrated idiom of a distressed and suc cored Israelite. The hymn seems to have been composed after his deliverance, and the reason why his deliverance is noted after the hymn is re corded may be to show the occasion of its com position.
Among the numerous commentators 011 Jonah niay be noticed Martin, Jonah's mission; King's Commentary; Pusey's Commentary; Davidson, On Prophecy, Dis. vi. pt. 2. For further litera ture see HABAKKUK. J. E.