JONAH, boor. or. The fifth book of the mi nor prophets. In the superscription the author ship of the book is ascribed to Jonah. the son of Amittai. Considerations of language and style, however. the general thought and point of view. and particularly the psalm in chapter ii., which closely resembles other psalms of late date, make it difficult to believe that the book was written as early as the time of Jeroboam 11. It can hardly date before the fifth century B.C., and the psalm in chapter ii. may be omen later. The hook consists of two sections: (I) The epi sode of Jonah and the fish (cgs. i., ii.) ; (2) the account of the repentance of Nineveh, Jonah's chagrin at finding his prophecies unfulfilled, and the divine rebuke in consequence (cgs. iii.. iv.). Chapter i. begins with God's command to Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim its destruction. Jonah attempts to evade the ditty, and takes pas sage on a ship going to Tarshish. A great storm arises on the voyage, interpreted by the sailors as a sign of divine displeasure. Jonah is chosen by lot as the guilty one. confesses, and is east into the sea and swallowed by a great fish. After three days he is cast forth alive on the shore. Chapter ii. is a psalm of thanksgiving for this deliver:111•e. In (balder iii. Jonah obeys the di vine command and preaches at Nineveh. In eonsequenee the people of the city at the com mand of the King. repent and observe a fast in .1(91 of contrition. God then changes His pur pose, and Jonah in consequence is greatly dis pleased. God rebukes hint in an embl(miatie way by means of a gourd which Ile onuses to grow and furnish shade to Jonah against the heat of the sun for one day. When the gourd perishes .lonah is in despair because of the discomfort he experiences. Thereupon the lesson' is made clear that if he experiences such deep regret for a mere gourd, which, moreover. he had no share in producing. Ifod may have pity on a city like Nineveh, containing suet' a vast population, many of them innocent and all God's creatures.
Certain modern scholars think that the Book of Jonah is to be classed with the homiletic lit erature of the Jews, along With such hooks as 'Fobit and Susannah, whieli contain a narrative told for religious edification and iu illustration al religions 410ell'illeS. F1'0111 this of the book emanates trona those Jewish rirelcs which did not altogether sympathize with the ex •lusive conceptions developed by the doctrine of Israel's election. which, besides bringing about
a total separation of the Hebrews from the dons.' placed the latter in the light of wicked people, leeallse they Were not Israelites. The Book of Jonah protests against this view, and teaches by means of a story of a prophet sent against Assyria, a heathen nation, that even such all embodiment of wiekedness as Assyria (according to the views of the pious Valiwists) could obtain the favor of God. The prophet him self is held up in the light of one who was more concerned with maintaining Ids prestige than to have his lessons followed. Ile urges upon God the destruction of NilleVell. despite the re pentance :-.11eNN11 by the hitter. It is also the aim of the author, incidental to his main purpose, to hold the prophets up to ridicule, by representing Jonah, the servant of God, as the one really dis obedient to divine command. 11e is the one held responsible for the terrilie storm which expresses the divine displeasuro, as he is the one wlio needs the lesson of chapter iv. That the book was ad mitted to the canon is explained by the sym bolical interpretation to which it easily lent it self. Jonah as the `dove'—the favorite bird of sa•rifice—symbolized Israel (cf. Ps. lxviii. 13). Nineveh was a disguise for Jerusalem. and the lesson of the eity's repentance was intended for the Jews. ln this Way an interpretation for the book up which obscured its real and original purport.
Concerning the historicity of the book opin ions have varied widely. Ifut whatever opinion may be held on this point, there can be little doubt that its main purpose and aim was di dactic. There is an old story of a man swal lowed by a fish \\ likh appears in numerous forms among ancient nations—as, e.g. Ilel and the dragon, Alarduk and Tiamat. A story of a re markable sea monster also appears to have some connection with the port of Joplin.
Consult the general commentaries on the minor prophets (q.v.) ; Simpson, 7'hr Jonah Ley•ad (London, 1899) Cheyne. "Jonah: A Study in Jewish Folk-Lore and in the Theological Bericoo (1877 ) ; Kal iseh, Bible Starnes, vol. ii. ( London, IS77-7S) ; Wright, Midi ESSa IIS (L011(1011, ISAG) .