Overview – Sefer Yonah/0

Overview – Sefer Yonah

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Structure of the Book

Sefer Yonah is a neatly structured book, dividing into two halves which are to some extent symmetrical in content, as illustrated in the Table in the pane to the right.

• Chapters 1-2 detail Yonah's flight from his mission and its consequences, while Chapters 3-4 detail his fulfillment of his mission and its aftermath.
• Each unit opens with Hashem's call and the prophet's disobedience or compliance.¹
• This is followed by a description of people in danger of destruction whose ensuing actions and cries to God lead to their salvation.
• Both units end with a focus on the prophet Yonah who prays (in one case for salvation, and in the other for death) and is answered with miraculous messages.

For further discussion of the book's structure, see Structure – Sefer Yonah.

Historical Background

Sefer Yonah itself does not provide enough information to allow the reader to place it within a larger historical framework.² However, many commentators³ associate Yonah with the Yonah b. Amitai mentioned in Melakhim II 14:25 who prophesied during the reign of Yerovam II. If so, Yonah prophesied at a time when Assyria was one of the strongest powers in the Ancient Near East.  Within just a few decades of Yerovam's reign, Assyria exiles Israel and decimates Judah.  Sefer Yonah, however, makes no mention of any of this.  It never even draws a connection between Nineveh and Assyria, suggesting that these facts are perhaps not crucial for a proper understanding of the book's main messages..

Themes

Repentance

I. Character transformations – Much of the book of Yonah touches in some way on the themes of second chances, repentance, and return to God. Each of the main characters embark on a process of change, though their degree of success is debatable:

• The Ninevites – The Ninevites' actions are perhaps the most obvious example of penitence in the book.  At first glance, the comprehensive nature of their repentance appears impressive. All join in fasting and donning of sackcloth: young and old, human and animal. Yet, the very inclusion of animals, who are incapable of reflection and change, casts the sincerity and quality of their repentance into question. How should their repentance be evaluated? See The Repentance of Nineveh for opposing views.
• Yonah – Yonah clearly changes his ways from Chapter 1 to Chapter 3, moving from disobedience to compliance. Yet, his distress over Hashem's saving of Nineveh in Chapter 4 makes one question whether this change in deed was also accompanied by a fundamental change in outlook.  Did Yonah sincerely repent and regret his initial actions or did he head to Nineveh from lack of other options, forced by the Word of God?  See discussion in Yonah's Prayer.
• The Sailors – Though the boatmen are not presented as having sinned and being in need of repentance,⁴ they, too, undergo a transformation in the story.   As Chapter 1 advances, they move progressively closer to Hashem .  This is highlighted by the usage of the guiding word "ירא" in verses 5, 10 and 16.⁵ At first the sailors' fear leads them to pray to their foreign gods.  By the end of the chapter, they instead "fear Hashem exceedingly".  Use the Tanakh Lab to explore related forms of the word "ירא" and other guiding words which might shed light on the sailors' spiritual growth.

II. What does it mean to repent? The book also raises the more fundamental question of what true repentance entails. 

• Deeds vs. Cries – The Ninevites express their remorse through outward signs of penitence, but also actively change their previous violent ways. What is the relative value of each?  What is the goal of external signs of submission?
• See Mishnah Taanit 2:1 which learns from Yonah 3:11, "וַיַּרְא הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כִּי שָׁבוּ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה" that Hashem has no desire for fasting and sackcloth without change of behavior.
• This theme that true change, not beating of fists, is what is desired by God, is prominent elsewhere in Tanakh as well. Compare our chapter (through 4:2) with Yoel 2:12-18, noting both the parallel language and message.  See also Yeshayahu 58.
• Man vs. God – Abarbanel Yonah 3:1Yonah 3:9Yonah 4:1About R. Yitzchak Abarbanelclaims that the people of Nineveh repented in the interpersonal sphere, but not in their beliefs, remaining idolatrous.  Ibn Ezra, in contrast, assumes that they had been monotheists all along.
• Which position is best supported by the verses?  Is there any hint to an abandoning of idolatry in the chapter?
• Abarbanel has Yonah question the effectiveness of repentance which is not accompanied by return to God, believing that the latter is primary.  He makes one question: Can one truly "return" if one does not believe in Hashem?  To what extent is repentance and aversion of punishment contingent on belief? See The Repentance of Nineveh for more.

III. Repentance and Israel – Though the Nation of Israel is not mentioned anywhere in the book, RadakYonah 1:1About R. David Kimchi suggests that the entire book was recorded to serve as chastisement to them specifically.  Israel, who does not heed the words of  dozens of prophets, should learn from the Ninevites who change their ways after but one encounter! ⁶

Mercy vs. Justice

I. A book about mercy – R. Yehoshua ibn Shuaib⁷ writes that the purpose of the book of Yonah is to demonstrate Hashem's great mercy on all His creations. "באה נבואת יונה בן אמיתי להורות כי השם יתעלה רחמיו על כל מעשיו, ואפילו אומות העולם, כל שכן בישראל".‎⁸  Do you agree with his assessment?  Where in the book does this theme come to the fore? How many of the characters benefit from Hashem's mercy?

• Why was Nineveh saved? Yonah 3:11 implies that Hashem overturned the decree of destruction against Nineveh due to the people's repentance. Hashem's words to Yonah at the end of Chapter 4, in contrast, imply that the city was spared due to Hashem's mercy.⁹ Which was the real reason for the city's salvation? Was this an act of justice, as their deeds no longer deserved punishment, or was this an act of mercy?  See The Repentance of Nineveh.
• Yonah in the fish – After Yonah is thrown overboard, he is swallowed by a fish. Is the fish a manifestation of Hashem's mercy or a vehicle for further punishment or chastisement?  How does Yonah view his stay inside? When he prays, does he offer thanksgiving, feeling that the he has been saved, or does he pray for deliverance, feeling endangered? See Yonah's Prayer for discussion.

II. Yonah's complaint: Is mercy unjust?  Chapter 4 opens with Yonah complaining about Hashem's attributes of mercy.  Why, though, is he upset that Hashem is a merciful God?  Why does he oppose the salvation of Nineveh? 

• According to several modern scholars, Yonah disagreed fundamentally with Hashem's system of justice. He believed that justice requires that everyone receive their due, and atoning for or regretting one's actions should not erase the need for retribution. Hashem, in turn, attempted to teach Yonah that sometimes mercy trumps justice. For elaboration and other understandings of Yonah's complaint, see Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem. 

• What is the proper balance between the relative value of mercy and justice? When does strict justice take the fore and when is mercy more important?
• To see how Yonah's outlook on sin and punishment compares to that of other leaders, see Avraham and Yonah and Eliyahu and Yonah.

Providence II. Free will for humans – Alongside the emphasis on Hashem's control, the book also highlights man's free choice and

I. Hashem's control over nature – Throughout the book, Hashem manifests how nature is subservient to His will. He brings the storm and stills it, appoints a fish to swallow and then vomit out Yonah, sprouts the gourd, but then sends the worm and wind to kill it.  The message is clear: it is in Hashem's hands to save or destroy and nature is but a tool to accomplish His bidding.

• Go to the Tanakh Lab to explore the most significant keywords in the book when compared to the rest of Tanakh.  How might the guiding word "וימן" highlight the theme of Hashem's providence? Explore the usage of the root "טול" in Chapter 1 as well. How does it similarly express this idea?  What does it suggest about the interplay between Divine providence and free will?

Selfishness and Selflessness

I.  Yonah's flight – Does Yonah flee from before God for selfish or selfless reasons? How does each possibility reflect on the prophet? Is it possible that Hashem would choose a prophet who put his own interests before those of his audience?  See Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem for discussion.

• Self-interest – See Tanchuma and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer who assert that Yonah feared that when the people of Nineveh repented, Hashem's decree of destruction would be overturned and he would be accused of being a false prophet.¹⁰
• Patriotism – Mekhilta, Ibn Ezra, and Abarbanel, in contrast, assert that Yonah was motivated by altruistic reasons. Yonah was concerned lest the immediate repentance of Nineveh cast the recalcitrant Israel in a bad light.  Alternatively,
   knowing that Assyria was destined to exile the ten tribes, Yonah was loathe to be the vehicle through which Israel's enemy was saved from destruction.¹¹

II. The Sailors and Yonah – In Chapter 1, how do the actions of the mariners and Yonah compare?. Where does each of the characters put themselves at the fore and where do they think of the other?

Biblical Parallels

Comparing our story with other similar narratives in Tanakh can yield unexpected insights:

• Kayin and Yonah – What does  this unlikely pair have in common?
• Avraham and Yonah
• Eliyahu and Yonah
• Sin of Ninevhe and sin of the Calf

Characters

Yonah

The Sailors

The Ninevites

Theological or Philosophical  Issues

The book raises several theological issues:

• Prophetic infallibility – Does Hashem choose only messengers that will do His bidding exactly as commanded, or might they commit errors and sins as well? How can Yonah flee God's call? See Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem.
• Repentance – How does repentance work? Does it serve to erase both sin and punishment, or only the former? The word "תשובה" implies a return; does this mean a return to Hashem or to one's own pre-sin status?¹² Finally, does repentance that stems from fear of punishment have the same status as that which derives from simple recognition of right and wrong? See Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem and The Repentance of Nineveh
• Forgiveness – What factors play a role in forgiveness? Must it be a response to change, or might it stem from mercy or love? Can forgiveness erase the need for any punishment? See Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem and The Repentance of Nineveh.
• Prayer
• Providence vs. free will

Connection to Yom HaKippurim

¹ The parallel is emphasized by the use of almost verbatim language in 1:1-3 and 3:1-3.

² No known historical events are mentioned or alluded to in the story. The king of Nineveh is not named, making it impossible to identify him with any known figure.  Even Yonah is an unknown, as the text provides no identifying information about him besides his name.

³ See, for example, Ibn Ezra, Radak and Ibn Kaspi on Yonah 1:1.

⁴ The text makes it clear that it is Yonah's deeds, not theirs, which are responsible for the storm at sea.

⁵ Verse 5 reads, "וַיִּירְאוּ הַמַּלָּחִים וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אִישׁ אֶל אֱלֹהָיו". In verse 10, their fear grows, and is now connected to Hashem: "וַיִּירְאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים יִרְאָה גְדוֹלָה... כִּי יָדְעוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים כִּי מִלִּפְנֵי י״י הוּא בֹרֵחַ". In verse 16, they progress to stand in great awe of Hashem and even begin to worship Him: "וַיִּירְאוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים יִרְאָה גְדוֹלָה אֶת י״י וַיִּזְבְּחוּ זֶבַח לַי״י".

⁶ See Tanchuma and others in its wake, that this itself was the reason that Yonah fled his mission.  Knowing that the Ninevites were likely to repent and thereby cast the intransigent Israel in a negative light for not doing the same, he tried to avoid relaying God's word.

⁷ See: ר' יהושע אבן שועיב, דרשה ליום הכיפורים ב"דרשות על התורה" (קראקא, של"ג):צ"ג.

⁸ See Hoil Moshe similalrly, ""

⁹ See Abarbanel who notes this contrast in his fifth question on Yonah 3.

¹⁰ See also R. Eliezer of Beaugency who claims that Yonah was certain that the people of Nineveh would not repent and that Hashem would nonetheless forgive them, thus rendering Yonah's efforts futile and irrelevant. Being old and feeble, he preferred that Hashem send someone in his place.

¹¹ This is Abarbanel's position.

¹² See Abarbanel discussed above.