Structure – Sefer Yonah

I. First Mission Aborted (Chapters 1-2)
II. Second Mission Fulfilled(Chapters 3-4)

This division is supported by the following factors:

• Plot – Chapters 1-2 detail Yonah's flight from his mission and its consequences, while Chapters 3-4 discuss the fulfillment of his mission and its aftermath. 
• Location – The first two chapters take place at sea, while the last two take place on land, in and around Nineveh.
• Characters – While Yonah and the sailors are the main characters of the first unit, Yonah and the people of Nineveh are the focus of the second.
• Parallel openings – Both units open with nearly identical language (click on Table 1 to the right), clearly dividing the book into two. The third verse of each unit is also somewhat parallel, but highlights the difference between the units. While at first Yonah "gets up" to flee from God (וַיָּקׇם יוֹנָה לִבְרֹחַ תַּרְשִׁישָׁה מִלִּפְנֵי י״י), later he "gets up" to obey God's word (וַיָּקׇם יוֹנָה וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶל נִינְוֵה כִּדְבַר י״י).
• Parallel structure – See Table 2 and the discussion below that there is also symmetry in the overall structure of the two units, further supporting the division.

A. Near Destruction of Boatmen  (Chapter 1)
B. Miracles and Prayer (Chapter 2)

• Content – While the first chapter focuses on near destruction, the second highlights salvation.¹
• Location – Chapter 1 takes place on the boat, while Chapter 2 takes place in the body of the fish.
• Characters – The first chapter focuses on the interplay between the sailors and Yonah.  In contrast, Yonah is the sole character of Chapter 2.
• Genre – While Chapter 1 is written in prose, Chapter 2 is mainly poetry.
• Literary indicators – Chapter 2 is framed by the fish swallowing or releasing Yonah, clearly setting it off as a unit of its own.

A. Near Destruction of Nineveh (Chapter 3)
B. Prayer and Miracle (Chapter 4)

• Content – While Chapter 3 highlights the repentance of Nineveh, Chapter 4 focuses on Yonah's reaction to it.
• Characters – The people of Nineveh are the focus of Chapter 3,² with Yonah acting as a minor character. In contrast, Yonah (and Hashem) is the central figure of Chapter 4.
• Location – Chapter three occurs within Nineveh, while the events of Chapter 4 take place on the outskirts of the city.

The events and content of the two halves of the book are somewhat parallel as illustrated by Table 2 in the pane to the right.

• Openings of Chapters 1 and 3: – Each unit opens with Hashem's call to Yonah to rebuke Nineveh, with Yonah disobeying in one case and obliging in the other. As mentioned above, the parallel is strengthened through the almost verbatim language used in each verse.
• Body of Chapters 1 and 3 –Chapter 1 then describes the near destruction of the sailors on the boat, their crying out to God and attempts to save their fellow man (Yonah), and their ultimate salvation. This parallels Chapter 3 in which Nineveh is told of its impending destruction, leading the inhabitants to cry out to Elokim and make reparations to their fellow men.³ As a result they, too, are saved.
• Body of Chapters 2 and 4 – These chapters are similarly parallel, but inversely so:
• Chapter 2 opens with a miracle as Hashem "appoints" a fish to swallow Yonah (potential death), yet allows him to survive. Yonah then prays, either expressing thanksgiving or petitioning Hashem for his deliverance.⁴ His unexpected survival teaches him a lesson: Hashem desires not his death but his obedience. He cannot escape his mission.
• In Chapter 4, too, Yonah prays, but here he expresses a desires for death rather than survival, complaining rather than thanking Hashem for his mercy. Hashem enacts a miracle, "appointing"⁵ a gourd to "save" Yonah, but then killing it.⁶  The unexpected removal of his salvation teaches Yonah a lesson: Just as he pitied and desired the survival of the gourd, Hashem has mercy on Nineveh and desires their survival.