Difference between revisions of "The Repentance of Nineveh/1"
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<h2>A Model to Emulate?</h2> | <h2>A Model to Emulate?</h2> | ||
| − | <p><a href="Yonah3" data-aht="source">Yonah 3</a> appears to describe one of the only successful repentance campaigns in all of Tanakh. Yonah cries out but five words, "עוֹד אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְנִינְוֵה נֶהְפָּכֶת", and manages to get the entire city, young and old, human and animal, to fast and don sackcloth.  The king himself prods the people to repent of their ways and cry out to God. </p> | + | <p><a href="Yonah3" data-aht="source">Yonah 3</a> appears to describe one of the only successful repentance campaigns in all of Tanakh. Yonah cries out but five words, "עוֹד אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְנִינְוֵה נֶהְפָּכֶת",‎<fn>This, at least, is what emerges from a simple reading of the text. It is possible, however, that Yonah was instructed to include other words of rebuke and these are simply not recorded in Tanakh.</fn> and manages to get the entire city of Nineveh, young and old, human and animal, to fast and don sackcloth.  The king himself prods the people to repent of their ways and cry out to God. </p> |
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<q xml:lang="he" dir="rtl">(ז) וַיַּזְעֵק וַיֹּאמֶר בְּנִינְוֵה מִטַּעַם הַמֶּלֶךְ וּגְדֹלָיו לֵאמֹר הָאָדָם וְהַבְּהֵמָה הַבָּקָר וְהַצֹּאן אַל יִטְעֲמוּ מְאוּמָה אַל יִרְעוּ וּמַיִם אַל יִשְׁתּוּ. (ח) וְיִתְכַּסּוּ שַׂקִּים הָאָדָם וְהַבְּהֵמָה וְיִקְרְאוּ אֶל אֱלֹהִים בְּחׇזְקָה וְיָשֻׁבוּ אִישׁ מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמִן הֶחָמָס אֲשֶׁר בְּכַפֵּיהֶם. (ט) מִי יוֹדֵעַ יָשׁוּב וְנִחַם הָאֱלֹהִים וְשָׁב מֵחֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ וְלֹא נֹאבֵד.</q> | <q xml:lang="he" dir="rtl">(ז) וַיַּזְעֵק וַיֹּאמֶר בְּנִינְוֵה מִטַּעַם הַמֶּלֶךְ וּגְדֹלָיו לֵאמֹר הָאָדָם וְהַבְּהֵמָה הַבָּקָר וְהַצֹּאן אַל יִטְעֲמוּ מְאוּמָה אַל יִרְעוּ וּמַיִם אַל יִשְׁתּוּ. (ח) וְיִתְכַּסּוּ שַׂקִּים הָאָדָם וְהַבְּהֵמָה וְיִקְרְאוּ אֶל אֱלֹהִים בְּחׇזְקָה וְיָשֻׁבוּ אִישׁ מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמִן הֶחָמָס אֲשֶׁר בְּכַפֵּיהֶם. (ט) מִי יוֹדֵעַ יָשׁוּב וְנִחַם הָאֱלֹהִים וְשָׁב מֵחֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ וְלֹא נֹאבֵד.</q> | ||
<q xml:lang="en">(7) And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying: 'Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing; let them not feed, nor drink water; (8) but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. (9) Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?'</q> | <q xml:lang="en">(7) And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying: 'Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing; let them not feed, nor drink water; (8) but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. (9) Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?'</q> | ||
</multilang> | </multilang> | ||
| − | <p>At first glance, the Ninevites' comprehensive repentance appears to be a model worthy of emulation. On closer inspection, however, the all-inclusive nature of the repentance itself makes one question. Why are the animals participating? Is not the goal of the process to reflect on one's ways, feel regret, and change?  As animals are incapable of such introspection, their self-affliction seems almost farcical, causing one to question the entire character of the city's repentance.</p> | + | <p>At first glance, the Ninevites' comprehensive repentance appears to be a model worthy of emulation. On closer inspection, however, the all-inclusive nature of the repentance itself makes one question. Why are the animals participating? Is not the goal of the process to reflect on one's ways, feel regret, and change?  As animals are incapable of such introspection, their self-affliction seems almost farcical, causing one to question the entire character of the city's repentance. Is Tanakh mocking the people's repentance or holding it up as a paradigm to be followed?<fn>See <a href="2" data-aht="subpage">Approaches</a> that already in Tannaitic and Amoraic sources there is disagreement regarding the sincerity of the repentance of the people of Nineveh. R. Yochanan in <multilink><a href="YerushalmiTaanit2-1" data-aht="source">Yerushalmi Taanit</a><a href="YerushalmiTaanit2-1" data-aht="source">Taanit 2:1</a><a href="Yerushalmi Taanit" data-aht="parshan">About Yerushalmi Taanit</a></multilink> mocks their actions, while the <multilink><a href="MishnaTaanit2-1" data-aht="source">Mishna Taanit 2:1</a><a href="MishnaTaanit2-1" data-aht="source">Taanit 2:1</a><a href="Mishna" data-aht="parshan">About the Mishna</a></multilink> and <multilink><a href="BavliTaanit16a" data-aht="source">Bavli Taanit 16a</a><a href="BavliTaanit16a" data-aht="source">Taanit 16a</a><a href="Talmud Bavli" data-aht="parshan">About the Bavli</a></multilink> laud the city as a model for proper repentance.</fn> </p> |
| − | <h2> | + | <h2>Mercy vs. Repentance</h2> |
<p>Chapter 3 ends by sharing that Hashem decided to avert His decree of destruction:</p> | <p>Chapter 3 ends by sharing that Hashem decided to avert His decree of destruction:</p> | ||
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<q xml:lang="en">(10) And the Lord said: 'Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow, which came up in a night, and perished in a night; (11) and should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern Between their right hand and their left hand, and also much cattle?'</q> | <q xml:lang="en">(10) And the Lord said: 'Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow, which came up in a night, and perished in a night; (11) and should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern Between their right hand and their left hand, and also much cattle?'</q> | ||
</multilang> | </multilang> | ||
| − | <p>What does Hashem mean by the analogy? | + | <p>What does Hashem mean by the analogy? Why is the great size of the city at all relevant to its salvation or destruction? What does it mean that the "people did not know the difference between their right and left"?<fn>Is Hashem suggesting that the city's inhabitants did not know wrong from right? Is He speaking of the entire city, or just one sub-population, perhaps the children?</fn> Moreover, why does Hashem not simply tell Yonah that the people had repented sincerely and were no longer deserving of annihilation? Did Hashem's decision to save the city stem from mercy, as implied by 4:10-11, or was it due to the city's repentance, as suggested by 3:10?</p> |
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<h2>Names of God</h2> | <h2>Names of God</h2> | ||
| + | Throughout the description of Nineveh's penitence, Hashem is consistently referred to by the name Elokim.  The people "believe in Elokim" (verse 5),  are told to "cry to Elokim" (verse 8), and hope that "Elokim will regret" His decision (verse 9). This stands in contrast to earlier chapters in which both the sailors and Yonah employ Hashem's proper name.<fn>The sailors "cry out to Hashem", "fear... Hashem" and "sacrifice to Hashem".  When Yonah prays from the belly of the fish he, too, addresses "Hashem" and not Elokim.</fn>  Is there any significance to the shift ? Why don't the people of NIneveh also refer to Hashem using His personal name?  What, if anything, does the choice imply about the nature of the Ninevites' repentance and beseeching of God? | ||
| − | <h2></h2> | + | <h2>Additional Questions</h2> |
| + | <p>The chapter raises several other questions which might further affect one's evaluation of the people's repentance:</p> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li>What led the people to heed the call of a foreign prophet? Why would they even believe his call of doom? Did Yonah have any prior connection to the city?</li> | ||
| + | <li>Considering that the cries of most prophets fall on deaf ears, the fact that the Ninevites not only repented but did so immediately, is astounding. What led to their quick turn-about? If it was prompted simply from fear of destruction, is this problematic?</li> | ||
| + | <li>Verse 5 shares that the people believed in God.  What form did this belief take?  Did they simply recognize Hashem as one of many gods, or does the verse imply that they now believed in Him to the exclusion of others?</li> | ||
| + | <li>A final question relates to Yonah.  What leads to his dismay in chapter 4? If the people repented sincerely, should he not be happy at the success of his mission and the city's salvation?</li> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
</page> | </page> | ||
</aht-xml> | </aht-xml> | ||
Latest revision as of 02:45, 26 August 2020
The Repentance of Nineveh
Introduction
A Model to Emulate?
Yonah 3 appears to describe one of the only successful repentance campaigns in all of Tanakh. Yonah cries out but five words, "עוֹד אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְנִינְוֵה נֶהְפָּכֶת",1 and manages to get the entire city of Nineveh, young and old, human and animal, to fast and don sackcloth. The king himself prods the people to repent of their ways and cry out to God.
(ז) וַיַּזְעֵק וַיֹּאמֶר בְּנִינְוֵה מִטַּעַם הַמֶּלֶךְ וּגְדֹלָיו לֵאמֹר הָאָדָם וְהַבְּהֵמָה הַבָּקָר וְהַצֹּאן אַל יִטְעֲמוּ מְאוּמָה אַל יִרְעוּ וּמַיִם אַל יִשְׁתּוּ. (ח) וְיִתְכַּסּוּ שַׂקִּים הָאָדָם וְהַבְּהֵמָה וְיִקְרְאוּ אֶל אֱלֹהִים בְּחׇזְקָה וְיָשֻׁבוּ אִישׁ מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה וּמִן הֶחָמָס אֲשֶׁר בְּכַפֵּיהֶם. (ט) מִי יוֹדֵעַ יָשׁוּב וְנִחַם הָאֱלֹהִים וְשָׁב מֵחֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ וְלֹא נֹאבֵד.
(7) And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying: 'Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing; let them not feed, nor drink water; (8) but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God; yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. (9) Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?'
At first glance, the Ninevites' comprehensive repentance appears to be a model worthy of emulation. On closer inspection, however, the all-inclusive nature of the repentance itself makes one question. Why are the animals participating? Is not the goal of the process to reflect on one's ways, feel regret, and change? As animals are incapable of such introspection, their self-affliction seems almost farcical, causing one to question the entire character of the city's repentance. Is Tanakh mocking the people's repentance or holding it up as a paradigm to be followed?2
Mercy vs. Repentance
Chapter 3 ends by sharing that Hashem decided to avert His decree of destruction:
וַיַּרְא הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם כִּי שָׁבוּ מִדַּרְכָּם הָרָעָה וַיִּנָּחֶם הָאֱלֹהִים עַל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לַעֲשׂוֹת לָהֶם וְלֹא עָשָׂה.
And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, which He said He would do unto them; and He did it not.
This verse implies that Hashem's decision was a direct result of the people's repentance. When Yonah later expresses dismay over the city's salvation, however, Hashem makes no mention of this point to justify His actions. He, instead, provides an enigmatic analogy, bringing a "קיקיון" to shield Yonah from the sun, and then drying it up, leading Yonah to once again request death. Hashem then explains:
(י) וַיֹּאמֶר י״י אַתָּה חַסְתָּ עַל הַקִּיקָיוֹן אֲשֶׁר לֹא עָמַלְתָּ בּוֹ וְלֹא גִדַּלְתּוֹ שֶׁבִּן לַיְלָה הָיָה וּבִן לַיְלָה אָבָד. (יא) וַאֲנִי לֹא אָחוּס עַל נִינְוֵה הָעִיר הַגְּדוֹלָה אֲשֶׁר יֶשׁ בָּהּ הַרְבֵּה מִשְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה רִבּוֹ אָדָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַע בֵּין יְמִינוֹ לִשְׂמֹאלוֹ וּבְהֵמָה רַבָּה.
(10) And the Lord said: 'Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow, which came up in a night, and perished in a night; (11) and should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern Between their right hand and their left hand, and also much cattle?'
What does Hashem mean by the analogy? Why is the great size of the city at all relevant to its salvation or destruction? What does it mean that the "people did not know the difference between their right and left"?3 Moreover, why does Hashem not simply tell Yonah that the people had repented sincerely and were no longer deserving of annihilation? Did Hashem's decision to save the city stem from mercy, as implied by 4:10-11, or was it due to the city's repentance, as suggested by 3:10?
Names of God
Throughout the description of Nineveh's penitence, Hashem is consistently referred to by the name Elokim. The people "believe in Elokim" (verse 5), are told to "cry to Elokim" (verse 8), and hope that "Elokim will regret" His decision (verse 9). This stands in contrast to earlier chapters in which both the sailors and Yonah employ Hashem's proper name.4 Is there any significance to the shift ? Why don't the people of NIneveh also refer to Hashem using His personal name? What, if anything, does the choice imply about the nature of the Ninevites' repentance and beseeching of God?
Additional Questions
The chapter raises several other questions which might further affect one's evaluation of the people's repentance:
- What led the people to heed the call of a foreign prophet? Why would they even believe his call of doom? Did Yonah have any prior connection to the city?
- Considering that the cries of most prophets fall on deaf ears, the fact that the Ninevites not only repented but did so immediately, is astounding. What led to their quick turn-about? If it was prompted simply from fear of destruction, is this problematic?
- Verse 5 shares that the people believed in God. What form did this belief take? Did they simply recognize Hashem as one of many gods, or does the verse imply that they now believed in Him to the exclusion of others?
- A final question relates to Yonah. What leads to his dismay in chapter 4? If the people repented sincerely, should he not be happy at the success of his mission and the city's salvation?
