Overview – Sefer Yonah/0

Overview – Sefer Yonah

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

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.
• 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.¹ However, many commentators² 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 after Yerovam's death, Assyria exiles Israel and decimates Judah.  Sefer Yonah, though, 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

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 Sailors – The boatmen are presented in a positive light and as undeserving of death,³ implying that they have no need to repent. Their experiences at sea, nonetheless, cause them to undergo a transition, and they progressively move closer to recognition of Hashem as the chapter advances.  This is highlighted by the usage of the guiding word "ירא" in verses 5, 10 and 15. At first the sailors' fear leads them to pray to their foreign gods.  By the end of the chapter, they instead "fear Hashem exceedingly".  Explore further by analyzing the usage of the root "ירא" in all its forms at the Tanakh Lab.
• The Ninevites – The Ninevites' actions are perhaps the most obvious example of penitence in the book.  At first glance, the comprehnsive 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 the animals who are incapable of reflection and change make some question the quality of their repentance.  See The Repentance of Nineveh for variouos approaches.
• 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 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 and Why Did Yonah Disobey Hashem.

Mercy vs. Justice

Providence

Characters

Yonah

The Sailors

The Ninevites

Connection to Yom HaKippurim

¹ 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.

² See, for example, Ibn Ezra, Radak and Ibn Kaspi on Yonah 1:1.

³ The lottery falls on Yonah, clearly marking him, rather than them, as the figure culpable for the storm at sea.