Overview – Sefer Yonah/0

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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.
  • 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 (first for salvation then for death) and is answered with miraculous messages.

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

Themes

Characters

Biblical Parallels

Theological Issues