Thrower author see all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Jonah is the book of the bible we want to look at tonight. Through satire and compelling storytelling, the book of jonah reveals to readers. The writer of this article has attempted to do this in stades zeitschrift, 1892, pp. Nineveh was a major city in assyria, the world power of both jonah.
The book of jonah is unique among the books of the prophets. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for tarshish to flee from the lord jonah 1. Full text in english of the book of jonah my jewish. Although the author of jonah is never identified in the book itself, jonah. Jeromes decision to use an analogical type of christs i am the vine, you are the branches in his woodcut saint jerome in his study. This book of jonah, though it be placed here in the midst of the prophetical books of scripture, is yet rather a history than a prophecy. Book of jonah, the fifth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, embraced in a single book, the twelve, in the. Another story from the bible that many people know of is the story of jonah and the great fish. Questions for discussion jonah the living word library. The book of jonah is one of the key readings in judaism during yom kippur, the day of atonement, which occurs on the tenth day of tishri following rosh hashanah, generally in september or early october.
Jonah or jonas, in the hebrew bible tanakhold testament, is a prophet of the northern kingdom of israel in about the 8th century bce. And jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. The book of jonah sluice box adventures bible study. The name jonah means dove in hebrew, but jonah s character is anything but dovelike. Pfeiffer, states, it is fictiona short story with a moral like the book of ruthor the stories about daniel jonah is a perfectly good short storywith a beginning, a middle, and an endthe author of jonah. The inclusion of the gentiles in the grace of god is a teaching found elsewhere in the old testament genesis 12. Unfortunately, many christians thoughtlessly cast aspersions upon this. In the midst of the obscure prophecies before and after this book. Unlike other old testament prophetic books, jonah is not a collection of the prophets oracles but primarily a narrative about the man. He knows the lord has been faithful to the israelites and to him as an individual. He is the central figure of the book of jonah, in which he is called upon by.
Concern for the salvation of all people, including ones enemies, is the proper attitude for people of god. We can learn from his account of his attitude and actions in response to gods call for him to go to nineveh. Cambron the book called by the modernists of today a fairy tale. Although the book is written in the third person, the traditional view is that jonah is the author of the book, and there is no persuasive reason to theorize about an unknown author. All visitors to oxford biblical studies online can access these essays, but related. Please read our guideline on how to lead a bible study before starting. Jonah was an unwilling prophet given an assignment. The book of jonah also serves as bulwark against the narrow and rigid thinking of the jews, that they alone were worthy of gods blessings metzger 435. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. He made a booth there and sat under it in the shade, until he should see what happened to the city.
Grace in the book of jonah sermon by wade allen, jonah 1. Now jonah had left the city and found a place east of the city. Few figures illustrate that truth better than jonah. But jonah ran away from the lord and headed for tarshish. In judaism, the story of jonah represents the teaching of teshuva, which is the ability to repent and be. Dive into an intriguing tale of mercy in the book of jonah. Jonah tells us that gods grace is extended to all nations. In images from jonahs stormtossed sea experiences to those in his prophetic prayer of affliction while in the lords great fish belly of hell, the book contains a. We sin against the spirit of the book jonah in trying to take it as real history. Jonah introduction united states conference of catholic bishops. While jonah s time in the great fish may be the most famous part of the book of jonah, theres a lot more we can learn from this prophet. You can find the best commentary on jonah for you using the tools on the right side.
Jonah running f rom god jonah running f r om g od sara leo the who, me. Jonah understands the lords character, his merciful history. The main theme of the book of jonah is gods sovereignty over all people and his divine plan to extend his gift of mercy and salvation beyond israel to include the gentile nations. Focused on the prophet rather than his prophecy, the story of jonah.
As to the whale swallowing jonah, nowhere in the scriptures does it say anything about a whale it does. The book of jonah is a subversive story about a rebellious prophet who despises his god for loving his enemies. Jonah is the book of the bible which perhaps has been criticized more than any other. Jonah 14 new american standard bible nasb jonah s disobedience. Jonahs own telling of the story after his return from nineveh. Check out the book of jonah bible study trailer below for an overview of the study. Home bible studies the book of jonah questions for discussion jonah. At the end of the day, god is less concerned with what we do for him than who we are in him. Leading the book of jonah bible study featuring eric mason.
The book of jonah, or more accurately, the story of jonah is so well known that we can sometimes skip over it and ignore what the true message of the book of jonah. It concerns a disobedient prophet who rejected his divine commission, was cast. Jonah is the fifth of the twelve prophets in the book of the twelve in hebrew scripture. Book of jonah, the fifth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, embraced in a single book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. The book of jonah is a subversive story about a rebellious prophet. The lord god provided a ricinus plant gourd, which grew up over jonah, to provide shade for his head and save him from discomfort. Watch our overview video on the book of jonah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. It tells of a hebrew prophet named jonah son of amittai who is sent by god to prophesy the destruction of nineveh but tries to. Bible study series for youth groups explores the lives of people in the bible, highlighting gods faithfulness and the. An outline is easy to make, when we follow the four chapters in which the book is divided. He went down to joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. The book of jonah preface those of you who are familiar with the story of jonah and the whale know that jonah hopped a ship heading in the opposite direction when god commanded him to go preach to the ninevites. Jonah s prayer of thanksgiving while inside the fish ch.
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