Book of Jonah

The Book of Jonah is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Nevi'im ("Prophets") in the Hebrew Bible, and as a book in its own right in the Christian Old Testament. The book tells of a Hebrew prophet named Jonah, son of Amittai, who is sent by God to prophesy the destruction of Nineveh, but tries to escape this divine mission. The story has a long interpretive history and has become well known through popular children's stories. In Judaism, it is the Haftarah portion read during the afternoon of Yom Kippur to instill reflection on God's willingness to forgive those who repent, and it remains a popular story among Christians. The story is also retold in the Quran. The prophet Jonah is mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25, which places Jonah's life during the reign of Jeroboam II (786–746 BC), but the book of Jonah itself does not mention a king or any other details that would give the text a firm date. The majority of scholars date the book much later, to the post-exilic period sometime between the late 5th to early 4th century BC; perhaps (along with Book of Ruth) as a counter to the emphasis on racial purity in the time of Ezra. An even later date is sometimes proposed, with Katherine Dell arguing for the Hellenistic period (332–167 BC). Unlike the other Minor Prophets, the book of Jonah is almost entirely narrative (with the exception of the poem in the 2nd chapter). The actual prophetic word against Nineveh is given only in passing through the narrative. The story of Jonah has a setting, characters, a plot, and themes; it also relies heavily on such literary devices as irony. The outline of the book of Jonah: Jonah flees his mission (chapters 1–2) Jonah's commission and flight (1:1–3) The endangered sailors cry to their gods (1:4–6) Jonah's disobedience exposed (1:7–10) Jonah's punishment and deliverance (1:11–2:1;2:10) His prayer of thanksgiving (2:2–9) Jonah reluctantly fulfills his mission (chapters 3–4) Jonah's renewed commission and obedience (3:1–4) The endangered Ninevites' repentant appeal to the Lord (3:4–9) The Ninevites' repentance acknowledged (3:10–4:4) Jonah's deliverance and rebuke (4:5–11) Jonah is the central character in the Book of Jonah, in which Yahweh commands him to go to the city of Nineveh to prophesy against it for their great wickedness against him.