Yonah

The Tanakh is divided into three parts; Torah (Book of Moshe), Nevi`im (Prophets) and K`tuvim (Writings). The K`tuvim orprophetical books are themselves divided into three parts: Nevi`im Rishonim (Early Prophets), Nevi`im Acharonim (Later Prophets) and Sheim-Asar (the Twelve). Yonah is placed within the Sheim-Asar.

However, due to its contents, many have questioned this prophetic genre (Henry p. 1522). Nevertheless, Allen argues that although it is so very different from other prophetic books, it still falls within this genre (Allen p. 175). It reads very much like a parable, describing historical events, similar to the Master Yahusha’s account of El`azar and the Rich Man (Luke 16:19-31). These may well be historical accounts having a parable-like message. While there is only one small utterance of fore-telling (Jon. 3:4), it is Yahuah using Yonah to forth-tell His divine truths.

The dating of the book cannot be accurately determined due to the question of its author. One suggestion is that of a late, post-exilic era due to the past references of Nineveh’s greatness (v. 3:3) and to a strong Persian influence. This would date the book by an anonymous author some time after 613 B.C.E. (Allen p. 186). Modern etymologists now consider that the Persian/Aramaic influences probably stem from Ancient Hebrew and Phoenician, the pre-exilic language used by the Yisra`elites.

If it is Yonah himself, then it takes place and was written during the reign of King Yarob`am II of (the Northern Kingdom of) Yisra`el (Allen p. 178 cf. 2 Kgs. 14:25). This was ca. 793-753 B.C.E. (Bible Archaeology Report). This would be supported by the claim by Yahuah that it housed 120,000 inhabitants (v. 4:11).

1:1 – “Now the word of Yahuah came to Yonah the son of Ammittai, saying,” This is a typical opening for many prophetic books (Hos. 1:1; Yo`el 1:1). יוֹנָ֥ה #H3124 *854a Yoh-nar means a domesticated dove or pigeon. This name is significant for three factors:

(i) “The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noach knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.” (Gen. 8:11). The dove is a symbol of the cessation of the wrath of Yahuah; “Yochanan testified, saying, ‘I have seen the Spirit descending like a dove out of heaven, and it remained on Him…and he looked at Yahusha as He walked, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of `Eloakh!’” (John 1:32, 36).

(ii) “If he cannot afford a lamb, then he shall bring his trespass offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to Yahuah; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.” (Lev. 5:7). Pigeons were used by the poor as a sacrificial expiation for sin and so the turning away of Yahuah’s wrath;

(iii) The pigeon was used as a means of an important message being sent swiftly to a distant place.

1:2 – “‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.’” Yonah was from the border village of Gat-Heper in Yisra`el, “…according to the word of Yahuah, the `Elohiym of Yisra`el, which He spoke by His servant Yonah the son of Ammittai, the prophet, who was of Gat-Hefer.” (2 Kgs. 14:25). הַחֵֽפֶר #H1662 Gath He-fer the wine-press of digging. Wine presses are symbols of great distress

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brought on by Yahuah (cf. Gat-Sh`manim – Matt. 26:36; Rev. 19:15). Gat-Hefer would have been attacked multiple times by the Assyrians and its people amongst the first to be taken into exile, “For Yahuah saw the affliction of Yisra`el, that it was very bitter; for there was none shut up nor left at large, neither was there any helper for Yisra`el.” (2 Kgs. 14:26).

Yonah was a recognised prophet, but unlike other prophets, he was commanded, not to write or speak against Nineveh as a consolation to oppressed Yisra`el (cf. Nah. 1:1), but to go himself and act as the oracle of Yahuah.

1:3 – “But Yonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahuah. He went down to Yafo, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahuah.”. Unlike all other prophets who obeyed Yahuah, Yonah did the opposite, literally. From Gat-Hefer, Nineveh was in a north-easterly direction whereas Yafo was in a south-westerly direction. There are several suggestions as to the location of Tarshish, even as far as England. However, it was not the geographical reason for his escape, but Tarshish was considered by many in the eastern Mediterranean to be virtually the end of the known world. Yonah was going as far away from Nineveh as possible. It has been said that Yonah was not seeking any specific destination and that the first ship ready to leave was going to Tarshish (Henry p. 1522).

There may be several reasons why Yonah did not want to go to Nineveh:

(i) Nationalistic pride and hatred of Assyria, symbolised by its capital, was too much for Yonah to bear the thought of Nineveh escaping judgement (v4:2);

(ii) Fear for his life from Assyrians – given that he was about to enter the capital of the most powerful nation on earth and inform them of their impending doom;

(iii) Fear for his life from Yisra`elites – given that he was to preach repentance to their great adversary.

The audience would have been listening to this narrative, in the expectation of hearing of the destruction called down upon the Assyrians, by Yahuah’s prophet. They would have been disappointed and shocked as to the actions of Yonah. This type of parable whereby the expected outcome was turned up-side down, was used extensively by the Master Yahusha in His parables (cf. Mark 12:28-34).

1:4 – “But Yahuah sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was likely to break up.” When the audience heard the name Nineveh, they were anticipating the punishment for sin to be for the Assyrians. However, this was not to be so. “Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business in great waters; These see Yahuah’s works, And His wonders in the deep. For He commands, and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up its waves. They mount up to the sky; they go down again to the depths. Their soul melts away because of trouble. They reel back and forth, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end. Then they cry to Yahuah in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distress. He makes the storm a calm, So that its waves are still.” (Psa. 107:23-29). I can personally attest to the accuracy of this passage.

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Whilst at anchor of Naples, a sudden, violent storm sprung up and was one of the scariest moments I had at sea, sustaining much damage. Even with modern technology, it caught many off-balance, and yes, we all reeled as though drunk. The Psalmist declares who controls nature, and is recognised by the author.

1:5a – “Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten it…” Even the pagan sea-farers recognised

that this storm had a supernatural element, whether due to its rapid development or to it being the wrong season for storms. In the ancient world, it was seen that every element of life was influenced by mischievous spirits, but these in turn were governed by ruling gods. It was easy, therefore, to upset the spirits and so each man appealed to the god they thought could appease or command the spirits to obey.

Nevertheless, they still hedged their bets by doing everything they could to alleviate the situation. This shows the level of ‘faith’ demonstrated by the crew. To jettison the cargo, was a sign of the desperation of the crew. This was hoped to have two consequences; to lighten the ship and to offer the offended spirit a worthy sacrifice. Neither relieved the distress of the crew.

1:5b – “.…But Yonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he was laying down, and was fast asleep.” It is conceivable that due to his flight, Yonah would have had little sleep and through exhaustion and the release of tension, fell asleep as soon as the ship left port.

1:6 – “So the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, ‘What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your gods! Maybe the gods will notice us, so that we will not perish.” Having remembered that there was a passenger not praying, the ship’s master sought him out. Finding him asleep, he urges Yonah to get up and pray, hoping that Yonah’s God was the one who needed appeasing.

1:7 – “They all said to each other, ‘Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is on us.’ So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Yonah.” There is no record whether Yonah prayed or not. Given that he had disobeyed and run away from Yahuah, and the need to cast lots, Yonah may not have been able to pray. Unlike the Aharonic Ummin and Thummin, pagan lotteries were a matter of luck. Nevertheless, Yahuah guided the draw to reveal Yonah’s sin.

1:8 – “Then they asked him, ‘Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us? What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?’” Time was at the essence. The crew fired questions at Yonah, in the hope that they would uncover the cause of Yonah’s God’s displeasure.

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1:9 – “He said to them, ‘I am a Hebrew, and I fear Yahuah, the `Elohiym of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land.’” It is usual for spirits to be considered as local deities, under the control of more major gods. In his reply, Yonah states that, although he is a Hebrew, the God that he worships is no local deity. The name and appellation given by Yonah declares the danger and severity of their predicament. This is no false god but the Creator of the Universe. All other answers do not really factor into the situation.

The audience listening to this narrative would hear “w`et Yahuah `Elohe hashamayim …asah et hayyam w`et hay-yabba-sah” “and Yahuah `Elohe the heavens…made the sea and the dry [land]” and instantly would be taken back to Gen. 1:1, “בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת אָֽרֶץ B`resheet bara `Elohiym et hashamayim w`et haeretz” “In the beginning created `Elohiym the heavens and the earth.”. Note the use of the unspoken aleph-taw’s in both verses, drawing the audience to understand that it is none other than the Creator of the Universe who is responsible for the storm.

1:10 – “Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said to him, ‘What is this that you have done!’ For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of Yahuah, because he had told them.” This was not a question but an exclamation. Knowing that Yonah had disobeyed and fled from Yahuah, what the crew was really asking was ‘Why have you brought this calamity down upon us?’

1:11 – “Then said they to him, ‘What shall we do to you, that the sea may be calm to us?’ For the sea grew more and more tempestuous.” Understanding that Yonah was a prophet of Yahuah, the crew did not want to lay a hand on him, fearing yet an even greater catastrophe.

1:12 – “He said to them, ‘Take me up, and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you; for I know that because of me this great tempest is on you.’” Yonah knew that, “The soul who sins, he shall die…” (Eze. 18:20a).In order to placate Yahuah, Yonah knew that he had to offer himself as a sacrificial propitiation. However, it was not only the death that was needed, but Yonah thought that their pagan background required a visual demonstration. Therefore, Yonah suggested that they offer him up as a sacrifice to the God of the storm.

1:13 – “Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them.” Even so, the crew was prepared to further risk their lives and ship, rather than to risk the wrath of Yahuah. All sea-farers know that in a storm, the prudent acts is to get as far away from land as possible.

1:14 – “Therefore they cried to Yahuah, and said, ‘We beg you, Yahuah, we beg you, let us not perish for this man’s life, and do not lay on us innocent blood; for you, Yahuah, have done as it pleased you.” If Yahuah could bring about such a storm just for disobedience, how much more calamity would be brought to bear upon those who killed His servant. Before any irreversible action is carried out, the crew called upon Yahuah for mercy.

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1:15 – “So they took up Yonah, and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased its raging.” The decision is final and Yonah is jettisoned.

1:16 – “Then the men paid reverence to Yahuah exceedingly; and they offered a sacrifice to Yahuah, and made vows.” This was not a sin or guilt offering, but a thanksgiving offering for their deliverance.

2:1(1:17) – “Yahuah prepared a great fish to swallow up Yonah, and Yonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” The Master of the storm is also the Master of all His Creation. Much speculation has been made as to the identity of the ‘fish’. Was it a whale or a giant catfish? This is really an irrelevant question. What must be asked is whether Yonah was alive in the fish or that he died.

If Yonah was alive in the fish, it was because of the miraculous provision of or the lack of need of air from Yahuah, along the lines of food and water for Moshe whilst he was receiving the Torah and the Master Yahushaduring His wilderness trials.

However, a major problem with this scenario is that critics of the Resurrection could quote the Master’s actual words and say that the Master did not die, but was miraculously healed with only the scars to prove His suffering. Those propagating a swoon theory, or denying that the Master was actually fully Man, would have a good argument. On the contrary, the Master was fully Man and came in the flesh, suffered and died for all of Mankind, and was bodily raised up.

“But He answered and said to them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Yonah. For as Yonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.’” (Matt. 12:40). However, I suggest that Yonah actually died and was later raised back up to life. This would make even more sense of the declaration of the Master Yahusha when asked for a sigh by the disbelieving Pharisees. If Yonah had been swallowed alive to be later regurgitated would have been a marvellous story. However, to die and be brought back to life, irrespective of the how, now that is miraculous.

The belly was considered as a metaphor for She`ol, “Therefore She`ol has enlarged its desire, And opened its mouth without measure; And their glory, their multitude, their pomp, and he who rejoices among them, descend into it.” (Isa. 5:14). Therefore, Yonah drowned and sank to the bottom of the sea where the fish swallowed him up (catfish can grow to many metres in length and are bottom feeders). He was in the belly (She`ol) for three days and three nights before being raised up back to life, being a type of the internment and journey into She`ol and the Resurrection of the Master Yahusha.

It is vital, here, to state that Yonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights because the Master Yahusha would be in the grave for three days and three nights, not the other way around (for more details please see the Maxi Bible Study The Crucifixion).

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2:2(1) – “Then Yonah prayed to Yahuah, his `Elohiym, out of the fish’s belly.” Reconciliation is initiated by Yahuah, and is wholly down to His mercy. This verse is usually quoted as to the narrative showing that Yonah was alive in the fish’s belly. “…The rich man also died and was buried. In She`ol, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off…He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me…’” (Luke 16:22-24). As stated above, the Yonah narrative is an actual historical event, but is also a parable in genre. The Master Yahusha cannot lie, and even in His parables, His words are only the truth. Prior to His visit to and return from She`ol, all righteous Believers went into Abraham’s bosom (Paradise) awaiting release. There could be a possible interaction between She`ol and Abraham’s bosom.

After His Resurrection, all inhabitants of Abraham’s bosom were released to go up to be with Him in Heaven, thus ending any such connection. The temporary abode of the righteous in the Messiah was exchanged for a permanent dwelling place, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2). Like the Rich Man of the Lukian parable, Yonah dies and goes to his watery grave.

When onboard the ship, Yonah declared the universality of Yahuah. In his distress, Yonah cried out, not to the `Elohiym of the Universe, but to the `Elohiym of Yonah, declaring his personal relationship with Yahuah, “In my distress I called on Yahuah, And cried to my `Elohim. He heard my voice out of His temple, My cry before Him came into His ears.” (Psa. 18:6); “As for me, I said in my haste, ‘I am cut off from before your eyes.’ Nevertheless, you heard the voice of my petitions when I cried to you.” (Psa. 31:22).

2:3(2) – “He said, ‘I called because of my affliction to Yahuah. He answered me. Out of the belly of She`ol I cried. You heard my voice.’” In this first stanza of three, Yonah addressed the question of answered prayer (Allen p. 215).

As with all types, “which are a shadow of the things to come…” (Col. 2:17a), they can only be an imperfect shadow of the reality. Likewise, the fish’s belly and She`ol may be similar in many ways, but one thing is certain; those in She`ol will be tormented by the visual access to the delights of Heaven, but the righteous will be saved from the horrific sight of those in She`ol.

If the belly can be likened to a person’s hell, there is nowhere and no situation that Yahuah cannot hear our cries. However, that is where the type ends. In the reality of She`ol, a soul may cry out, but rejection of the atoning work of the Master Yahusha, shunning His blood sacrifice, means that `Elohiym shuns the cries of the sinner.

2:4(3) – “For you threw me into the depths, In the heart of the seas. The flood was all around me. All your waves and your billows passed over me.” In this second stanza, Yonah describes his utter desperation (Allen p. 217).

Although it was the ship’s crew that jettisoned Yonah, they were the instruments of Yahuah’s will, Yonah acknowledged the fact that it was Yahuah doing the casting down.

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2:5(4) – “I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; Yet I will look again toward your set apart temple.’” Even as he was dying, Yonah knew that he would come into the presence of Yahuah, but not on earth but the heavenly Temple. Only by resurrection and an after-life, could he have thought this possible.

2:6(5), 7(6)a – “The waters surrounded me, Even to the soul. The deep was around me. The weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the bottoms of the mountains. The earth barred me in forever…” Yonah recounted to his audience, the experience of drowning and that his life would very soon be over. After that, he would be forever, excluded from the land of the living. Although it was possible that Yonah did not die and Yahuah withheld Yonah’s necessity for air, this description strengthens the case that he did die.

2:7(6)b – “…Yet have you brought up my life from the pit, Yahuah my `Elohiym.” This third stanza contrasts the absolute dejection of the second stanza with the utter relief of his rescue from She`ol (Allen p. 218).Yonah reaffirmed his belief in an after-life by his experience of being raised up from the dead.

2:8(7) – “When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yahuah. My prayer came in to you, into your holy temple.” As he was losing consciousness, Yonah remembered Yahuah. This verse has echoes of 2:5(4), where the Temple of Yahuah is synonymous with the presence of `Elohiym, and reiterates his belief in resurrection.

2:9(8) – “Those who worship false idols forsake their own mercy.” Yonah contrasted the futile reliance of the ship’s crew with their faith in the `Elohiym of Yonah, who ultimately rescues the ship and her crew from disaster, “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But Yahuah made the heavens.” (Psa. 96:5).

“What value does the engraved image have… that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make mute idols?” (Hab. 2:18). Bits of wood and metal are inanimate and cannot save. When a person puts their trust in them and not the `Elohiym of the Universe, they turn their back on the only means of salvation. Yahuah offers His salvation only through His Son, so the only means of salvation is withdrawn from the idolators because of their trusting in false gods.

2:10(9) – “But I will sacrifice to you with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay that which I have vowed. Salvation belongs to Yahuah.” There is nothing available for which Yonah can offer up as a sacrifice. However, “Through Him, then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to `Eloakh continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to His name.” (Heb. 13:15).

“Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in `Elohiym! For I shall still praise Him, The saving help of my countenance, and my `Elohiym.” (Psa. 42:11). Having put all his trust in his `Elohiym, Yonah promises Yahuah that even through all he was going through, nevertheless, he will praise Yahuah when he eventually comes into Yahuah’s presence.

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Without knowing how it will come about, Yonah declared that he will be rescued by the Salvation of Yahuah (Yahusha).

2:11(10) – “Yahuah spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Yonah on the dry land.” Yahuah spoke to the fish as He did to the wind and the seas. This He did during Creation, “`Elohiym said, ‘Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear,’ and it was so.” (Gen. 1:9). When Yahuah commands His Creation, it is done. He commanded the storm, and it was so. He commanded the fish, and it was so. “For `Elohiym speaks once, Yes twice, though man pays no attention.” (Job 33:14). Only Mankind, with the Yahuah-given gift of free-will, has the ability to disobey. Nevertheless, as Yonah had discovered, there are serious consequences to this disobedience.

When Yahuah spoke to the fish, the fish did not open its mouth and out slid Yonah. The fish forcibly spewed out its unwanted contents. El`azar was called forth by the Master Yahusha and he calmly walked out of the tomb. When it comes time for the Snatching Away (1 Cor. 15:52) and the final resurrection (Rev. 20:5), upon Yahuah’s command, the grave will violently eject all the souls.

3:2-4 – “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I give you. So Yonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of Yahuah. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey across. Yonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried out, and said, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’” “When the multitudes were gathering together to him, he began to say, ‘This is an evil generation. It seeks after a sign. No sign will be given to it but the sign of Yonah, the prophet. For even as Yonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will also the Son of Man be to this generation.’” (Luke 11:29, 30). On the face of it, this seems like Luke was writing a different view of the same account recorded in Matt. 12:40. However, it is clear that it Mattityahu and Luke write regarding the Master Yahusha’s reply to similar accusations but at different events. Luke does not refer to the fish’s belly, but to a sign that was given to the Ninevites.

When the Master Yahusha was asked by the Scribes and Pharisees for a sign, this is the reply He gave them. To a western, post-resurrection culture, looking back in time, this is what is usually accepted and the sign was the time the Master was interred.

So, in mentioning Yonah, the Master draws attention to the whole Book and its message. To the original audience of Yonah, they would not associate the interment of the Master with the narrative. Likewise, the Jewish authorities questioning the Master. So, what then was the original and immediate intent of the Yonah narrative?

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“The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Yonah; and behold, someone greater than Yonah is here.” (Matt. 12:41). The message of Yonah is that salvation is for both the Jews and the Gentiles, with the same condition of repentance. To the highly nationalistic Jewish authorities of the Master’s day, this is an anathema. Their indignation is incandescent when a supposedly Jewish prophet claims that the privilege they assume for being Abraham’s descendants, will also be available to the Roman occupation forces.

“The Spirit of Yahuah is on me, because He has anointed me to preach Good News to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, To proclaim release to the captives, Recovering of sight to the blind, To deliver those who are crushed, And to proclaim the acceptable year of Yahuah.” (Luke 4:18, 19). When the Master Yahusha preached upon Isa. 61:1, 2, this was a well-known passage to the synagogue in Natzeret. Yet this time, under the anointing of HaRuakh, the Master left out, “… and the day of vengeance of our `Elohiym; to comfort all who mourn; (Isa. 61:2b), because He came to bring salvation to both the Jews and Gentiles, and not to pour out His wrath upon the enemies of Yisra`el. This omission was part of the reason that the synagogue tried to have Him stoned. So, at the very outset of His ministry and towards the end, the Master is declaring salvation to all Mankind: Jew and Gentile alike.

When the Master is raised up after three days and three nights, according to Yonah’s narrative, the authorities have their sign, of who exactly the Master is: the Messiah of Yahuah. In a similar manner, they have to inwardly question and later acknowledge, the Good News being preached to the Gentile world, in no small part, due to their persecution of Believers in Yerushalayim and the subsequent diaspora.

The Gentiles of Nineveh were given forty days in which to repent. The generation of Pharisees and Torah-teachers who were seeking a sign from of the Master Yahusha to verify His miracles, were given ‘forty days’ in which to prepare for the wrath of Yahuah to fall. The Ninevites repented, represented by the submission of the King, and the wrath of Yahuah was withheld for approximately one hundred and fifty years. The destruction of the nation of Yisra`el commenced with the campaign of Vespasian in 66 C.E., highlighted by the sacking of the Temple in 70 C.E., and finally culminated with Titus’ success in quelling the Jewish Revolt. This was the outworking of the Master Yahusha’s prophetic ‘forty days’ or years before the wrath of Yahuah fell upon the nation, as represented by the Jewish authorities.

3:10-4:3 – “`Elohiym saw their works, that they turned from their evil way. `Elohiym repented of the evil which He said He would do to them, and He did not do it. But it displeased Yonah exceedingly, and he was angry. He prayed to Yahuah, and said, ‘Please, Yahuah, was this not what I said when I was still in my own country? Therefore, I hurried to flee to Tarshish, for I knew that you are a gracious `Elohiym, and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and you repent of the evil. Therefore now, Yahuah, take, I beg you, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.’” Although Yonah was a prophet of Yahuah, he was living in idolatry. An idol is something or someone “that is so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would hardly be worth living.” (Keller xviii). In Yonah’s case, idolatry took the form of religious and cultural identity.

Yonah knew full well that Yahuah was compassionate and not willing for anyone to be eternally lost. Therefore, it was impossible for him to be able to acknowledge that salvation was a sovereign act of `Elohiym, even to such a barbaric city as Nineveh.

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“Woe to Ashur, the rod of my anger and staff in whose hand is my fury! I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.” (Isa. 10:5, 6). Yonah’s idolatry blinded him to see that it was Yahuah who was causing Ashur, represented by the capital Nineveh, to come against Yisra`el, in order for them to repent. Such was the religious and cultural attitude of superiority, it was impossible to believe that a wicked nation could be used by Yahuah, especially against Yahuah’s own people, Yisra`el.

Therefore, it would be better if Yonah died than to have to acknowledge that Yahuah was using a ‘wicked’ people to chastise ‘godly’ Yisra`el. It was in the belly of the fish (Jon. 2:9(8), 10(9)) that Yonah realised that grace was a sovereign act of Yahuah available to all people who repent and call upon Yahuah for mercy.

4:6-8 – “Yahuah `Elohiym prepared a vine…But `Elohiym prepared a worm at dawn the next day, and it chewed on the vine, so that it withered. It happened, when the sun arose, that `Elohim prepared a scorching east wind; and the sun beat on Yonah’s head, so that he fainted,” Yahuah made miraculous provision of the vine to protect him from the sun one moment and removed it the next.

4:9 – “`Elohiym said to Yonah, ‘Is it right for you to be angry about the vine?’ He said, ‘I am right to be angry, even to death.’” Several times in Scripture Yahuah asks a person a question, not to elicit an answer to improve His knowledge, but to enlighten the person and bring them to a position of repentance (cf Gen. 3:9, 11; 4:9). The arrogance of religious superiority clouded Yonah’s appreciation of the situation. Just as Yahuah had raised up the vine to help Yonah, He too has raised up Assyria to help the people of Yisra`el to come to repentance. However, just as Yahuah also caused the vine to wither and die, so too will He bring down Ashur, “Therefore it shall happen that, when Yahuah has performed His whole work on Mount Tziyon and on Yerushalayim, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Ashshur, and the glory of his high looks.” (Isa. 10:12).

4:10, 11 – “Yahuah said, ‘You have been concerned for the vine, for which you have not laboured, neither made it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night. Should I not be concerned for Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also the animals?” This shows the true heart of Yahuah, in that even the most wicked of people should be given the opportunity to repent and seek His salvation, “Yahuah is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness.” (Psa. 103:8).

It is clear that the Jewish authorities of the Master Yahusha’s days were similarly guilty of religious and cultural idolatry. This led to hypocritical position of looking to the ‘wicked’ Gentile nations as only good for the fires of Gei-Hinnom, whereas they, as the sons of Abraham were without sin. In countering this hypocrisy, the Master Yahusha was declaring that neither the ‘wicked’ Gentiles nor the ‘godly’ Jews were beyond the mercy and grace of Yahuah `Elohiym. As such, He brought down the wrath of the Authorities.

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Sign of Yonah

“For as Yonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matt. 12:40). When the Master Yahusha was asked by the Scribes and Pharisees for a sign, this is the reply He gave them. To a western, post-resurrection culture, looking back in time, this is what is usually accepted and the sign was the time the Master was interred.

However, to a Hebraic culture, especially the authorities, this is only part of the sign. To the Torah observant population, the mention of Yonah has an instant effect of recalling the whole Book of Yonah. The Torah (Gen. 1:1 – Deut. 34:12) is divided up into weekly portions known as the Parashot HaShauva. Each Parashah is named according to the opening sentences, so it is easy to recall an individual passage by quoting the name of the Parashah. For instance, to mention B`resheit instantly brings to mind the opening line of Gen. 1:1 and is the name of the first Parashah. Also, the names of the Five Books of Moshe are named after the first Parashah. Therefore, the name of the first book of Moshe is not Genesis, but B`resheit. That one word would bring to mind the opening sentence of the opening Book of Torah and all that it contains.

This can easily be seen in the opening lines of a child’s song. If you hear ‘Old MacDonald had a farm…” most people automatically sing in their minds, ‘E-I-E-I-O.” This opening brings back memories of a song sung over many times during childhood. So ingrained is the song, that the mental pictures of farm animals and their sounds flash through the mind.

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Another sign, less obvious, is His status as the Prophet.

“They answered him, ‘Are you also from the Galil? Search, and see that no prophet has arisen out of the Galil.’” (John 7:52). When Nakdimon defended the Master Yahusha against other Pharisees, they insulted him by asking him did he come from the Galil, being so-called ignorant people. This insult was compounded by them questioning his knowledge of Scripture.

“He restored the border of Yisra`el from the entrance of Hamat to the sea of the `Aravah, according to the word of Yahuah, the `Elohiym of Yisra’el, which He spoke by His servant Yonah the son of Ammittai, the prophet, who was of Gat-Hefer.” (2 Kgs. 14:25). Gat-Hefer is located 5km. north-east of Natzeret in the lower Galil (of the Gentiles) region, in the allocation of Z`bulun.

Therefore, the Pharisees condemned themselves by their own accusations, “But this multitude that does not know the law is accursed.” (John 7:52).

Yahuah bless you and keep you,

Yahuah make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you,

Yahuah lift up His face toward you and give you peace.

All glory be to Yahuah,

Ameyn

References and Credits

In using these references, it is in no way agreeing to or condoning the theological viewpoint of the authors. However, the historical, cultural, linguistic and academic scholarship of the authors is universally considered to be of the highest order.

Allen L.C. (1976) The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah and Micah, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Harris R.L., Archer Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Moody, Chicago,

G.J. Jr., Waltke B.K.(1980) Il.

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Henry M. (1991) Commentary on the Whole Bible, Hendrickson, Peabody, Mass.

Keller T. (2009) Counterfeit Gods, Hodder & Stoughton, London.

Strong J. (1994) Strong’s New Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, World Bible Publishers Inc., Madison.

Strong J. (1996) The New Strong’s Complete Dictionary of Bible Words, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.

King Jeroboam II: An Archaeological Biography – Bible Archaeology Report

The Crucifixion – First Generation Assembly

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17 U.S. Code § 107 – Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use

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