JONAH 4

Jonah 4:6-8

4:6 C

Jonah 4

It has been remarked that Jonah's prayer at the start of this section and God's question at the end are the longest statements in the book and exactly balance one another in that they contain 39 Hebrew words each.

The Structure of Jonah 4

1. Jonah's Attitude: Anger (4:1)

2. Jonah's rhetorical question to the LORD (4:2)

3. Dialogue (4:3-5a)

                                        a. Jonah asks to die (4:3)

                                        b. LORD's question: "Do you do well to be angry?" (4:4)

                                        (c. Jonah's reply -- silence)

4. Jonah in the shade (4:5)

5. LORD grows plant (4:6a)

6. Jonah's Attitude: Gladness (4:6b)

5'. LORD withers plant (4:7)

4'. Jonah in the sun (4:8a)

3'. Dialogue (4:8b-9b)

                                        a. Jonah asks to die (4:8b)

                                        b. LORD's question: "Do you well to be angry?" (4:9)

                                        c. Jonah's reply: "Yes" (4:9b)

2'. LORD's rhetorical question to Jonah (4:10-11)

(1'. Jonah's Attitude: ?)

The literary pattern reinforces the emphasis of this section on Jonah's attitude and it invites the reader to fill in his own ending.

Jonah 4:1-5

4:1 Two recurring words come together only at this point in the story: great and evil. Why does Jonah call the repentance a great evil? The enemies of Israel are not destroyed and Jonah is made to look like a fool. “His is the wrath of a theologian whose theology does not pan out.” (Phillip Cary)

4:2 “Jonah claims he knew it all along. This of course is how many people talk when they have been caught flatfooted, made a fool of, and don't want to admit it. So we needn't take what Jonah says at face value. The best way to interpret Jonah's story about his own motivations, his self-interpretation, is to call it a lie. The prophets of Israel...were always willing to complain and even to accuse God, and here is one willing to go so far as to lie to God, accuse him, and justify himself, all at the same time.” (Cary)

4:3 The last time “please” was used was in 1:14. The sailors cared more about Jonah's soul than he did.

4:4 God patiently battles for Jonah's soul

4:5 Jonah refuses to answer God's question: another form of disobedience, passive instead of his active disobedience in chapter 1.

Discuss booth and succoth, the feast of tabernacles where people would live outside in booths decorated with plants and fruits. One of three major Jewish festivals, in which there was re-dedication to obedience to the law, and Gentiles were welcomed to participate. Coincidentally, the one time I visited a synagogue, they were celebrating this festival, and they were very welcoming.

Isaiah 25:4 calls God “a refuge from the storm and a shade from the heat.” These happen to be the two types of hazard Jonah faces in this book.

ary: “The growth of the gourd contrasts with the construction of the booth, which Jonah built for himself. We can build, but we cannot cause to grow. We plant and water, but God alone gives the growth.”

4:7 Jonah treats the vine as his pride and joy but doesn't think to thank God for it.

4:8 remember the wind from God at the start of the story.

“Jonah, who was already burning with anger on the inside, is now burned and scorched on the outside.”

Jonah 4:9-11

4:9 God repeats the start of the question at 4:4 (look at the structure). Why ascribe anger to Jonah instead of despair? Are the two related?

4:11 Not knowing their left hand from their right means (1) the number of children and/or mentally deficient people in the city (but that would be an impossibly large number since the city has been claculated to hold up to 300,000 people), (2) the city is so populated that the inhabitants don't even know their nearest neighbors, (3) they don't know right from wrong (doubtful because they repent of their actions), (4) they are children compared to the Israelites who had the advantage of the law, or (5) they are pitiful and can't save themselves without help.

The form of the rhetorical question that closes the Book of Jonah leaves no doubt that the correct answer to the LORD's question is "no." The LORD's love and mercy extend to all of his creation, not just the Jewish nation. This message is more subtly stated by the progression of divine names accompanying the four occurrences of the verb "ordain/appoint". In order in which they occur are: Yahweh, Yahweh-elohim, ha elohim, and elohim – "a move from the most personal to the least personal of God's names."

How Does It End?

By purposely stopping the book before we hear Jonah's answer to God, the author causes us to dwell on the message longer than we would have otherwise and to ponder how the fickle "hero" will respond this time. Is there a hint embedded in the literary structure to indicate how Jonah will react? Possibly so.

In each of the first three sections, a major reversal of a situation occurs:

in Section A, the sailors are converted,

in Section B, Jonah enters and exits the fish,

in Section C, Nineveh is converted.

in Section D, one is led to expect that Jonah will experience a major attitude adjustment.

Even more telling is a study of the conclusions to each of the four sections of the book:

Section A ends with the Gentiles offering sacrifices to the LORD

Section B concludes with Jonah vowing to offer such sacrifices.

Section C ends with repentance on the part of both Nineveh and the LORD

Section D should conclude with Jonah making at least a profession of repentance. Whether this repentance will be sincere and lasting is still an open question.