The book of Jonah is a good example of how the literary structure supports the book's story and theme. One observation has obtained almost universal agreement among scholars: The book is divided into two parts (1:1-2:10 and 3:1-4:11) both beginning with almost identical words “The word of the LORD came to Jonah..., saying, 'Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city...'” The reaction of Jonah to the second command of God is, however, quite different from his response at the beginning of the story. This is due largely to the events that have transpired in between the two summonses, despite Ryken's contention that “there is not so much a plot as an anti-plot to the story. Various things happen to Jonah, but there is no real progress.”
There is also little scholarly opposition to the contention that the events of the first half of the book are paralleled by those of the second half. How they are paralleled is still the subject of some debate as well as how much parallelism is actually present. Regarding the first point, for example, most commentators see a correspondence between chs. 1 and 3 and between chs. 2 and 4. Sasson, on the other hand, voices the minority view in stating that “chapters 2 and 4 cannot mirror each other and...the resemblance between chapters 1 and 3 is superficial.” Fig. 1 tabulates some of these parallels, and some representative structural proposals based on these correspondences are shown in Fig. 2, including Bullock's scheme in which a third concluding section to the book is proposed. In this, he comes close to the threefold text division (1:1-2:9, 2:10-4:3, and 4:4-11) found both in the early Masoretic manuscripts of this book and in those discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Even with this basic agreement on the general organization of the book, assigning meaningful titles to the various sections remains a somewhat arbitrary process. For example, a comparison of Bullock's and Pratt's divisions (see Fig. 2) reveals that they disagree substantially on the author's emphasis in the last half of parts I and II. Bullock stresses Jonah's prayers while Pratt zeroes in on God's responses to these prayers.
Figure 1
Some Parallels Between the Two Sections of Jonah
Commonality Part I Part II
Jonah in the midst of foreigners ch. 1 ch. 3
Jonah converts heathens accidentally
and reluctantly ch. 1 ch. 3
“proclaim” linked with repentance 1:2 3:2,4
Nineveh's wickedness 1:2 3:8
ru'ah (evil or displeasure) 1:2 4:1
Fleeing to Tarshish 1:3 4:2-3
Threat of judgment 1:4 3:4
Jonah creates a shelter 1:5b 4:5
Authoritative pronouncement by
heathen leader 1:6 3:6-9
Heathen voices the possibility that
God will change his mind 1:6 3:9
“that we not perish” 1:6,14 4:10
Jonah's request to die 1:12 4:3
People “return” 1:13 3:9
Heathens turn to God 1:14 3:5
“I (we) beseech you” 1:14 4:3
Identical prayer elements 1:14 4:2-3
Heathens removed from danger 1:15 3:10
Awkward expressions for God's power 1:16 3:3
Jonah isolated from the rest of mankind 1:17-2:9 4:5-8
“three days” 1:17 3:3
God “appoints” miraculous shelters
for
Jonah 1:17 4:6
Jonah prays to God 2:2-9 4:2-3
God replies with the word and nature 2:10 4:4-11
Figure 2
Representative Structures for the Book of Jonah
Part I Part II
Jonah's disobedience (1:1-3) Jonah's obedience (3:1-4)
His punishment: heathen homage Nineveh's repentance
(1:4-16 ) (3:5-9)
Jonah's rescue Jonah's rebuke
God's grace (1:17) God's grace (3:10)
Jonah's praise (2:1-9) Jonah's plaint (4:1-3)
God's last word (2:10) God's last word (4:4-11)
Allen
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Commission given and rejected Commission renewed and discharged
(1:1-3) (3:1-9)
Jonah's flight and Lord's pursuit Two reactions to Nineveh's repentance:
(1:4-17 ) The LORD challenges Jonah
Jonah's prayer (2:1-10 ) (3:10-4:11)
Robinson
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LORD's word to Jonah The LORD's second word
(1:1-17 ) (3:1-4:1)
Jonah's thanksgiving Jonah's lament
(2:1-10) (4:2-5)
Resolution
(4:6-11)
Bullock
-----------------------------------------------------
First commission and Jonah's reaction Second commission and Jonah's reaction
(1:1-16) (3:1-10)
God's response to Jonah God's response to Jonah
(1:17-2:10) (4:1-11)
Pratt
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Commissioning account (1:1-3) Commissioning account (3:1-3a)
Jonah and the pagans (1:4-16) Jonah and the pagans (3b-10)
Jonah’s prayer (1:17-2:10) Jonah’s prayer (4:1-4)
Yahweh’s object lesson (4:5-11)
Dorsey
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A. Cycle 1 (chs. 1-2)
1. the word of Jehovah (1:1)
2. mission to Nineveh (1:2)
3. Jonah. disobedience (1:3)
4. consequences. resurrection of Jonah (1:4-2:10)
A'. Cycle 2 (chs. 3-4)
1. the word of Jehovah (3:1)
2. mission to Nineveh (3:2)
3. Jonah. obedience (3:3-4a)
4. consequences. correction of Jonah (3:4b-4:11)
Bullinger
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Commissioning account ( 1:1-2) Commissioning account (3:1-2)
Unexpected action of Jonah (1:3-2:10) Unexpected action of Nineveh (3:3-4:11)
Sweeney
My own proposal as to the relationship between the two halves of the book is seen in Fig. 3 with each half containing two sections which correspond closely to the present chapter divisions and each introduced by a call from God to Jonah. For supporting details, see my post titled “Book of Jonah: Introduction to Literary Structure.”
Figure 3
Proposed Structure for the Book of Jonah
Part I: Jonah on the Sea
Introduction: First Call from God (1:1-2)
A. On the Ship (1:3-16)
B. In the Fish (1:17-2:10)
Part II: Jonah on the Land
Introduction: Second Call from God (3:1-2)
C. In Nineveh (3:3-10)
D. In the Booth (4:1-11)
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