Abstract
The author of this research seeks to clarify what was the reason that motivated Jonah’s escape from his responsibility to give Nineveh the message of salvation. The methodology used response to the historical-grammatical method and belongs to the line of biblical-theological research, in which an exegesis of 4:1–3 is made. The results indicate that the reason why Jonah fled from his responsibility is that he considered that this mission was a waste of time and resources. He is sure that the warning he was going to provide would produce true but not lasting repentance in Nineveh, which would then return to his cruel and wild habits with the nations they will conquer.
I. Introduction
Whoever reads the four brief chapters of the book of Jonah will find his main theme: a disobedient and rebellious prophet to God’s commission to go ‘preach against it’ (Jon 1:1). 1 The questions that arise about the story Jonah’s are: Why did the prophet run away? Did he feel hate against the Ninevites? Or was there any other specific reason that motivated him not to want to go to Nineveh? In this study, these questions will be analyzed from an exegetical approach, based on the study of Jonah 4:1–3, where the reasons for the flight that the prophet himself refers are found. Likewise, the historical evidence that will provide a clearer context for the interpretation of the prophet’s motivations will be reviewed.
II. Jonah’s disgust and anger (Jon 4:1)
The day announced by Jonah had likely arrived, and in its course, nothing had happened. That warned the prophet that God had repented and caused him וַיֵּרַע, that is, such a deep disgust that he destroyed him inside. 2 What caused such annoyance to the prophet?
Biblical evidence warns that the repentance of the Ninevites was genuine after hearing what was coming (Jon 3:9–10, cf. Mt. 12:41). A similar case happened in 1 Kings 21:17–29 with Ahab, who after killing Nabot to take possession of his vineyard, received a message of admonition by the prophet Elijah that led him to repent and “went around meekly” (v. 27).
The humiliation of Ahab did not last one day because the word וַיְהַלֵּךְ is an active piel that reflects an intensive action and can be translated as “and went around” 3 humiliated, showing a long-lasting action. This certifies the sincerity of repentance and motivates God to withdraw from his actions.
It is interesting to note that in the preaching of Jonah God granted a term of ‘forty days’ to the Ninevites to repent (Jon 3:4), which suggests that God did not expect simple repentance for fear, but sought the salvation of this city and its inhabitants; it is also likely that when the ‘word of Lord came to Jonah’ (1:1) God has revealed this detail of time, which made Jonah’s argument for escape more sustainable, with the idea that God seeks to save, not destroy!
Although genuine, the repentance of the Ninevites was not enough for Jonah, since he described it as a רָעָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה, lit. ‘great evil’; in other words, he considered the salvation of Nineveh as a terrible event to the point that וַיִּ֖חַר לֽוֹ, “got angry” at the success he had achieved his preaching.
Jonah’s anger is not only an expression of anger, 4 but also of frustration at something that cannot change: a disagreement, that is, he feels the desire to condemn an entire nation just because he thinks he is right, but cannot do it because God has already decided to save them.
The same attitude of anger can be seen in other prophets as it happened in Numbers 11:1–15 when Moses expressed his disagreement with God’s attempt to punish the camp for the second time (vv. 1, 10) because of his longing for eating meat and other Egyptian delicacies (vv. 4–5). It can be seen how Moses, angry at God’s action (v. 10), ask him why he chose him to take all the מַשָּׂא, that is, the ‘difficult burden’ 5 of caring for the people (v. 11), whose eating practices had not changed (v. 13).
Later in history, we find Moses again recriminated by the people because ‘there was no water’ to drink (Num 20:2). After consulting God, the prophet received the indication of ‘speak to that rock’ (v. 8), but instead of doing that he struck it “twice” (v. 11), an act that God considered as disobedience, and He denied him together with Aaron, the entrance to the promised land (v. 12).
These similar characteristics between Moses and Jonah reveal that a prophet could show anger at God’s decisions because he was free to express his feelings and emotions, and even more, he could be prone to disobeying him because that is part of human nature to that the prophet is no stranger. 6 Amid these attitudes, the infinite mercy of God is noted when he acts patiently with his children, even in his mistake, seeking to transform what is wrong into well. 7
III: When I was still on my land (Jon 4: 2a)
A. Jonah prayer
Jonah wasted no time and after angry יִּתְפַּלֵּל, lit. “prayed”, 8 although this act involves more than a prayer, an ‘intercession’ 9 for the grammatical similarities it has with the sentences of Elisha (2 Kgs 4:33; 20:2) and Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:2; 2 Chr 32:24; Isa 38:2), which are characterized by containing a special request that he wants God to fulfill, as a kind of intercession in search of something.
Elisha prayed for the dead son of the Shunammite woman to come back to life (2 Kgs 4:32), we can see here the boldness with what he did when he lay down on the boy (v. 34), and walked around the house ‘back and forth in the room’ 10 (v. 35) waiting for a response from God. In the same way, Hezekiah interceded so that the time that the prophet Isaiah had determined for his death is not fulfilled (2 Kgs 20:1–7; Isa 38:1–8; 2 Chr 32:24). In both cases, God responded positively.
If the prayer of Jonah as well as Elisha and Hezekiah implied an intercession for something, what was the prophet asking for? Although the text does not directly suggest it, Jonah’s request was for the destruction of Nineveh, but how could Jonah yearn for the destruction of a city that does not represent a danger to Israel? This can be better understood in the argument of Habakkuk’s prayer in 1:1–4 where the subject of the punishment of evil is also touched upon.
Habakkuk’s prayer seeks that God answered the question: Why don’t you punish evil? Why do you allow your law to be spoiled? The prophet’s messages are addressed to Israel for its violence, iniquity and disobedience to the law (vv. 2–4), announcing that the Chaldeans, a nation even more cruel and wicked than themselves, would come and destroy Israel (vv. 9–10).
Habakkuk wished that the wicked be punished, even if they were his own people. What is Habakkuk’s argument for this to happen? the v. 4 explains it this way: ‘Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted’. Habakkuk maintains that God’s mercy, long manifested toward Israel, had already reached its maximum point of tolerance, and no more grace but judgment was necessary, at least this is suggested by the expression מִשְׁפָּט מְעֻקָּל, better translated as ‘judgment is crooked’. 11
In this sense, Jonah, as an instructed man, had to know the Assyrians very well, as well as the cruel and savage treatment they had with the cities they conquered in the Ancient Near East (ANE). Like Habakkuk with Israel, Jonah knew that Assyrian wickedness would not be cured by a single warning, so the situation required him to intercede before God for judgment rather than for grace. 12
Historical records show that Jonah was not wrong, since after the rule of Ashur-nirari V in 754–745
B. A long journey for nothing
Butler has argued that: ‘“go to Nineveh” meant a walk of 500 to 600 miles for Jonah, depending on how direct his route would be’, 16 that equals approx. 30 to 60 days on foot from Palestine. 17 To this add a wait of 40 days more 18 to see what would be the divine verdict regarding Nineveh must have been an extremely exhausting situation for Jonah, therefore his anger is understandable, and his words correct: ‘Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home?’ (Jon 4:2).
The phrase that the prophet mentions at the beginning of his prayer: אָנָּה יְהוָה, lit. ‘Please Jehovah’ according to the context, it also expresses a deep exclamation 19 due to an unpleasant situation, what situation was this? Jonah explains it using the phrase: הֲלוֹא־זֶה דְבָרִי, translated as ‘was not this my saying?’, what maintains that Jonah already knew what the result of his mission in Nineveh would be when he was still in Israel.
More than an explanation or justification for his anger, the v. 2a must be interpreted as a direct claim of Jonah to God: Why did you allow me to make such a long and expensive trip, and not at all! I knew this was going to be the result, and you yet made me come! Do you think that Nineveh’s repentance will last forever?
IV. The useless mercy of God according to Jonah (2b)
Jonah in his prayer gives a masterful explanation to God about his mercy throughout the sacred history of Israel, and how his withdrawal from evil seemed useless to him to achieve a genuine and lasting human repentance.
The prophet begins his explanation using the term יָדַעְתִּי which can be translated as ‘knew’; 20 but this knowledge of Jonah should not be understood as superficial rather deep, 21 because he uses a grammatical structure identical to Exodus 34:6 and Psalm 86:15. Why did he do it? What implications do these passages have for Jonah in relation to what he was claiming from God? To answer these questions, it is necessary to find the grammatical similarities between both passages. 22
In these references, it can be seen that Jonah makes some modifications of the passages cited, the first of them occurs in relation to the name of God. David prefers to address God as אֲדֹנָי which literally translates as “Lord, master”, 23 while Moses uses the name יְהוָה, that is to say ‘Jehovah’, that highlights its perpetual existence yesterday, today and forever. 24 Jonah, on the other hand, modifies and enriches his sentence using not only the name יְהוָה, but of the abbreviation for the divine name אֵל, which alludes to its “strength, greatness and power”. 25
The second modification is at the end of both texts where both Moses and David use the expression וֶאֱמֶת translated as ‘and truth’, 26 highlighting God’s faithfulness 27 in judging with justice and truth. While Jonah modifies his sentence using the phrase וְנִחָם עַל־הָרָעָה which translates to ‘repent of evil’, nevertheless why does Jonah not use the same term as his prophetic colleagues? It is possible that the prophet now questioned such fidelity and did not consider it sensible.
Jonah in his prayer emphasizes the love and wrath of God 28 as divine attributes that for him deserve an exhaustive description in four expressions, the first one is ‘gracious and compassionate’ (Jon 4:2b), and it shows the uniqueness of God of waiting for the genuine prayer of those who come seeking his forgiveness eagerly, 29 asked that he respond with mercy, that is to say with a deep love. 30 This term as regards God incorporates two concepts, on the one hand, ‘the strong bond God has with those whom he has called as his children’ (Ps 103:13), and on the other hand ‘the unconditional election of God’, 31 an attribute that allows him to be merciful to those he wants and those he doesn’t, after having weighed their hearts.
The second expression: ‘slow to anger’ (Jon 4:2b) refers to the infinite divine patience, that contrary to what happens in man, that when he gets angry his nose burns as a physical characteristic, in God this process is ‘slow’ אֶרֶךְ and does not take place immediately. This expression also alludes to the wisdom of God in which, before getting angry and losing scruples, he acts with greater sense than man (Prov 14:29; 16:32).
The third expression: ‘abounding in love’ implies the infinite flow of love that God has for his children that is abundant and inexhaustible, and makes of him someone magnificent 32 in mercy, but this mercy as used in 4:2b is different because the word חֶסֶד implies the loyalty that God has with his children, for whom his oath of mercy has not been erased, neither time nor disobedience have made him forget it. 33
The last expression: ‘who relents (וְנִחָם) from sending calamity’ (Jon 4:2b) is a phrase that is repeated only once in Joel 2:13 where the prophet reminds Israel how throughout its history, God has shown them many expressions of compassion and kindness, even though they deserved to be punished. Is this repentance identical to that expressed by human beings? Obviously not, since for God this involves two matters: (1) God does not whimsically repent of the decisions he makes and (2) many times God’s repentance is for the good of human beings. 34 However, how many times did God repent of evil against Israel? How effective was the result, unlike when God used his wrath?
Exodus 32:14 mentions: ‘Then the Lord relented (וַיִּנָּחֶם) and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened’. It hadn’t been long since God had delivered Israel from Egypt (12:37), and led them with a column during the day and a cloud of fire at night allowing them to pass the Red Sea on dry ground (14:22). Once safe, God gave them to eat the bread from heaven (16:4) and drink water from the rock (17:3, 5–7).
At Mount Sinai, the people of Israel promised to obey God in all circumstances (24:7), then God sent Moses to go up the mountain to give him the tables of the law (31:18), but as the people saw that Moses ‘was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him”’ (32:1).
Was all that God did on behalf of Israel worth so little that for a brief delay they decide to return to their old practices and not remain faithful? Apparently yes, and although God repented of consuming them, 35 not long afterward Israel again returned to their evil ways.
Proof of this is what Judges 2:18 says: ‘Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented (יִנָּחֵם) because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them’. Not long after Joshua’s death, the people of Israel went astray and ‘did evil’ (Judg 2:11), following other gods (v. 12), causing God’s wrath, so he allowed neighboring towns to oppress them (vv. 14–15).
However, in his mercy, God allowed the judges whom he had raised up to deliver Israel from their afflictions (v. 18), but what was the result of that repentance? Scripture defines it thus: ‘But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways’ (v. 19).
Based on Exodus 32:14 and Judges 2:18, what can be said about the results of divine repentance? that, for Jonah, the fact that God manifested mercy with Assyria, which is a stiff necked people like Israel was, involved loss of time, resources and energy on a long journey to the pagan city. Assyria was going to repent for a short time as Israel did on many occasions, and then she was going to return to her wicked steps. God’s mercy had been present in Israel for a long time, and that was not enough to bring about genuine repentance and unwavering fidelity in him.
V. Death is better to me (Jon 4: 3)
Seeing Jonah that God’s decision is immovable regarding Nineveh’s salvation, he pronounces the following: ‘Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live’ (Jon 4:3). Why does Jonah use this expression?
Apparently the expression of the prophet is a very common way in the Old Testament to react to frustration and anger, the same thing happened with Moses when the people asked for meat in the middle of the desert and he had no chance to give it to them, so He pleads with God to take away so much responsibility from him or to kill him (Num 11:15).
This suggests that the prophet Jonah was frustrated that his perception of what should be done with Nineveh, in manifesting punishment rather than love, was ignored. In this frustration and anger, Jonah expresses his desire to die, which was actually a form of relief in the face of the situation. Looking at this scene, God asks the prophet: Does Nineveh not deserve, that ‘great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left and also many animals’ my mercy just like what I had with Israel? (Jon 4:11), a question that closes the book and calls the prophet reflection, showing how merciful and gracious God is unlike human action.
VI. Conclusions
The reason why Jonah fled his commission was that for him any effort to save the city is unnecessary since it implied a waste of time and resources in a town that sooner or later would continue in its bad ways. The prophet is firmly certain that judgment will have better results in modifying human behavior than divine grace and intercedes with God to make this happen.