Book of jonah commentary jewish

Habakkuk, jonah, nahum, and obadiah in talmud and midrash. It is the custom in some communities to ask a stranger to offer a commentary called a dvar torah. Book of jonah, also spelled jonas, the fifth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, embraced in a single book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. A social justice commentary, available for preorder from the ccar press. There are a number of helpful commentaries on jonah, and the following are five of the best. The content of the book enjoys more notoriety than it deserves because of the miraculous elements which make up a large part of it. Through some supernatural events, god convinced him to obey and carry out the lords plan. But that selective and erroneous interpretation conveniently overlooks the plain meaning of jesus words. Medieval jewish commentaries to the book of jonah, translated and explained kindle edition by bob, steven. An easyenglish 2800 word vocabulary commentary on the book of jonah. There he was to warn them that if they did not return from their sinful ways, the city would be destroyed. The prophet jonah a dove is already mentioned in 2 kings 14. One other obvious hyperbolic element in the book is the repentance of animals together with the ninevites, which influenced a number of scholars to challenge the historical level of the book. Determining date and authorship of jonah remains problematic, as explicit references do not exist within the narrative.

The book of jonah closes with sullen and unwilling jonah still preferring death to gods outpouring of mercy upon anyone except jonah and his jewish relatives. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading go to nineveh. This old testament book describes at least part of the ministry of a prophet called jonah, the only prophet who attempted to run away from god. Read jonah 4 commentary using matthew henry commentary on the whole bible complete. Jonah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. I will argue in the commentary that follows that the mission of god is the central theme. Consequently, scholars must consider linguistic and historical factors to approximate such information.

And one of the synagogue readings for yom kippur is the book of jonah in. It is a well known story for obvious reasons, not least of which are a disobedient prophet, an obedient fish and a wicked nation that starts out bad, yet ends up good. He was the son of amittai and was of gathhepher in galilee north of nazareth. T he book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord. The one incident in the book of jonah upon which almost all the attacks are leveled is the story of jonah s sojourn in the belly of the fish. The book of jonah is filled with valuable information and timeless lessons. Jonah represents the jewish people and for that matter all people, for all of us have to decide what we are. The story of jonah and the whale the book of jonah. I believe that we read the book of jonah on yom kippur afternoon to. Free online bible library jewish commentary on the bible. The witness of jonah max reich the messianic hope of israel.

The story of jonah, like every story told by the torah, isin its entiretya timeless teaching. He was gods instrument to carry out gods will on earth. This meant according to the understanding of jonah that nineveh would be destroyed. Jonah did not want to go on this mission and attempted to flee to tarshish in spain. Jonah 1 keil and delitzsch ot commentary bible hub. In the modem scholarly version of this exegesis, the book of jonah is described as a polemic against the narrow exclusivism prevalent among the returnees to zion that resulted from the travails of the destruction of the first temple, the exile and persian domination. Full text in english of the book of jonah my jewish learning. The book of jonah is a largerthanlife story of every individual who seeks closeness with god. The book of jonah appears as one of twelve small books of scripture known as trei asar the twelve. Jonah vividly displays the heart of mercy god has for all people groups of the world, even those known for their godlessness.

Jonah 4 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. Spanish legends also speak of israelite settlement in. This commentary has been through advanced theological checking. But jonah ran away from the lord and headed for tarshish. My jewish learning is a notforprofit and relies on your help. Jonah following the completion of the jps torah series, this fine commentary is based closely on the authors original hebrew commentary am oved, 1992, with some revision and expansion. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. Shmuly yanklowitz is the author of the book of jonah. You can find the best commentary on jonah for you using the tools on the right side.

Jonah 4 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on the. The next succeeding prophet, amos of tekoa, whose activity fell in the reign of jeroboam ii. Shipmates, this book, containing only four chaptersfour yarns. The sign of jonah is the only sign that christ specifically gives to prove that he was the messiah. In the eighth century commentary in pirkei drabbi eliezer, we are. But we will see that gods mission is not primarily directed toward nineveh as often taught, but in a different direction altogether. The theme of jonah is gods saving mercy toward the nations of the world.

The whole story ends with the lesson received by jonah, the purpose of the book having thus been accomplished. In any case jonah is one of the prophets who advised the house of jehu, and it is not unlikely that with him the series of prophets that began with elijah came to a close. Go to the great city of nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me. Study scripture verses with commentary, concordances, and use highlighting, underlining, take notes in the bible. Frances mark commentary, a technical and detailed commentary of which i read every wordfrance is that good, and so is sarna.

The complexity of the motives in the book of jonah is palpable. The broad variety of opinions on this subject from the talmudic sages through modem commentaries can be subsumed under four basic headings. Allusions in rabbinic literature to the biblical character jonah, the unwilling prophet on whom the book of jonah centers, contain various expansions, elaborations and inferences beyond what is presented in the text of the bible itself. Now the word of the lord came to jonah the son of amittai, saying, arise, go to nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it. Jewish bible commentaries merrimack valley havurah. In this post, he reflects on this enigmatic prophet in light of todays crisis.

Though i must state that the author is writing from the view of didactic fiction meaning that he views the book of jonah as based on a historical figure and life, but not a record of literal history. The story of the prophet jonah is recorded in the book of jonah, which is part of the bible, and is read in the synagogue every year on the day of atonement. Mention must also be made of isaac arama 143094, whose aqedhah, his commentary on the pentateuch homiletical in style, was the standard book for the jewish pulpit for centuries, much esteemed by the christian world, and is still much read by the jews, especially in russia and poland. It concerns a disobedient prophet who rejected his divine commission, was cast overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and returned to his starting point. In the midst of the obscure prophecies before and after this book, wherein. By the way, if you think jonah preached a message of repentance you are wrong. Aside from portions of the book of jeremiah and daniel, all of the other prophetic books focus primarily on the message of the prophet. Unlike other old testament prophetic books, jonah is not a collection of the prophets oracles but primarily a narrative about the man. And one of the synagogue readings for yom kippur is the book of jonah in hebrew, sefer yonah. The jps bible commentary on jonah words on the word. The book of jonah is unique among the minor prophets in that it tells the story of the prophet himself, unlike the other eleven books, which are clearly more typical prophecies. It 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 the divine mission. The book is best seen as an interpretive development of these roots in.

Medieval jewish commentaries on the book of jonah, translated and explained steven bob on. Perhaps we could reflect upon a few of these matters. The book of jonah relates how god told jonah to go to the major assyrian city of nineveh and there prophecy that after 40 days it would be overturned. It is particularly difficult to identify the central theme that unites all the elements of the story in the book of jonah into a literary and conceptual whole.

This book was an exceptionally good and concise commentary on the book of jonah. Medieval jewish commentaries to the book of jonah, translated and explained kindle edition by steven bob. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. In the eighth century commentary in pirkei drabbi eliezer, we are taught, jonah entered the fishs mouth, as a man who enters a great synagogue, and he stood and the two eyes of the fish were like glass windows giving light to jonah. There has been some inconclusive discussion among biblical scholars as to whether this is the same jonah, or a different one. Upon jonah s eventual arrival, the king of the city instructed a national repentance on a massive scale. The present commentary has been written under the sign of a dual commitment. Full text in english of the book of jonah my jewish. This is the perfect type of fleshly israels rejection of christ and of christianity throughout history. The jonah story describes the roots of antisemitism. An outstanding literary and exegetical commentary on the book of jonah.

The holiest day in the jewish calendar is yom kippur, the day of atonement, with its theme of repentance. Jonah represents the jewish people and for that matter all people, for all of us have to decide what we are going to do. A word list at the end explains words with a star by them. This book of jonah, though it be placed here in the midst of the prophetical books of scripture, is yet rather a history than a prophecy. Oct 01, 2017 the story of the prophet jonah that we customarily read on yom kippur captures the essence of the holiday, that we need to put ourselves aside and act for the benefit of others the story of. The sign of jonah is not a sign of preaching or bringing a message, as some allege. Jonah it means dove in hebrewlived in gathhepher, a town of zebulun north of nazareth in galilee, and he was the son of amittai truthful. A source book jacob neusner, university press of america yonah jonah the jps bible commentary. Israelite settlement from days of solomon and that jonah desired to join this settlement and not just to be amongst gentiles. Jonah 1 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on the. Jan 23, 2015 nahum sarnas jps torah commentary on genesis is easily one of the best three commentaries ive read on any book of the bible.

Based on the same format and design as the torah volumes, jonah provides a critical linebyline commentary of the biblical text, which is presented in its original hebrew, complete with vocalization and cantillation marks, as well as the jps english translation. Jonah 1 commentary james burton coffman commentaries on. A modern commentary, translation and commentary by leonard s. First, we should note that this marvelous narrative has suffered the brunt of the critics barbs for a long while. Jonah is the central character in the book of jonah, in which god commands him to go to the city of nineveh to prophesy against it for their great wickedness is come up before me, but jonah instead attempts to flee from the presence of the lord by going to jaffa sometimes transliterated as joppa or joppe, and sailing to tarshish. In any case, from its style it is quite clear that the book of jonah was written centuries later. The book of jonah is unique among the books of the. Jonah is the prophetic book that is traditionally read during the afternoon service on yom kippur jonah and the meaning of our lives by rabbi steven bob provides a contemporary, personal perspective. Ironically, the book of jonah is filled with irony, parody and exaggeration that are often overlooked by many interpreters. And one of the synagogue readings for yom kippur is.

The book of jonah stands unique in the prophetical canon, in that it does not contain any predictions, but simply relates the story of its hero, beginning for that reason with waye. This commentary explores the book of jonah, providing historical and literal context, interpretative insights, and practical application principles. Jonah 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, by the leading authority in the church of christ, presents a verse level look at the bible. I shall address myself to these four chapters which introduced a new idea into our culture and into jewish as well as universal consciousness. The meaning of the jonah story read on yom kippur michael. The book of jonah is followed by michah micah, which in turn is followed by nachum. There is a paradoxical recognition that the closer one comes to god, the more one becomes conscious of the chasm separating gods wisdom from our own. The lords compassion is not only for insiders like jonah and israel but also for outsiders like the ninevites.

Feb 28, 2009 the style of the book of jonah is distinctive among the prophetic books. Jonah 1 niv bible the word of the lord came to jonah son. Indeed, the account in the book of jonah depends on that in the book of kings. Jonah has been a favorite subject for midrashic commentary. Rabbi steven bob has served as senior rabbi of congregation etz chaim, in lombard, illinois, since 1981. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a. Bibliotheca sacra this volume is a welcome addition to modern scholarship on the book of jonah.

Jonah flees from the lord the word of the lord came to jonah son of amittai. More than that, the mission of god is not just a theme in the book of jonah. Passing over the brief prophecy of obadiah, with its veiled reference to the messiah in saviours who will go up on mount zion, under the leadership of the jehovahsaviour, for the kingdom shall be the lords obadiah 1. Jonah, whose name means dove, lived in gathhepher, located. Word biblical commentary on hoseajonah jps commentary on jonah. Jonah s escape from the mission he was granted describes the jewish peoples escape from their role to unite above their divisions and. Scholars have long disagreed on the central message of the book of jonah. The story of jonah and the whale the book of jonah explained. The book of jonah explained by jewish commentaries. Go at once to nineveh, that great city, and proclaim judgment upon it. Book of jonah lesson 1 welcome to the study of the book of jonah. Top 5 commentaries on the book of jonah ligonier ministries.