A Difficult Question Asked and a Response.
A few weeks ago I was asked a very probing question about Jonah by a colleague. I will attempt to respond to here because I think it was a valid, but also very challenging question.
Considering that the events of Jonah were supposed to have taken place only a few decades before the Assyrian defeat of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, how did Nineveh, the capital city of the Assyrian Empire, go from repenting and professing a belief in God, to destroying the northern half of the kingdom that he had given to his chosen people?
After giving it some thought, I think there are a few things I can say in response to this.
Jonah 4:4-11
4 And YHWH said, “Is it right for you to be angry? [lit. is it rightfully hot for you?]”
5 And Jonah went forth from the city and he sat down east of the city and he made for himself there a booth and he sat down under it in the shadow until he would see what would become with the city.
6 And YHWH God supplied a plant and he made it grow up over Jonah to be a shadow over his head to take him away from his misery and Jonah rejoiced over the plant with great joy.
Jonah 4:1-3
1 And it was displeasing to Jonah, a great disaster and he became angry with regard to it.
2 And he prayed to YHWH and he said, “Oh YHWH, is this not my word while I was in my land? Therefore I did the first time to flee to Tarshish for I know that you are a gracious God and compassionate, slow to anger [lit. slow of nose] and abounding steadfast love and one who relents concerning the calamity.
3 And now YHWH, please take my life from me because my death is better than my life.”
Jonah 3:1-10
1 And it happened the word of YHWH came to Jonah a second [time] saying, 2 “Get up and go to Nineveh the great city and proclaim to her the proclamation which I am speaking to you.”
3 And Jonah got up and went to Nineveh according to the word of YHWH and Nineveh was a great city to God, a distance of three days.
4 And Jonah began to go into the city a journey of one day and he proclaimed and he said, “Still forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
Jonah 2:6-11*
(*2:5-10 in English translations)
6 The waters encompassed me up to the neck,
the deep surrounds me,
reeds were wrapped around my head.
7 To the foundations of the mountains I descended,
the land, her bars [were] around me for an eternity
and you brought my life up from the pit, YHWH my God.
