Some random thoughts on Jonah, inspired by a conversation with my student, Brillana McLean.
1) The first chapters of Jonah seem to follow something of an exit-and-return story. Jonah gets in a boat and crosses some water; he is cast out and is swallowed by the waters and by a sea monsters; he is spewed out and then goes to confront the wicked king of a wicked city. This is the same sequence Israel followed in their exile and return: They left the land across the Jordan, were swallowed by the giant fish of Babylon, which later spewed them out, so that they could re-conquer the land.
2) James Jordan suggested years ago that the plant in Jonah 4 is a symbol of Nineveh’s over-shadowing protection. Thinking more about the context, that interpretation makes a good deal of sense. Jonah, after all, has just converted the king of the up-and-coming Gentile empire. That empire is going to be solicitous for Israel so long as they remain God-fearers. They are going to provide shade for Israel. This is exactly parallel to the situation at Israel’s Babylonian exile: Nebuchadnezzar has been converted, and Jeremiah instructs the people to submit to Nebuchadnezzar because they will find shade and protection there.
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