What’s the Jewish outlook on the Book of Jonah?

The Book of Jonah is read during the services of Yom Kippur, the Jews’ Day of Atonement. It was chosen because its messages are a fitting inspiration for that time. To understand this scripture, it helps to know the identities of Jonah and the king of Nineveh.

According to the Talmud, Jonah was the boy who was resurrected by Elijah (I Kings 17). In his youth, he grew up as a prophet and a disciple of Elisha. He is the disciple whom Elisha sent to anoint and prophesy to Yehu (II Kings 9:1-10). He also prophesied to King Jeroboam II (ibid. 14:25). By the time of his prophecy to Nineveh, he was about 100 years old.

A prophet is liable to death by the Hand of Heaven if he suppresses a prophecy that G-d instructs him to deliver.[1] Why did Jonah do this? He recoiled from being the one through whom a criticism would be brought against his fellow Israelites. The Israelites included ten northern tribes that had separated from Judah and Benjamin, and formed the Biblical nation of Israel. They had then been drawn into idolatry, and although G-d sent prophets to warn them, they had not repented.

Jonah knew that if he prophesied to the Gentile city of Nineveh, they would fear G-d, repent and be forgiven. Then G-d would turn to the Israelites and say: “The Gentiles of Nineveh heard My warning from a true prophet and repented, so I forgave their sin. I sent many prophets to you, My nation, but you still refuse to abandon idolatry. Now everyone will know that I am justified in sending the Ten Tribes into exile as their atonement, until the End of Days when I will bring them back” (see Deut. 30).

G-d’s response to Jonah’s reluctance

To compel Jonah to obey, G-d caused him to be willingly cast overboard, thereby proving his merit that he cared more for his fellow Israelites than for his own life. Then G-d saved him with the giant fish that was created for that purpose during the Six Days of Creation.[2] The Midrash [2] relates that the fish brought Jonah to view the Leviathan.[3] G-d will kill the Leviathan when the Messiah son of David comes, and its meat will be served at the great feast of celebration that G-d will make for the righteous to welcome in the Messianic Era.[4]

At that time, G-d will remove everyone’s evil inclination, and Jews and Gentiles will dedicate themselves to serving G-d in unity and peace, as it says (Zephaniah 3:9): “For then I [G-d] will turn the peoples to pure language, so that all will call upon the Name of G-d to serve Him with one purpose.” We can see that G-d reminded Jonah about the universal destiny for mankind by bringing him to view the Leviathan.

But how was Jonah sure that the people of Nineveh would repent? As he said to G-d after they were spared (Jonah 4:2), “Was this not my contention…? For this reason I hastened to flee…” The answer lies in the identity of the king.

Who was the king of Nineveh?

Jewish tradition teaches that the king of Nineveh at that time had been the Pharaoh whom we read about in the Book of Exodus.[5] As the exodus took place, Pharaoh stood looking over the Red Sea while it split.

When Pharaoh’s army was drowned, he finally admitted to G-d’s complete control of the world and repented for his sins. He left and went to Nineveh, where he became king and dedicated it as a “great city unto G-d” (Jonah 3:3). He was then blessed with long life, but eventually he lapsed and allowed his subjects to sin. Jonah knew that Pharaoh, of all people, would head G-d’s warning and lead them in repenting.

Gentiles are accountable for the 7 Universal Commandments in the Book of Genesis, which are the foundation of true morality: establishing just courts, and the prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, homicide, forbidden sexual relations, theft, and eating meat that was severed from a live animal (cruelty to animals). But an entire population 0f Gentiles is not liable to Divine punishment unless they breach the boundaries of civilized coexistence, like the generations of the Flood, the Tower of Babel, and the metropolis of Sodom.

In Nineveh, the rampant crime was theft (Jonah 3:8). When Pharaoh heard that a prophet of G-d had declared that Nineveh would be overturned (Jonah 3:4), he led the people in repentance to G-d. Since theft can’t be fully atoned without making restitution to the victims, they returned all stolen items and even tore apart their houses to return the materials they had extorted.[6] Thus it says (Jonah 3:10), “G-d saw their deeds, that they repented from their evil way,” instead of “G-d saw their sackcloth and fasting.”

The deeper lesson for Jonah and for us

After Jonah saw that Nineveh was not destroyed, he was sickened over the comparison with the unrepentant Israelites. To admonish Jonah, G-d provided for him a kikayon plant, which he cherished. The next day it died, which broke Jonah’s heart. G-d then told him, how much more so does He care for all people. For He invests all people with His image (Genesis 1:27), watching them constantly and waiting for them to repent to Him for their sins so they can be forgiven, as proven by the people of Nineveh.

There were thousands of prophets in the Biblical Holy Land, but the only prophecies that were canonized in the Hebrew Bible were those which are relevant for all time, as G-d says (Malachi 3:6), “For I, G-d, have not changed…” The Book of Jonah teaches that all people, on account of G-d’s attention and care for them, are obligated to pray to Him to fulfill their needs – including prayers of repentance for their sins, combined with a commitment to actively improve their ways.

By Dr. Michael Schulman.
The author is grateful to Kate Bresee for the editing and useful comments that she provided.

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Pharaoh, king of Nineveh

What are the sources that speak about Pharaoh of the Exodus becoming king of Nineveh? We answer this here, quoted from the web page
www.jewishanswers.org/ask-the-rabbi-category/jewish-texts/?p=2683

A hint to the idea that Pharaoh did not die at the splitting of the Red Sea can be found in Exodus 14:28. The verse states that the water covered over the Egyptians, “v’lo nish’ar bahem od echad.” The plain meaning of this verse is that not even one person remained. The Midrash, in Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer, says that the verse can be read to mean “up until, but not including one person (i.e. Pharoah), was left.” The Midrash continues to note that Pharoah became king of Nineveh.

The commentary Ba’al Ha’turim points out the following linguistic similarity: In Exodus 14:31 it says, “And they [the Jewish people] believed in the L-rd…”; and in Jonah 3:5 it says, “And the people of Nineveh believed in G-d…” Both verses use the word “Va’yaminu” — “and they believed.” This points to the Midrash quoted above, and explains that the people of Nineveh were brought to belief in G-d by Pharaoh, when he told them of the wonders that occurred in Egypt and the Red Sea.

The implications of this Midrash are truly astounding! The fact that someone like Pharoah, who time and again refused to recognize the power of G-d, could repent and teach a whole city about the truth of G-d, is a remarkable lesson in the strength of repentance.

For more information about Yom Kippur: https://asknoah.org/faq/asking-forgiveness

Footnotes:

1. Tractate Sanhedrin 89a.

2. Midrash, Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer 10.

3. Job 41.

4. Tractate Bava Basra 75a.

5. Midrash, ibid. 43.

6. Tractate Taanit 16a