Introduction
Before talking about the Jonah 2:1-10, we will introduce the book of Jonah briefly. The name of Jonah means “Dove.” This book is undoubtedly one of the masterpieces of biblical literature. It is a well-known book and has become famous and popular in children’s stories, in which Jonah escaped the Lord’s comment, dramatically boarded the ship to Joppa resulting in meeting the tempest, being swallowed by a bug fish and caught up in the fish belly. This is probably one of the best known Bible stories. Due to unexpected circumstances beyond the turning point, the story, from the beginning to the end, is deeply attracting our attention. There is no extra detail in the whole book, but it contains a rich text word games and other techniques, and the authors of this paper will display their literary attainments its head.
The focus of Chapter Two is the prayer of Jonah. Some people say it is not a thanksgiving prayer since he was under the fish’s belly. But we agree with some scholars who said it is a thanksgiving prayer since Jonah was recused from drowning by the sailor on the sea.
1. Authorship, Date, Occasion and purpose
Date
The book of Jonah, just like some other minor prophets (eg. book of Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk), is not explicitly stated when describing the incident. However, the "son of Amittai Jonah" gave us important clues. In the 2 Kings 14:25 as a clear reference to the prophet of the same name, he was a prophet in the reign of Jeroboam II when 793-753BC.1 Assuming these two verses referring to the same person, it should be reasonable, if so, then the events described in the book of Jonah may be set in the eighth century BC.
Authorship:
When going to Nineveh, Jonah's mission can be set in the historical context of the eighth century BC, but it is still difficult to determine Jonah's author and writing. Some traditional say it is written by Jonah himself by recording his own experience; but some recent scholar say no by saying it could be written by his fellow prophet. Therefore, at the point, we still don’t have the solid reference to its author.
Occasion for the book
God really cares and loves for His people and especially his chosen people. They needed to be taught and admonished. Therefore, the prophet successfully recorded the incident in the book; instead of using oracles or prophetic word directly, he tells his people.
Purpose of the book
Different scholars / people can see different purposes of the Book of Jonah.
Most people think that it is the book of didactic. God is loving whoever fears of him and willing to repent. God is willing to forgive and change his plan, and gives chance to his people. This chance is not only limited to his chosen people, Israel. Through this book, the audience of the book is able to revise their understanding of what God is like. Also, it warns us not to be like Jonah who disobeyed God. And the book is teaching us to love our enemies and to follow God.
Moreover, it is the book about Jesus Christ as well. We see that Jesus Christ has mentioned in the New Testament, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three night in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and one greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew12:39-41). Also, the three days and three nights are also foreseen when Jesus Christ died and rose again after three days and three nights.
2. Literary Composition
We will briefly introduce and talk about the Genre and structure of the book of Jonah.
1) Genre:
Although Jonah is a famous story, it is still not easy to determine the genre of the book of Jonah. We know
