Jonah 2

Still in Chapter 1, there are a few other nice literary features in the text to consider.

A Children's Story?

I had a professor tell me once that Jonah would've made a wonderful story for children (and maybe it was?). And he didn't say this after the VeggieTales got hold of it, but because of the personification and the hyperbole (do you remember your 9th grade English class?)

Personification - is when you give animate qualities to inanimate objects, such as emotions, willful actions, etc.

1:5 - The ship "reckoned that it was about to break" or "thought it was about to break"
1:15 - The sea "stopped its rage (or indignation)"

Hyperbole - exaggeration or a use of "extreme terms"

Look at all these:

1:2 - Ninevah the great city
1:4 - YHWH hurled a great wind
1:4 - there was a great storm
1:5 - the men hurled the cargo
1:10 - the men were extremely frightened
1:12 - the great storm
1:12 - pick me up and hurl me into the sea
1:15 - so they picked Jonah up, hurled him into the sea
1:16 - the men feared YHWH greatly
1:17 - YHWH appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah
3:2 - Ninevah the great city
3:3 - a great city, a three day's journey