Reading Jonah A Guide To The Hebrew Text PDF

READING JONAH: A GUIDE TO THE
HEBREW TEXT
Charles L. Echols
Copyright 2013 by Charles L. Echols

All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or otherwise, for
commercial purposes without the written permission of the author.
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 1967/77 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.

Used by permission. Unicode adaptation of Biblia Hebraica
Stuttgartensia, David Intone-Brewer. Used by permission.
CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction
vii
Abbreviations
ix
Text, Translation, and Notes

Jonah 1:1-16
Jonah 2:1-11
31
Jonah 3:1-10
53
Jonah 4:1-11
71
Glossary
89
References
93
PREFACE
This volume is the sequel to Reading Ruth: A Guide to the Hebrew Text ,
an introductory-level reader that was written to take the reader from an
elementary course in Classical Hebrew to the Hebrew text itself. 1 The
present volume is designed to help the reader transition to the
intermediate level of Classical Hebrew, although it has occasional reviews
of important introductory-level features. As with Reading Ruth, all
necessary resources are included, viz. the Hebrew text, vocabulary, and
lexical and syntactical information.
The grammatical aspects in the book of Jonah are such that it
would be easy to write a guide to the book that is several hundred pages
in length. This modest volume, however, is intentionally selective to
prevent the reader from becoming overwhelmed. The interest here is on
general intermediate grammar and syntax, although particular attention is
given to prepositionsthose little parts of speech that can make an
enormous semantic differencemorphology, and poetics (cp. 2). Slightly
less attention is devoted to phrases and clauses. For historical and
theological matters, the reader can consult the commentaries.
This guide is, furthermore, written chiefly for Hebrew exegetes
in the majority world who have no access to the fine but relatively
expensive publications in the West. To this end it joins an increasing
number of open-access publications that promote scholarship in the
developing world.
This little volume is dedicated with love to my daughter, Grace,
who, when her friends ask what her dad does for a living, delights in
replying, He teaches dead languages.
Advent 3, 2013
St. Matthews, SC
A PDF of Reading Ruth may be downloaded freely at

http://www.academia.edu/1253567/Reading_Ruth_A_Guide_to_the_Hebrew_Text.
A
paperback edition can be purchased at http://www.lulu.com/shop/charles-l-echols/readingruth-a-guide-to-the-hebrew-text/paperback/product-15657677.html.
1
INTRODUCTION
This book, like its predecessor, pursues an inductive approach to the
grammar and syntax of the book of Jonah. For each verse the sequence is
the Hebrew text, parsing of individual words, any textual criticism and
exegetical discussion, and translation. In the parsing section, words from
the verse appear in the left margin. Then follows for each word the
parsing, the lexical root in parentheses (for first occurrences), the English
meaning, and any textual or grammatical remarks.2 For example, in Jonah
1:1, appears on the left margin, followed by the parsing (n m s con),
the lexical root in parentheses (),
then the English meaning of the
word in its lexical form, i.e. word, thing, matter. For verbs the English
meaning given is the infinitive of the root in the particular stem. For
example, in 1:2, the value for ( Qal imperative m s) is to rise, stand,
rather than the imperative mood, Rise! The translation of each verse,
however, reflects the meaning of the words in their particular stems,
inflection, state, etc., in the context of the verse.
As with Reading Ruth, one should try to translate each verse
independently before viewing the translation. The translation provided is
the authors and tends towards formal rather than dynamic equivalency.
Although this results in a translation that is somewhat awkward at points,
it reflects the Hebrew grammar more closely. Where necessary, the book
adopts a dynamic equivalent translation and indicates the formal
equivalent meaning in in brackets, as for example in Jon 1:4: [lit.
thought to wreck itself].
Textual difficulties are discussed in the course of the parsing.
Access to BHS (the standard critical edition of the Hebrew text) is
unnecessary because the book replicates each textual issue that occurs in
2
If a word in the text occurs in its lexical form (e.g., masculine singular absolute
nouns, or Qal suffixed third masculine singular verbs), the parsing does not repeat the form.
Unless otherwise noted, the meanings supplied are those from BDB and HALOT.
vii
READING JONAH
BHS. The word(s) concerned is introduced by the abbreviation T.C.
Then follows the note as it appears in the apparatus of BHS followed by
an explanation of the note, including an English translation of the Latin
abbreviations used by BHS. The textual issue is then explained followed
by the adjudication of the issue.
Several miscellaneous remarks are in order. The general practice
is to parse only new words or forms. Some preposition are, however,
parsed more than once since they vary according to context. A glossary of
words that occur in more than one verse is provided near the end of the
book. The categories of prepositions are largely from IBHS 11.3 In
general the translation represents the atn accent (^) with a semicolon
(;).4 Grammatical remarks do not necessarily occur in the order of
appearance in the text. For example, verbs with suffixes occur before
Jon 2:6 (e.g., , 1:12), but Jon 2:6 is a convenient place to discuss
them. I have made little recourse to commentaries. The exception is
Tuckers recent monograph, which reads Jonah from a discourse
approacha relatively new method that is particularly suited to a close
reading of the Hebrew text.5
3
A summary (A Prcis of Prepositions) can be accessed at
http://www.academia.edu/1746863/A_Precis_of_Prepositions.
4
For a table of accents, see Echols, Reading Ruth, 96-97.
5
Dennis W. Tucker, Jr., Jonah: A Handbook on the Hebrew Text (Waco, TX:
Baylor University Press, 2006).
viii
ABBREVIATIONS
*
1
2
3
act
adj
art
BDB
BHS
c
con
coh
conj
d
DDD
ed
E.N.
ent
ESV
f
GBH
GKC
HALOT
hypothetical form
first person
second person
third person
active
adjective
article
A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament . F.

Brown et al., eds. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1907. Repr.,
Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson, 1996.
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. K. Elliger and W. Rudolph,
eds. 5th ed. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1997.
common
construct
cohortative
conjunction
dual
Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible . 2nd ed. Karel
van der Toorn, et al., eds. Leiden: Brill, 1999.
editor (the editorKarl Elligerof the book of Jonah in
BHS)
exegetical note
entreaty
English Standard Version
feminine
Joon, Paul, and T. Muraoka. A Grammar of Biblical
Hebrew. Revised English ed. SubBi 27. Roma: Pontifico
Istituto Biblico, 2006.
Kautzsch, E., ed. Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar. 2nd ed.
Translated by A. E. Cowley. Oxford: Clarendon, 1910.
Koehler, Ludwig, et al. The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon
of the Old Testament. Study ed. 2 vols. Translated and
ix
READING JONAH
Hiph
Hithp
IBHS
impv
ind
inf con
intrj
ip
lit.
m
n
NASB
np
negp
Niph
p
pd
pip
pi
pp
pr
pref
prep
pret
ps
ptcl
ptcp
s
suff
Edited under the Supervision of M. E. J. Richardson. Leiden:

Brill, 2001.
Hiphil
Hithpael
Waltke, Bruce K., and M. O'Connor. An Introduction to
Biblical Hebrew Syntax. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns,
1990.
imperative
independent
infinitive construct
interjection
interrogative particle
literally
masculine
noun
New American Standard Bible
noun, proper
negative particle
Niphal
plural
pronoun, demonstrative
pronoun, independent personal
pronoun, interrogative
pronoun, personal
pronoun, relative
prefixed conjugation; also known as the imperfect or yiqol
conjugation
preposition
preterite
pronominal suffix
particle
participle
singular
suffixed conjugation; also known as the suffixed or qal
conjugation
ABBREVIATIONS
T.C.
w/c
textual criticism
ww consecutive/conversive
Sigla in the critical apparatus of BHS in the book of Jonah
Septuagint
L
Leningrad Codex B 19A (the base text of BHS)
Masoretic text
Theodotion
xi
JONAH 1
Jonah 1:1

Qal pret w/c 3 m s () , to be, come to pass. The preterite

+ w/c (and suffixed conjugation + w/c) is the engine of
Hebrew narrative. When it occurs at the beginning of a
narrative, it performs the semantic role of alerting the reader
that the story occurred at some point in the past. Subsequent
occurrences in the story keep the action going. (For further
grammatical information on the form, see 3:1.)
The ww conjunction itself can be translated many
ways, but as a ww consecutive initiating a narrative, there
are three or four main options. Older translation such as the
King James Version render it And it came to pass (e.g.,
Gen 6:1; 14:1; Josh 1:1). More commonly it is rendered
now (ESV, New Revised Standard Version), and some
translations, recognizing its purely semantic function at the
start of a narrative, omit it altogether (NASB).6 The present
translation renders the conjunction and the verb as Now . . .
came to.
N m s con (),
word, thing, matter. undergoes

both tonic and pretonic reduction when in construct, i.e. the
initial
reduces to shewa and the second
reduces
to pata.
Np (theonym). The Tetragrammaton, or the covenant name
YHWH, Yahweh, or LORD. The morpheme is a qere
perpetuum, or perpetual qere.7 In other words, the
6
Further instances include the initiation of temporal clauses (When . . .) in as in
the ESVs translation in Gen 6:1. (See the discussion of in 3:10.)
7
For a brief discussion of the system of Ketib-Qere, see Echols, Reading Ruth, 910. For a longer treatment, see the document An Explanation of the System of Ketib
(Ketiv)-Qere at https://independent.academia.edu/CharlesLEchols/Teaching-Documents.
READING JONAH
morpheme occurs so frequently that the Masoretes regarded

it as unnecessary to register the qere.
Prep (logical/simple dative, to).
Np, Jonah.
N m s con (), son.
Np, Amittai (, truth). A fitting name for the father
of a prophet. Ironically, however, it will take some time
before Jonah delivers the truth to the Ninevites and realizes
further truth himself.
The maqqp makes the two words effectively one, so that
the unit functions appositionally. Apposition is the
juxtaposition of one noun to the noun immediately
preceding it. The second noun is essentially equivalent to the
first, but provides further information about it.
is
an example of apposition of kinship.
Prep + Qal inf con (), lit. to say, but more dynamically,
saying. The preposition prefixed to the infinitive construct
has several functions, including nominal, verbal compliment,
purpose, result, temporal, and modal (see IBHS 36.2.3).
Here it is explanatory, introducing discourse, specifically
direct discourse/speech. There are several types of discourse
such as hortatory, which is what follows ( Tucker
2006: 13).
Now the word of YHWH came to Jonah, son of Amittai,

saying, . . .
Jonah 1:2

Qal impv m s, to rise, stand. The imperative is one of three

volitional moods in Biblical Hebrew, the others being the
jussive and the cohortative. (The term volitionalfrom the
Latin volitiorefers to a wish or desire on the part of the
speaker for an action to happen.) The imperative is the
CHAPTER 1
volitional mood of second person. In introductory Hebrew it
is usually taught as the mood of command, but it has many
other nuances, including advice (Go, return, each of you to
her mothers house, Ruth 1:8), invitation (Come, eat of my
food, Prov 9:5), permission (Send the boy with me, Gen
43:8), prayer (Be pleased, O YHWH, to deliver me! Ps
40:14 [Eng v. 13]), promise (Build houses, Jer 29:28),
request (Be our king, Judg 9:8), warning (Be careful not
to drink wine or strong drink, Judg 13:4), and concession
(So he said to him, Run, 2 Sam 18:23). In this instance it is
the direct command use of the imperative: Rise!
In most cases, the Qal impv m s is identical in form to
the Qal inf con. This is the case with this Hollow verb
(exceptions include original I-Ww and III-H verbs) for
which the passive participle has the same form.
Hollow verbs have as their second radical either ww or
yd, which is not retained in the suffixed verb or active
participle. The ww or yd is preserved in the prefixed verb
(except in the preterite w/c and jussive), cohortative,
imperative (except for f p), passive participle, and infinitive
construct and absolute.

Qal impv m s (), to come, go, walk. Again, command
use of the imperative. The first two imperatives initiate the
main clause of the verse. It is actually a compound clause, the
second clause being .
Prep (movement/termination, to).

Np (toponym), Nineveh.

Art + n f s, city.

Art + adj f s () , great. Attributive use of the adjective.

There are two points of grammatical interest. First, the
article is used demonstratively (that) rather than as the
usual definitive function (the). The second is that the two
words are an epexegetical phrase that provides further
information about Nineveh.
READING JONAH
Qal impv m s, to call, read, proclaim. Command use of the

imperative.
Prep + 3 f s ps. The preposition can be classified as
metaphorical/advantage (on behalf of) or disadvantage
(against), but since it is a message of judgment,
disadvantage is more contextually warranted. The
pronominal suffix is the object of the preposition. The
referent of the pronominal suffix is Nineveh, but here the
city is understood figuratively. It can be classified either as a
metonymy of the subject (i.e. the writer states the subject
Ninevehfor the adjunctthe citizenry of Nineveh) or as a
synecdoche of the whole (i.e. the writer states the whole
Ninevehfor the partsthe citizenry). In other words Jonah
is to preach not to the city per se but to its citizens.
Conj, that, for, because, when. Here the conjunction
initiates a subordinate causal clause (for, because) that
explains the main clause, i.e. why YHWH is commanding
Jonah to preach to the Ninevites.
Qal suff 3 f s (), to go up, ascend, climb.
N f s con () , evil, wickedness, misfortune, calamity,
disaster, + 3 m p ps. By virtue of having a pronominal suffix,
the noun is technically in the construct form.
Prep + n m p con () , face. The preposition is spatial,
either with reference to a point, i.e., in or with a verb of
motion, i.e., to. With the construct noun, the unit is
translated, respectively, in my presence or to my
presence. The latter may be more dynamically rendered as
simply before me.
Rise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and proclaim against it; for their
wickedness has ascended before me.
Jonah 1:3
CHAPTER 1

Qal pret w/c 3 m s (). Adversative use of the conjunction

(but). Hollow verbs have the semi-vowels or as the
middle radical and occur in three states (GBH 80a): normal
(e.g., ) , reduced (e.g., ), and consonantal (e.g., ) .
In the Qal prefixed conjugation, the semi-vowels are
apparent (except with jussives), here, . With the
preterite w/c, the accent shifts to the front which effects a
reduction of the theme vowel to qme p, .
Prep (purpose, to) + Qal inf con, to go through, flee.
Np (toponym), Tarshish, + directive h, to.
Prep (spatial, from, out of). For the rest of the morpheme,
see, , v. 2.
Qal pret w/c 3 m s, to go down, descend.
Np (toponym), Joppa. The noun is an adverbial accusative
of place (termination), so the translation should supply the
preposition to.
Qal pret w/c 3 m s, to find.
N f s, ship. Object of the verb.
T.C.

The BHS apparatus for this word reads:
sic L, mlt Mss Edd cf 4.5
Explanation of the apparatus:
The editor is reporting that there is an orthographical error in Codex
Leningradensis (L). Several (mlt) Hebrew manuscripts (Mss) and
editions (Edd) instead read .8 As further evidence that the pointing
(i.e. vowel) of is incorrect, the editor invites the reader to compare
8
The siglum Edd refers to early critical editions of the Hebrew text, especially
those of B. Kennicott, Vetus Testamentum hebraicum cum variis lectionibus (2 vols.;
Oxford: E. typographeo Clarendoniano, 1776-1780); G. B. De Rossi, Variae lectiones
Veteris Testamenti (4 vols.; Parmae: Ex Regio typographeo, 1784-1788; repr., Amsterdam,
1969); J. C. Dderlein and J. H. Meisner, Biblia Hebraica (Lipsiae: Impensisi I. G. I.
Breitkopfii, 1993); and perhaps C. D. Ginsburg, ( London, 1926;
repr., Jerusalem, 1970). For more on the editions of the Hebrew Bible, see Editions of the
Masoretic Text (https://independent.academia.edu/CharlesLEchols/Teaching-Documents).
READING JONAH
(cf) the same word in verses 4 and 5. The apparatus points only the
vowel of the first consonant ( )because the other vowels and the dg
forte are not in question.
When trying to understand textual notes, begin by comparing
with the editors suggestions and/or variants in the apparatus to see
whether there is a difference in (1) the radicals of the word in question
and (2) the vowels of the word in question. Here the latter is the case: the
only difference is the vowel under the lep. reads qme whereas the
variants read ep qme.
The issue concerned:
Should we read tone-long qme or the indistinct ep qme ?
Adjudication of the issue:
Since this is the first instance of a textual issue in the book of Jonah, it is a
good idea to state briefly how such issues should be adjudicated. Since
textual criticism is to some extent an art, one finds different approaches.
The method adopted in this book is to (1) parse the word(s) in question in
, (2) parse the word(s) represented by the variants or editor, and (3)
adjudicate the matter by appealing to the strength of the witnesses and/or
the canons of textual criticism.9
The faithfulness with which the Masoretes preserved the received
text is such that in the majority of variances from , is the more
reliable text. In this case the variants include Hebrew manuscripts and the
editions. Hence, there is considerable textual support against . Further
support in favor of reading with the variants obtains from comparing the
word in vv. 4 and 5, where is in agreement with the Hebrew
manuscripts and editions.10 Moreover, the difference is with the pointing
rather than with the radicals. All things considered, one should read with
the variants. The greater probability is that the scribe simply omitted the
shewa of ep qme by mistake.
9
For a document that discusses this approach in greater detail with examples, see
http://www.academia.edu/2654190/Adjudicating_Textual_Difficulties_in_the_Hebrew_Bibl
e.
10
Since there is no textual note in vv. 4 or 5, the presumption is that the same
Hebrew manuscripts and editions are in agreement with .
CHAPTER 1
Qal act ptcp f s () , to come, go. Participles have

nominal (noun, adjective) and verbal aspects and can
function as adjectives, substantives, predicates, and relative
pronouns. Verbally, participles are not finite, as are the
suffixed- and prefixed-conjugation verbs; rather they are
atemporal, and whether they are rendered as past, present, or
future must be determined by the context (usually established
by a preceding finite verb).
Qal pret w/c 3 m s (), the basic meaning of which is to
give. In the present context, paid, is a suitable equivalent.
Initial nn of this I-Nn verb has assimilated into as
indicated by the dg forte.
N f s (),
wage, + 3 f s ps. Direct object of . The

antecedent to which the feminine pronominal suffix relates is
.
Prep (spatial, to, into, on) + 3 f s ps.
Prep (purpose, to) + Qal inf con.
Prep (accompaniment, with) + 3 m p ps. With this
preposition (and ), the second radical takes dg forte
with the addition of pronominal suffixes.
E.N.
This verse has several points of exegetical interest. The double
occurrence of to Tarshish paired with from YHWH constitutes an
inclusio. That there are five preterite w/c verbs imparts a sense of haste
Jonah made his decision to flee and acted on that decision with alacrity.
The double occurrence of could be a subtle allusion to the increased
distancing that Jonah creates between himself and YHWH (cf. the ascent
to mountain tops by individuals seeking God; e.g., Exod 19:3; Isa 2:3;
Matt 17:1-2). It could also foreshadow Jonahs piscine submersion in cp. 2
(the verb also occurs in 2:6). Finally, note the irony (humor?) that Jonah
thinks that he can escape from Gods notice.
But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of YHWH; and he
went down to Jaffa, and he found a ship going to Tarshish, and he paid its
READING JONAH
wage and he alighted on it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence
of YHWH.11
Jonah 1:4
Conj + np. The conjunction is sequence, i.e. and or then,

although adversative would also be contextually suitable.
Hiph suff 3 m s (), to cast, cast out.
N m/f s, breath, wind, spirit.
Adj f s (attributive; ) , great. Since the adjective agrees
with the preceding noun in number, gender, and
definiteness, it is an attributive adjective, viz. a great wind.
The maqqp connecting the compound, , usually
connotes the construct relationship, but its basic function is
to signal a close association between the words it connects
(see GBH 13). Still, if one considers as a substantive
adjective, then by virtue of being in construct with it
functions as the absolute noun (attributive genitive). The
meaning is the same either way.
Prep (movement/direction, toward).
Art + n m s () , sea. is a simple prepositional
phrase with the noun being the object of the preposition.
Qal pret w/c 3 m s () . The ww can be classified as
simple sequence, and, but because YHWHs casting of a
wind leads to a storm, it is better rendered as result, so that.
11
The reader will recall from the introduction that the translations here are
intentionally formal equivalent. It is possible, for example, to render the translation of this
more dynamically by changing the conjunctions. For example:
But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of YHWH; and he went down to Jaffa.
When he found a ship going to Tarshish, he paid its wage and he alighted on it to go with
them to Tarshish from the presence of YHWH.
The revision changes the ww conjunction in from sequence to temporal. (For more
on temporal clauses, see in 3:10).
CHAPTER 1

N m s, tempest, storm. The syntax of is the

same as it is with .
Prep (spatial/surface, on) + art + n m s () , sea.
Piel suff 3 f s, to think, consider; devise. As Tucker (2006:
19) notes, the language is figurative. Specifically, it is
personification (i.e. the attribution of human attributes to
non-human subjects), since inanimate objects do not think.
Prep + Niph inf con, to be broken. Reflexive use of the
Niphal. Verbal use of the infinitive.
Then YHWH cast a great wind toward the sea so that there was a great
storm on the sea; and the ship was in danger of breaking [lit. thought to
wreck itself].
Jonah 1:5
Qal pret w/c 3 m p (), to fear. Verbs that begin with

yd are either original I-Yd or original I-Ww (the more
common) verbs. Here, the two instances of yd indicate an
original I-Yd verb. The ww is sequence, then.
Art + n m p (), mariner.
Qal pret w/c 3 m p (), to cry, cry out, call.
N m s, man. Distributive use of the noun, i.e. each one
(GBH 147d).
N m p con, god, gods, God, + 3 m s ps. There are at least
two possibilities by which to classify the plurality of the
noun (cf. GBH 136d). One is the so-called plurality of
majesty, i.e. his God, but would a Yahwistic writer
conceive of the sailors deities honorifically? A second is
simple plurality, i.e. his gods, reflecting the almost certain
READING JONAH
polytheism of the sailors. The second is contextually more
fitting.
Hiph pret w/c 3 m p (), to cast, cast out.
Art + n m p (),
article, utensil, vessel, piece of

equipment. The sign of the accusative, , indicates that
the noun is the object of the verb
.
Pr, who, which, what, where, that. The pronoun initiates
the relative clause (

)that can be considered
epexegetical since it provides further information about the
vessels.12 It is subordinate to the main clause

.
Prep + art + n m s () .
Prep (movement/termination, into) + art + n m s () . The
unit is a prepositional phrase.
Prep (allative/purpose, to, in order to) + Hiph inf con
(), to make light, lighten. This a geminate verb, i.e.
verbs with two root consonants the second of which, in the
normal state of the root, e.g., in the pl. impv. , is
etymologically long.13 Geminate verbs are morphologically
complex, having three possible forms. The normal state
features a long second consonant (e.g., ;) in the reduced
state, it is short ( ;)and in the dissociated state, it is
repeated (). Generally when a vowel follows, one
observes the normal state (e.g., ;) when a vowel does not
follow, the reduced state (e.g., ;)and, rarely, but for
reasons of necessity or of usefulness, the dissociated state
(e.g., ). The present form, lacking a final vowel, is in the
reduced state. The theme vowel for the Hiphil imperative,
infinitive construct, and infinitive absolute is r.
12

is actually a nominal or verbless clause, i.e. the translator supplies a
form of the verb to be as determined by the action of the context. In this case the action is
complete/past, so the verb should be translated was.
13
GBH 82a. The present discussion follows this analysis.
10
CHAPTER 1
Prep (spatial, from) + prep (metaphorical/disadvantage,

against) + 3 m p ps. The two prepositions effectively
produce a meaning which is not simply the sum of the two.
Perhaps the sense is that the violence of the storm was such
that it pitched one end of the ship over the other, with the
vessels also tossed around. The idea then is that the ship was
a danger to the mariners.
The small sign ^ is the atn accent, viz. the major
disjunctive accent of the verse. When the translator reaches
this point, a unit of thought should be clear. In lengthy
verses such as this one, attention to the various accents is
helpful for translation since they signal the semantic units.

The conjunction is clearly adversative: in contrast to the
mayhem on deck, Jonah is fast asleep below. The reba is a
sufficiently strong disjunctive accent to evoke the idea of
aposiopesis, viz. the author is so astonished that he breaks off
mid-sentence. Hence the translation could be, . . . but
Jonahhe had gone down into the recesses of the ship!

Qal suff 3 m s. This is an example of a very recent past
suffixed conjugation verb (had gone down), viz. the action
was completed recently relative to the narration. The final
two verbs are also very recent past.

Prep (movement/termination, into) + n f d con () ,
flank, side; extreme parts, recesses.

Art + n f s, vessel, ship. The term is a hapax legomenon, or
a word or form of a word that occurs only once in the Old
Testament.14 The meaning of hapax legomena is sometimes
obscure, so that it is often necessary to check the cognate
languages. In this case, the Arabic safinat, ship, makes it
reasonable to conclude for the same meaning here.
14
This the first of five hapax legomena in the book of Jonah by the count of Jack
M. Sasson, Jonah: A New Translation with Introduction, Commentary, and Interpretation
(AB; New York: Doubleday, 1990), the others being ( 1:6), ( 3:2),
(4:6), and ( 4:8). Five hapax in a book the size of Jonah is disproportionately high
and raises the question of whether they are stylistic.
11
READING JONAH
Qal pret w/c 3 m s, to lie down.

Niph pret w/c (), to fall into heavy sleep.
Then the mariners were afraid, and each one cried to his gods, and they
cast the cargo [lit. vessels] that was in the ship into the sea to lighten
[the ship] from upon them; but Jonah had gone down into the recesses of
the ship, and had lain down, and fallen heavily asleep.
Jonah 1:6

Qal pret w/c 3 m s, to get closer, approach; come forward,

draw near. The conjunction can be interpreted variously.
Logical (so, therefore, thus) conveys the idea that
Jonahs (in)action prompts the captains response.
Prep (simple dative, to) + 3 m s ps.
Adj m s con, much, many, great. Substantive use of the
adjective, lit. great one, or reflecting the masculine gender,
great man; more dynamically, captain.
Art + n m s, sailor. Subjective genitive. Because the noun is
a collective singular, it can be translated plural, i.e. sailors.
Qal pret w/c 3 m s. The preterite introduces direct discourse,
for which see ( 1:1). This pattern is so frequent in the
book of Jonah that it will not be discussed hereafter.
Prep (allative/indirect object of verb of speaking, to) + 3 m
s ps.
Pi (), what?, how?, + prep + 2 m s ps. The particle
initiates an interrogative clause, which should be understood
as a rhetorical question. The preposition is probably best
classified as a dativus commodi, marking the pronominal
suffix ( )as the subject of this nominal clause (see GBH
133d).
12
CHAPTER 1
Niph ptcp m s (). Substantive use of the participle,

which here is an attributive accusative of state, sleeping
(GBH 127a).

The noun clause translates literally, What is it to you
sleeping? More dynamically it is, Why are you sleeping?,
the participle with the interrogative being rare (GBH 161i).
See 1:2.
See 1:2.

N m p c + 2ms ps. It is tempting to translate this as your
god, but the verse is before Jonahs self-disclosure as a
monotheist (v. 9). At this point for all the captain knows,
Jonah is a polytheist as are he and his crew.
Adv, perhaps.

Hithp pref 3 m s (II. ), to give a thought of; Aramaism,
to think. A very rare stem (ca. 1.2 % occurrence in the Old
Testament), the Hithpael prefixed conjugation is signified
through prefix , a-class vowel under the first radical of
the root, and dg forte in the second radical. Here the
Hithpael is benefactive reflexive, for us (cf. IBHS 26.2e).
The particle effects the subjunctive mood; thus
although the verb is not jussive in form, it should be
classified as prefixed of possibility (may give).

Art + n m p. Regarding the definiteness of the noun, the
article has several functions besides making definite the
nominal to which it is attached. There are two possibilities
here. The first is to denote a class of things, in this case
deities (IBHS 13.5.1.f), i.e. the gods. Alternatively, the
article can also have a demonstrative force (GBH 137f; i.e.
this, that), i.e. this god [i.e. Jonahs]. Again, because it
seems more likely that the captain assumes that Jonah is a
polytheist, the former is better suited to the context. On this
interpretation the singular verb is what one usually finds
with plural nouns of excellence/majesty (GBH 150f). The
other possibility would, however, follow the more usual
Hebrew syntax, i.e. singular verb, singular subject.
13
READING JONAH
Prep (metaphorical/with verb governing object of interest,

for).
Conj (purpose) + particle of negation.
Qal pref 1 c p (), to perish. The prefixed conjugation is
desiderative, reflecting the wish of the speaker.
So the captain of the sailors drew near to him and said to him, Why are
you sleeping? Rise! Call to your gods! Perhaps the gods may give a
thought for us so that we will not perish.
Jonah 1:7

See 1:5.
N m s (II. ) , friend; darling, favorite, lover; comrade,
companion; neighbor; one another, another, + 3 m s ps.
The translation uses the contextual equivalent, shipmate.
Qal impv m p (). The m s impv of this root occurred in
1:2 (). With the addition of the vocalic suffix, r
undergoes pretonic reduction to shewa.
Conj + Hiph coh 1 c p (), to fall upon; cast down, throw
down. The cohortative is the first-person volitional (cf. the
discussion of , 1:2). Morphologically, it is often identical
with the first-person prefixed (indicative) verb; but its
distinctive feature is the suffix, as it is here. It expresses
resolve (I will . . .), request (either directly or as a wish), or
exhortation (aka the hortatory use, Let us . . .). Here the
cohortative is hortatoryone sailor imploring the others to
act as resolved.
N m p () , lot.
Conj (allative/purpose) + Qal coh 1 c p (), to know.
When a cohortative follows an imperative (in this case
),
it can effect the sense of purpose.
14
CHAPTER 1
Prep (, circumstances/agent, by) + pr ( )+ prep (,

possession) + pi (), who? The lamed of possession with
combines to yield the word el . . . The word is the standard
marker of possession in post-biblical Hebrew (IBHS, 335, n.
15).

Art + adj f s. Substantive use of the adjective, i.e. calamity,
rather than the attributive calamitous.

Art + pd f s () , this, these; such, such a one; he of; here,
there. Following a definite nominal, the demonstrative
pronoun becomes a demonstrative adjective and so takes the
article.
Prep (allative/disadvantage, against) + 1 c p ps.

...

The compound

initiates a relative clause, which
is actually a nominal clause (or verbless clause), i.e. a clause
in which no finite verb occurs so that the verb to be () ,
in this case is, must be supplied. A more dynamic
rendering would be has come.

Qal pret w/c 3 m p (). In the prefixed conjugation, INn verbs routinely feature assimilation of the nn into the
second radical, represented by a dg forte.

Although the sign of the accusative does not accompany
, the syntax of the verse clarifies that it is the object of
This preposition is metaphorical/disadvantage, against,

with, but the common rendering on better reflects the
metaphorical aspect (i.e. the lot fell physically on Jonah).
And each man said to his shipmate, Come, and let us cast lots so that we
may know by whom this calamity is against us; and they cast lots, and the
lot fell on Jonah.
1:8

15
READING JONAH
E.N.
Prep (logical/simple dative, to) + 3 m s ps.

Hiph impv m s + paragogic h (), to declare, tell, + ptcl
of ent. One might be tempted to classify the imperative as
direct command since the sailors are confronting Jonah; yet
the presence of the particle of entreaty ( ) reduces the force
to more of a request (GBH 105c). The sailors confronted
Jonah, albeit perhaps fearfully.
Prep (miscellaneous/object of transitive verb functioning
semantically; not translated) + 1 c p ps.
Prep (circumstantial/specification, by) + pr.
Prep + pi.
Tucker (2006: 29) explains ...
as an expansion of
, also in v. 7.
T.C.

The BHS apparatus for this clause reads:
nonn add hab
The notation is: several have added/an addition.
The meaning of the notation is not altogether clear. (The abbreviation
add can denote additamentum, addition, or additum, added.) Since
the clause is absent from and occurs in v. 7 (less ), the editor seems
to be saying that it was added by and other unspecified texts. Support
for this comes from Tyler F. Williams explanation of the absence of the
clause from the variants as a homoeoteleuton (mistaken repetition of
word endings) based on the repetition of
/ .15 Whatever the
explanation, because the editor does not list Hebrew manuscripts
(particularly ) among the variants, one should read with .
15
http://biblical-studies.ca/blog/category/series/. Accessed 27 February 2012.
16
CHAPTER 1
The ambiguity of the editors notation makes it difficult to adjudicate the
issue with confidence. If the proposed explanation is correct, then read
with as the strongest text.

See 1:7.
Prep (allative/disadvantage, against) + 1 c p ps.

N f s con (), occupation, work.

Another nominal sentence, i.e. supply the verb to be,
in this case, is.

Conj + prep (spatial, from) + interrogative adverb,
whence, where.

N f s con () , ground, earth; piece of ground; territory,
country; the earth; underworld, + 2 m s ps. This is a
segholate noun, or a class of nouns with segl as one or both
of the vowels (the vowel can vary, particularly with nouns
with guttural radicals) and whose stress falls on the first
syllable. Segholate nouns were originally monosyllabic, in
this case * , to which case endings were added. With the
disuse of case endings, a second vowelusually seglwas
added for ease of pronunciation and the first vowel
compensated by matching it. With the present noun, the
diachronic development is thus:
* *

Segholates can be i-, a-, or u-class, but the class can only be
determined when the noun is in construct. Since that is the
case with the present noun, it is evident that it is an a-class
segholate.

Pi + n f s con ( ) + 2 m s ps. The two words constitute a

further nominal sentence.

Conj + ip + prep + demon pron. + = where, then,
what?

...
Conj + ip + pip, 2 m s, you. A final nominal sentence.
E.N.
The sailors pelt Jonah with a series of questions, the alacrity of
which is augmented by their phrasing as nominal sentences. The effect is
to heighten the intensity of the interrogation.
17
READING JONAH
And they said to him, Tell us by whom this calamity is against us? What
is your occupation, and from where have you come? What is your
country and from what people are you?
Jonah 1:9

Noun, gentilic, Hebrew.

Pip 1 c s, I,
Nominal sentence.
This is the object, yet it occurs in the first position rather
than in its normal syntactical position following the verb and
subject. Such transposition is rhetorically significant, viz. the
author wanted to emphasize that it is YHWH rather than
some other deity whom Jonah serves and that YHWH is the
creator of the cosmos.

N m p con + art + n m p. The two words are in
apposition to , i.e. although one might dismiss them as
superfluous, they provide further information about ,
namely, that he is the deity of the heavens (
being an
objective genitive). Jonahs choice of this apposition (or even
epithet) is probably not accidental: he fears the god of the
heavens, and the heavens are the source of the tempest that
threatens the sailors.16 As the verse continues, Jonah will
supply further important information about the nature of his
god.

Pip 1 c s, I. The subject of .

Adj m s, predicate adj, or a verbal adjective . . . constructed
with the accusative (GBH 121l; see also Gen 32:11 [Heb v.
16
It is thus tempting to classify

as a genitive of the cause of a state (the
heavens producing the storm), but by considering and
, it will become apparent
that object genitive is the better classification. Perhaps there is a double meaning with
18
CHAPTER 1
12]; 42:18). This type of adjective has been associated with

the stative verb (IBHS 37 n. 3, citing GKC 116b, p. 356).
Such verbs, as the name suggests, express the state of the
subject, e.g., he is heavy (),
but they can also

approximate action, e.g., he becomes heavy (GBH 41b).
the syntax of the clause indicates the verbal aspect of this
adjective. Perhaps the narrators choice of it rather than a
participle or suffixed or prefixed verb is to impart both the
sense that Jonah fears YHWH at the spiritual level (stative)
and at the action level as his prophet (verbal).
Pr. The pronoun initiates a relative clause which is
epexegetical, i.e. it furnishes further information about
YHWH.
Qal suff 3 m s, to do, make, make from, put into effect,
attach, give effect to, acquire, prepare, carry out, perform,
work toil, act, behave, treat.
Art + n f s () , dry land, mainland. With ,

forms a merism, or two opposite things that signify the
whole: God created the entire planetthe sea and the dry
land including lakes, mountains, valleys, etc. Incorporating
Jonahs statement that YHWH is also the god of the heavens
conveys the idea that he is the god of the entire cosmos.
E.N.
Because the phrase the god of the heavens and the god who
made the sea and the dry land is rather common parlance for most
readers of the Bible, it is easy to lose the impact that this verse would have
had on the sailors. Jonah tells them, effectively, that his god is more
powerful than the forces arrayed against them at present, and many of
those forcesprincipally the seawere regarded as deities in much of the
ancient Near East, e.g., the sea as Nun in Egypt, Tiamat in Mesopotamia,
and Yam in Ugarit, or Ras Shamra.17 Small wonder, then, that the sailors
respond as they do in v. 10.
17
Fritz Stolz, "Sea ," in Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (2nd
ed.; eds. Karel van der Toorn, et al.; Leiden: Brill, 1999; orig. publ., 1995), 737-42. Verse 4
mentions the wind as involved, so that the sailors could have conceived of a collaboration of
19
READING JONAH
And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, and I fear YHWH, the god of the
heavens, who made the sea and the dry land.
Jonah 1:10

See v. 5. Sequence ww, then.
Art + n m p (). This noun has an irregular plural form.
N f s, to fear. Tucker (2006: 33) classifies the noun as an
internal adjunct or internal accusative, that intensifies the
verbal idea. Hence, it should be translated adverbially, i.e.
feared greatly rather than great fear.

See 1:4.
Pi + pd. The pair are a nominal clause.

Qal suff 2 m s (). This prefixed conjugation should be
classified as very recent past (you have [just] done). The
final of III-H verbs in the suffixed 3 m s is a relatively
recent development. Originally it was either or , and the
variety was absorbed by the type (GBH 79a). The yd
in
indicates development from the stative verb (GBH
79d). There may be paronomasia (word play) with the
previous verse, since this verb rather than ( to create)
appears there as well: YHWH the sea and the dry land,
but Jonah rebellion.
...
Conj. This is a (subordinate) causal clause that explains

the sailors question.

Qal suff 3 c p.

the gods of the sea, winds, and heavens against them. For wind deities, see G. Mussies,
"Wind-Gods," in Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (2nd ed.; eds. Karel van
der Toorn, et al.; Leiden: Brill, 1999; orig. publ., 1995), 898-900. On the deification of the
heavens, see M. Hutter and M. De Jonge, "Heaven (-)," in Dictionary of
Deities and Demons in the Bible (2nd ed.; eds. Karel van der Toorn, et al.; Leiden: Brill,
1999; orig. publ., 1995), 388-90.
20
CHAPTER 1

...

...
See 1:3.
Pip 3 m s + Qal ptcp m s, to flee. The personal pronoun
functions as the subject of the participle, which is verbal. As
mentione in 1:3, participles are atemporal so the tense must
be determined from the context. The preterite ww
consecutive that begins the verse establishes past action, so
this participle should be interpreted likewise, either as a past
perfect, had fled, or as a past durative, was fleeing.
A subordinate nominal clause. Because it supplies the
content of , it is effectively epexegetical (cf. Tuckers
[2006: 35] object clause).
Hiph suff 3 m s (), to declare, tell, make known, inform.
Like

( 1:7), this is a I-Nn verb; hence the initial nn
assimilates into the second radical (here, gmel) as
represented by the dg forte.
Prep (miscellaneous/object of transitive verb; semantic
function, not translated) + 3 m p ps.
The conjunction initiates a circumstantial clause that
expresses the reason for the previous clause.
T.C.

...
The BHS apparatus for this clause is the same as it is for the
textual note in v. 8:
nonn add hab
Here also the notation is: several have added/an addition.
As with v. 8, the issue is whether the words in question are an addition.
Again, the ambiguity of the note makes an adjudication provisional, but
features such repetition regularly.
Read with as the presumably stronger text.
21
READING JONAH
Then the men feared greatly [lit. feared a great fear], and they said to
him, what is this [that] you have done? For the men knew that he was
fleeing from the presence of YHWH, because he had told them.
Jonah 1:11

Qal pref 1 c p. Deliberative use of the prefixed conjugation,

i.e. the sailors debate among themselves over their response
to Jonah.
Depending on whether one interprets the sailors intentions
regarding Jonah as good or evil, the preposition could be
interest (so Tucker 2006: 36, but without explanation)
either advantage (for) or disadvantage (to, against),
respectively, or, more neutrally, it could be specification
(with regard to). It is difficult to know how the sailors
regarded Jonah at this point. Clearly, they were not pleased
with him (v. 10), but that does not necessarily mean that
they were looking to punish or even to kill him. After all, in
v. 13 they ostensibly attempt to save him. Given the
ambiguity it is perhaps best to let the translation reflect the
uncertainty by choosing the third option.
Tucker (2006: 36) explains the dg in the preposition
as the result of the close conjunction with , making it
either a daghesh euphonicum or a conjunctive daghesh.
Conj (allative/purpose) + Qal pref 3 m s (jussive in force but
not form), to grow silent.
Prep (spatial, from) + prep (spatial/comprehensive
locational, around) + 1 c p ps. When combined with ,
the preposition becomes redundant, i.e. the literal
translation, from around us, is better rendered simply as
around us.
The conjunction initiates a circumstantial clause, explaining
the sailors question.
22
CHAPTER 1
Qal ptcp m s ().

Conj + Qal ptcp m s, to storm, rage. Participles of action
verbs can follow the participle
( GBH 123s), but
here functions more like an adverb (cf. 123r).
And they said to him, What should we do with regard to you so that the
sea around us shall grow silent?; for the sea was increasingly raging.
Jonah 1:12

Qal impv m p (), to lift, raise, + 1 c s ps. Aphaeresis

(omission) of the nn can occur with the imperative and
infinitive construct of I-Nn verbs whose stem vowel is a or
e (see GBH 72c).
Conj + Hiph impv m p ( )+ 1 c s ps. The question from
the previous verse means that this imperative is counsel or
advice rather than a direct command.
Prep (movement/termination, into).
Conj + Qal pref 3 m s, to be quiet, grow silent.
Prep ( )+ prep ( )+ 2 m p ps. For the meaning, see the
discussion of

in 1:11.
Conj. Initiates a circumstantial clause that explains the reason
behind the main clause.
Qal ptcp m s (). Tucker (2006: 38), citing Sasson,
remarks that the reverse syntax of the participle with
underscores Jonahs awareness of his culpability. 18
The conjunction initiates another circumstantial clause that
is subordinate to the previous circumstantial clause and
functions almost epexegetically in answering what Jonah
knows.
Jack M. Sasson, Jonah: A New Translation with Introduction, Commentary,

and Interpretation (AB; New York: Doubleday, 1990), 125.
18
23
READING JONAH
Prep (, circumstantial/causal) + prep (, possession) + prep

(, possessor) + 1 c s ps (cf. 1:7). Tucker (2006: 39) again
observes that the forward placement of the compound
accentuates Jonahs confession/responsibility for the storm.

Art + n m s.
The attributive adjective and demonstrative pronoun are
definite, masculine, and singular. Together they form a
compound attributive adjective that modifies .

Prep (metaphorical/disadvantage, against) + 2 m p ps.
And he said to them, Lift me and cast me into the sea, and the sea around
you will become quiet; for I know that on account of me this great storm
[has come] against you.
Jonah 1:13
Qal pret w/c 3 m p, to dig, row. The conjunction could be

rendered simple sequence (and). Since, however, the sailors
do not follow Jonahs advice, it seems contextually better to
classify it as adversative.
Prep (purpose) + Hiph inf con (), to cause to return,
bring back; reverse. The preposition initiates a subordinate
purpose clause that explains why the men were rowing.
Prep (movement/goal, to).
See 1:9. The article could be classified either as definite in the
imagination if the author has a specific area in mind (e.g., the
port at Tarshish), but it is more likely that it is the generic
use, i.e. that the sailors were attempting to bring the ship to
any dry land possible.
Conj (adversative) + negp.
Qal suff 3 c p (), to be able, have power, endure.
24
CHAPTER 1
The conjunction initiates a subordinate causal clause that

explains the previous clause () , i.e. why the sailors
were unable to bring the boat to shore.
See 1:11.
See 1:11.
Prep. Tucker (2006: 41) classifies the preposition as locative
(around)
which
suits
the
context,
however,
metaphorical/disadvantage (against) is also suitable and
complements the clause.
E.N.
Although they are Gentiles, the sailors, having ascertained that
Jonah was responsible for the storm, and having been told by Jonah how
to remedy the situation, nevertheless attempt a course that is counter to
his counsel and, unbeknownst to them, to the divine will. Presumably this
is because they had high regard for human lifeeven if it was someone
from another race/country whose negligence had placed them in harms
way and lost them their livelihood. Contrast this benevolence with
Jonahs disregard for Gentiles in the reproach by YHWH in 4:11.
But the men rowed to return to dry land, yet they were unable; because
the sea was increasingly raging against them.
Jonah 1:14

Qal pret w/c 3 m p ().

Ptcl of intrj, ah, now!; we beseech thee. The particle
introduces the first of two desiderative clauses, i.e. clauses
expressing a desire or a wish. Tucker (2006: 42) observes that
the particle often begins laments.
The Tetragrammaton, i.e. YHWH, Yahweh, or LORD.
At one time Hebrew had cases, but they fell out of use. The
two occurrences of the divine name in this verse are in the
25
READING JONAH
vocative case, that is, the case of direct address. The vocative
can be signified by supplying the deferential Oh.
Negative pctl + ptcl of ent, I/we pray thee (often omitted
from translation). This negative particle is used with
volitives, in this case .
Qal coh 1 c p (), to perish. The suffix indicates that
the verb is a cohortative; but even if it appeared in the short
form, the preceding negative particle denotes the volitional
mood of this verb. More specifically, it is a cohortative of
injunction: the speakers are expressing an immediate wish,
or in this context, a prayer.
Prep (circumstantial/causal, on account of) + n f s (),
soul, living being, life; emotion; passion. It is possible in
many contexts to translate the noun self-referentially, in this
verse, us.
See 1:12.
Qal pref (jussive in meaning) 2 m s (). As with ,
the preceding negative particle, , signifies the volitive
mood for this verb, in this case a jussive (the third type of
volitive). The jussive is the mood of the third and second
person. When used by a superior to a subordinate, it can
reflect a commandpositive (Let there be light, Gen 1:3)
or negative (Fear not, Abraham, Gen 15:1)or counsel
(Let her rejoice who gave birth to you, Prov 23:25). When
used by a subordinate to a superior, it can reflect prayer
positive or negative (Let not my enemies exult over me, Ps
25:2)desire (positive or negative, e.g., Do not refuse me,
1 Kgs 2:16), blessing (Blessed be the LORD your God, 1
Kgs 10:9), wish (O that a man might plead with God, Job
16:21), request (Let my father arise, Gen 27:31), advice
(Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, 1
Kgs 1:2), or invitation (Let the king and his servants go
with your servant, 2 Sam 13:24). Here it should be classified
as a jussive of prayer.
Prep (metaphorical/disadvantage, against) + 1 c p ps.
26
CHAPTER 1
N m s, blood. A figure of speech, specifically a metonymy

of the contained or adjunct, i.e. not simply the Jonahs blood,
but all of Jonah. In the Old Testament, blood was reckoned
as the actual life force of a person (e.g., Gen 9:4; Lev 17:11;
Deut 12:23).
Adj (attributive) m s, innocent.
The conjunction introduces a subordinate causal clause
which explains the rationale for the mariners plea
effectively, if YHWH can bring a great storm, he can save
those who are in it.
Pip 2 m s. Since the verb (
)has supplied the person, this
is emphatic, i.e. you yourself.
Prep + pr (here, lit. according to that which, or simply,
as).
Qal suff 2 m s, to be pleased, delight in.
Qal suff 2 m s (), to do, make. A recent past suffixed
conjugation, i.e. have done.
E.N.
The abundance of the particles of entreaty, volitional verbs, etc.
make for a highly emotive verse.
And they called out to YHWH, and they said, Ah, now, Oh YHWH! Let
us not perish on account of the life of this man, and do not set innocent
blood against us; for you yourself, YHWH, have done as you pleased.
Jonah 1:15

Qal pret w/c 3 m p (). The initial nn has assimilated,

but the second radical, n, has shewa for its vowel and
therefore does not take the dg forte. However if it were
one of the begadkept consonants it could take the dg, as
with in the next verse.
Hiph pret w/c 3 m p ( )+ 3 m s ps. The a-class prefix
vowel (the tell-tale sign of the Hiphil stem) has reduced to
shewa with the addition of the pronominal suffix, but the i-
27
READING JONAH
class theme vowel remains. This one word is an entire clause:

the subject is supplied by the person (3 m p, they), and the
predicate consists of the verb and the pronominal suffix ()
which provides the direct object.
Prep (movement, either goal or termination, into). The
preposition initiates a prepositional phrase which is also the
indirect object.
Qal pret w/c 3 m s, to stand, take ones stand. The
conjunction is sequence (and), but it could be classified as
result (so that).
Prep (ablative/cause, from) + Qal inf con (), to rage, +
3 m s ps.
E.N.
Tucker (2006: 45) observes an inclusio through the noun
which began in v. 4 (the beginning of the storm) and concludes here (the
end of the storm). Furthermore, the inclusio features prosopopoeia, or
personification: ( v. 4); ( v. 15).
And they lifted Jonah and cast him into the sea; and the sea stood [still]
from its raging.
Jonah 1:16

See 1:5 where it was remarked that most verbs beginning

with yd were originally I-Ww verbs. In Biblical Hebrew
the ww is absent in the Qal stem of the prefixed
conjugation. That two yds appear in the present verb,
indicates that it is a I-Yd rather than I-Ww, i.e. the first
yd is the prefix and the second is the original first radical of
the root.

See 1:10.
T.C.

The BHS apparatus for these words reads:
28
CHAPTER 1
add?
It is an abbreviation for addition.
The editor wonders whether the compound was added to the original
text. The editor probably reasoned that since it is clear that YHWH was
the basis of the storm (cf. v. 14), and since YHWH is named in the second
half of this verse, that this occurrence of the divine name is redundant.
However, without it the basis of the fear is somewhat ambiguous: did the
men fear YHWH or the storm? The occurrence of the name clarifies that
they fear YHWH, the creator of the storm. Actually, YHWH could be a
metonymy of the cause, the effect being the storm. If so, the theonym
does double duty: it specifies the agent (YHWH) and the effect (the
storm).
Because the editors suggestion has no manuscript support, it is
speculative and it is unlikely that it reflects the original text. Read,
therefore, with .
Qal pret w/c 3 m p (), to slaughter for sacrifice, to

sacrifice.
N m s, sacrifice. The noun is the object of the verb.
Prep (allative/interest, to).
Qal pret w/c 3 m p (), to vow.
N m p () , vow.
E.N.
This verse has three pairs of verbs and nouns from the same root.
This is not because of a lack of vocabulary in Biblical Hebrew; rather,
such pairings are alliterative (the repetition of similar sounds), perhaps
reflecting an oral origin of the story in which assonance (repetition of
similar vowel sounds) and consonance (repetition of similar consonant
sounds) were mnemonic aids for the teller and audience.
Then the men feared YHWH greatly; and they sacrificed a sacrifice to
YHWH and they vowed vows.
29
JONAH 2
Jonah 2:1 [Eng=1:17]
Piel pret w/c 3 m s (), to send, appoint, ordain. The

final h of III-H verbs routinely apocopates (drops) when
inflected. The Piel prefixed stem is usually signified by shewa
as the prefix vowel, followed by a-class vowel under the first
radical, and dg forte in the second; here, * .
Apocopation, however, produces the present form,
.
Again, no dg occurs in the yd for the reason explained in
the discussion of
in 1:15.
The verb also occurs in 4:6, 7, and 8 where YHWH
appoints a plant, worm, and scorching wind, respectively.
The four-fold use of the same verb, with YHWH as its
subject, is an example of how the writer uses repetition, in
this case to underline the sovereignty of God over nature in
general and sea and earth creatures in particular.19
N m s, fish. Object of the verb.
Prep (purpose, to) + Qal inf con, to swallow. The pata
between and is called furtive pata. It helps with
vocalization as one moves from the vowel sound of
lem to the guttural .20 Pronouncing the word without
the furtive pata will demonstrate the point.
Prep (location, in) + n m p con (), intestines, body,
inner being, stomach.
19
Biblical authors had many types of repetition from which to choose. This is the
keyword (German Leitwort) variety. Apart from its semantic function in the verse(s) in
which it occurs, repetition can be used to structure a storystructure itself contributing to
the meaning of a story.
20
If one recalls that in Hebrew two vowels are separated by a consonant, it is

clear that the furtive pata is an addition.
31
READING JONAH
Adj m s () ,
three.

N m p () , day.
The cardinal numbers, 3-10, are substantives, but are

often used adjectivally as they are here. One of the oddities
of Biblical Hebrew is that when the cardinals 3-10 are used
attributively they take the opposite gender of the noun
which they are modifying. Hence, here the feminine
absolute

modifies the masculine
. Note also the
deviation from the usual attributive adjectives requirement
of agreement in number with its noun.
The adjective-noun combination

is an
adverbial accusative of time which limits the duration of the
action (in this case to three days). Hence, one supplies the
preposition for, i.e. for three days. The conjunction in

connects the unit synctactically with

so that

is also an adverbial accusative of
time. (For smoother English, however, the second for is
not included in the translation.)

N f p (), night.
E.N.
Tucker (2006: 47) observes paronomasia (word play) in the
reversal of the consonants and in
and . Often times
paronomasia has exegetical significance (e.g., theological, ideological).
For example, 2 Sam 2:8 mentions ()
, Ishbosheth, one of the sons
of Saul. It is clear from 1 Chr 8:33; 9:39, at least one Greek manuscript,
and several Greek recensions, however, that the name of the son was
actually , Ishabaal. The play comes from the theophoric part of the
name (), since means husband, owner, lord, or Baal, the
deity which gave the Israelites untold trouble. Thus the writer of the
Samuel account registers his negative view of the deity Baal by changing
the sons name from , Man of Baal, to (), Man of
32
CHAPTER 2
Shame, equating Baal with shame. (Cf. Mephibosheth [2 Sam 4:4] //
Merib-baal [1 Chr 8:34].)21
And YHWH appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah; and Jonah was in the
stomach of the fish for three days and three nights.
Jonah 2:2 [Eng=2:1]

Hithp pret w/c 3 m s (), to intercede, pray. Benefactive

reflexive use of the Hithpael.
N m p c + 3 m s ps. This word is in apposition to , i.e. it
gives further information about . Since it is clear from
the story that YHWH is Jonahs god (1:9), the addition of
here is no pedantry on the part of the narrator. In the

polytheistic context (1:5) of the story, it reiterates the
association between YHWH and Jonah and introduces the
following psalma lamentin which Jonah confesses that
YHWH is indeed his god. There may be a shade of polemic as
well if the apposition is an oblique allusion to the superiority
of Jonahs god.
Prep (spatial, of) + n m p con.
Art + the feminine form of .
Then Jonah prayed to YHWH, his god; from the stomach of the fish.
21
Since can mean lord, Saul might have intended the name of his son to
honor YHWH, i.e. Man of the Lord. After all, as Ronald F. Youngblood remarks (1, 2
Samuel, Expositors Bible Commentary [vol. 3; ed. Frank E. Gaebelein; Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1992]: 823), Saul named his first son Jonathana Yahwistic theophoric.
Nevertheless, one can appreciate the discomfort that a Yahwistic editor or scribe could have
felt with the semantic ambivalence of . If, as is likely, the editor was from the southern
kingdom of Judah, then the change could also reflect an ideological disdain for the northern
king Saul. For more see P. Kyle McCarter, Jr., II Samuel: A New Translation with
Introduction, Notes, and Commentary (AB; Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1984), 85-87.
33
READING JONAH
Jonah 2:3 [Eng=2:2]
Qal suff 1 c s.
Prep (ablative/cause, from) + n f s, distress.
Prep (possession) + 1 c s ps. The combination effects
possession, i.e. my.
Qal pret w/c 3 m s (I. ), to answer, respond, + 1 c s ps.
Prep (spatial, from) + n f s, belly, body, womb. The noun
is personification, comparing the stomach with the chthonic
location of Sheol. That is, as food proceeds down to the
stomach, so the dead departed down to Sheol, located in the
bowels of the earth.
N (toponym) m/f, Sheol. The toponym here is a
hypocatastis (i.e. an implied metaphor), comparing Jonahs
actual locationthe belly of the fishwith Sheol to emote
the feeling of remoteness from YHWH.
Piel suff 1 c s (), to cry out. The same signs that mark
the Piel stem of the regular/strong verb apply to this hollow
verb: req as the first vowel + dg forte in the second
radical. (See 1:3 for an overview of the Qal hollow verb.)
Qal suff 2 m s.
N m s con () , voice, sound + 1 c s ps.
E.N.
This verse marks the beginning of Jonahs lament, which is
composed in verse (poetry). As such it is abundant in the poetics (features)
of that medium, and attending to them brings a greater awareness of the
poems meaning and rhetorical force.
Figuration is ubiquitous in poetry. In this verse, for example,
there is the noted personification with
and the hypocatastasis with
. One could consider

as a third figure, viz.

anthropomorphism, or the ascription of human qualities or attributesin
this case, hearingto a deity.
34
CHAPTER 2
Rhetoric is at work in the verse as well. In line A Jonah addresses
YHWH in third-person, but in B2 he shifts to second-person. The change
has the effect of heightening the sense of spiritual intimacy or proximity
between YHWH and Jonah.
Parallelism, a type of repetition, is another feature of Hebrew
poetry, and is found in virtually every verse of poetry in the Old
Testament. There are many types, but all work from correspondence
between the parallel members of a verse.22 The line (aka stich, colon,
verse) is divided into two hemistichs. The end of the first is almost
invariably marked by the atn accent. Hence in the translation, there are
two cola (A, B), both of which have two hemistichs (A1, A2; B1, B2). This
verse is an example of internal formal or synthetic parallelism: no
correspondence of terms occurs between the hemistichs of either colon.
Instead, the second hemistich completes the thought of the first. That is,
A2 completes the idea of A1, and B2 completes the idea of B1. This verse
also has external incomplete parallelism between the cola. That is, some of
the members of colon A correspond with some of the members of colon
B, e.g., ( A1) // ( B1).
And he said,
A1
A2
B1
B2
I called, from my distress,

to YHWH and he answered me;
from the belly of Sheol, I cried out,
you heard my voice.
22
That is, parallelismus membroruma Latin term coined by Robert Lowth in
his 1768 book De sacra poesi Hebraeorum (Lectures on the Sacred Poetry of the Hebrews).
A good source for the study of Hebrew poetry in general and the various types of
parallelism in particular is Wilfred G. E. Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry: A Guide to Its
Techniques (JSOTSup 26; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1984; repr., 2001 (with
corrections)). See also the short article, Characteristics of Hebrew Poetry, in The New
Oxford Annotated Bible with the ApocryphaExpanded Edition, Revised Standard Version
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1977), 1523-26. Although slightly dated, it presents a
concise description of parallelism that remains useful. The present discussion of parallelism
in Jonah 2 follows these works.
35
READING JONAH
Jonah 2:4 [Eng=2:3]

T.C.
Hiph pret w/c 2 m s (), to throw, fling, cast, + 1 c s ps.

The previous verse clarifies that the conjunction should be
causal (for), and the verb is definite past (cast).
N f s, depth, deep. Adverbial accusative of place
(termination); supply into.
Prep (location/goal, into) + n m s con (), heart, mind,
will, inner person. Another instance of personification (cf.
, 2:2).
...
The BHS apparatus for these words reads:
dl aut aut , gl

Delete (dl) either (aut) or (aut) , gloss
is awkward since a clear meaning obtains from either
or
, but both seem to be redundant. Hence the editor
proposes deleting one or the other, thinking that one of them was glossed
in.
This an example of how the Masoretic accents are particularly helpful.
Note that the accents in
, are, respectively,
disjunctive, conjunctive, and disjunctive. Thus should be
delimited from the unit
. This leaves two options for the
translation:
1. For you had cast me into the deep, into the heart of the
seas
2. For you had cast me into the heart of the seasthe deep
The first option classifies as an adverbial accusative of place
(terminationinto), with
in apposition to , i.e.
providing further information about
. The reciprocal is the case for
36
CHAPTER 2
the second option. It classifies as being in apposition to

, i.e.
provides further information about
. Either
option is possible, but the main point is to notice how the Masoretes
system of accents can help to delimit the syntactical units of the line for a
clearer translation. Conclusion: read with . The editors proposal has no
textual support, because all of the other witnesses or versions appear to be
the same as .23
Conj + n m s, river, stream. A collective singular, i.e. the

writer envisions many rivers/streams but uses the singular.
The translation uses streams, to convey better the idea of
subsurface ocean currents.
Poel pref 3 m s (), to encompass, enclose, envelope, + 1
c s ps. The Poel is a rare stem that derives from the Piel.24
(The term Polel is the equivalent for hollow verbs, as in
for the Qal pref 3 m s of .) As such it has the same
translations possibilities as the Piel, e.g., factitive, declarative,
denominative, declarative-estimative, pluralizing, and
denominative (GBH 52d). The traditional understanding of
an intensive force to the stem is still acknowledged, although
with the qualification that it not always possible to detect
intensification in all of the values enumerated (GBH, p. 141,
23
The critical apparatus is not exhaustive in that it does not indicate the readings
of all of the witnesses and versions. Moreover, accents are paratextual marks that were not
part of the original text. Still, if the Masoretes could make sense of the received text, then it
gives a measure of confidence in adjudicating over textual issues.
24
The nomenclature for the verbal stems, Niphal, Piel, Pual, Hithpael, Hiphil,
Hophal, etc., are simply transliterations of the root ( in the 3 m s) that was the standard
for paradigms in older grammars, i.e. Niphal, Piel, Pual, Hithpael, Hiphil, Hophal,
respectively, with < > representing the middle radical . Thus, Niphal for , Piel
for , Pual for , Hithpael for , Hiphil for
, and Hophal for .
(Qal is short for , to be small, insignificant.) Hence, older grammars use nomenclature
such as ( i.e. II-Ww) or ( i.e. III-lep) verbs. Because such terms are rather
awkward, and because the root is a middle-weak verb whose second radical cannot be
doubled (notice the lack of the dg forte in the Piel, Pual, and Hithpael examples above),
grammars now tend to choose strong verbs for paradigms (e.g., ,
)and designate
the radical in question with a numeral (e.g., I, II, or III) rather than with , , or .
37
READING JONAH
n. 1). The Poel prefixed form is identifiable by shewa as the
prefix vowel, lem between the first and second radicals of
the stem, and r as the vowel of the third.
N m s con, all, the whole.
N m p con (
), breaker, + 2 m s ps.
Conj + n m p con () , heap, wave, billow, + 2 m s ps.
Prep (opposition, against, although spatial over or upon
are also contextually suitable) + 1 c s ps. This preposition
(and )takes the pronominal suffixes and helping vowels of
the plural noun, hence the pointing is as it is and not *.
Qal suff 3 c p, to pass over/on/through/by. Because the
previous preposition is opposition, only pass is used in the
translation for the verb (i.e. passed against) to avoid an
overly wooden passed over against.
E.N.
As with v. 3, this verse has two cola. Colon A, however, is
comprised of tristichs, while colon B has hemistichs. The first two
tristichs of A show the pattern of terrace parallelism, which Watson
describes as a form of repetition where the last part of a line is repeated as
the beginning of the next line.25 It should not be confused with staircase
parallelism, a form of couplet (or tricolon) which proceeds in steps. 26
Watson represents the two types as follows:
staircase parallelism
25
26
Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 208.

Watson, Classical Hebrew Poetry, 150.
38
CHAPTER 2
terrace parallelism
A3 is formal with respect to A1 and A2 since it develops their idea. Colon
B shows formal parallelism between its hemistichs. External incomplete
parallelism also occurs between the cola, e.g.,
( A3) //

1
3
2
(B );
( A ) //

( B ).
A1
A2
A3
B1
B2
For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas

and streams enveloped me;
all of your breakers and your waves
passed against me.
Jonah 2:5 [Eng=2:4]

Conj (inferential, so) + pip 1 c s, I. Since the following

verb, , also supplies the subject (I), the pronoun
appears superfluous. In these circumstances, however, the
pronoun is emphaticthe Hebraic way of writing in italics.
Niph suff 1 c s (), to be driven away; be driven, tossed.
Adjectival use of the suffixed conjugation, taking the stative
verb as a predicate adjective (am driven away). (Tucker
[2006: 54] suggests that in the context of dialogue, such
statives are often rendered in the present tense.) The Niphal
has several functions, including the passive and reflexive. In
the suffixed conjugation, it is signaled by nn prefix + req
prefix vowel followed by shewa under the first radical. The
theme vowel is pata (qme for participle), which can
reduce when inflected.
39
READING JONAH

Prep (spatial, from) + n m s (see 1:5), in front of, before;

opposite. Literally, from before the presence of your eyes,
but more dynamically, from your sight.
N f d con () , eye; appearance, look; spring, + 2 m s ps.
Since God does not have physical eyes, this is a figure of
speech, specifically, an anthropomorphism.
Adv, surely; only; however, but.
T.C.

prp cf
; frt ins

The editor proposes (prp) based on a comparison (cf) with
Theodotian (), which reads
. For this reason he thinks that one
should probably (frt) insert (ins) .27
Ed follows which reads
, how?; and thus suggests emending
to
, how? (how can I continue . . . ?), or, adding ( I have not
continued . . .).
The greater probability is that is correct for two reasons, both of
which are axiomatic in textual criticism.28 First, the only variant from
is , a translation by the eponymous second-century Christian who
revised an existing Greek translation based on a Hebrew text. Scholars
debate over whether the Greek text that he used was the Septuagint; but
even if it was, it is weak relative to so that is probably even weaker.
All of the other witnesses and versions presumably read with , thus one
can read with as the stronger text. The second reason is based on the
canons of textual criticism. The primary canon is that the reading which
27
Theodotion lived perhaps in the second half of the second century AD. He
revised the eponymous Greek text that was based on a Hebrew text.
28
For
an
overview
of
the
two,
see
http://www.academia.edu/2654190/Adjudicating_Textual_Difficulties_in_the_Hebrew_Bibl
e.
40
CHAPTER 2
best explains the other reading(s) is usually to be preferred. From this
derives two secondary canons: the easier reading is usually to be rejected,
and the harder reading is to be preferred. The secondary canons are
generally referred to by their Latin names, lectio facilior and lectio
difficilior, where lectio means reading, and facilior and difficilior
mean, respectively, easier and more difficult. The rationale is that
scribes are more likely to make a difficult or obscure reading more clear
than a clear reading more obscure. Applied to the present textual issue,
one can read with as the lectio difficilior, and thus the reading which
best explains the other reading.
Hiph pref 1 c s (), to add; repeat; (with infinitives) to

continue.
Prep + Hiph inf con (), to look; consider; pay attention
to. The initial nn has assimilated into the second root
radical. The a-class prefix vowel + i-class theme vowel
indicate the Hiph stem.
Prep (movement/direction, to).
N m s con (), temple, palace.
N m s con () , holiness, apartness, sacredness, + 2 m s
ps. The genitive is attributive in that it qualifies as
holy.
E.N.
This verse consists of bicola, the hemistichs in both of which
feature internal formal parallelism. Moreover, the adversative
that
begins B1 and the contrasting ideas between A and B make the two cola
an example of external antithetic parallelism: even though Jonah has been
expelled from the presence of YHWH (A), the prophet will nevertheless
seek him (B).
A1
A2
B1
B2
So I myself said, I am driven away

however, I will continue
from your sight;
to look to your holy temple.
41
READING JONAH
Jonah 2:6 [Eng=2:5]

Qal suff 3 c p, to surround, + 1 c s ps. When pronominal

suffixes are added to verbs, internal vowel changes result.
Here, pta under the second undergoes pretonic
reduction to shewa with the addition of the 3 c p ending.
The shewa, now in an open syllable, lengthens to qme
with the addition of the 1 c s ps, and the qme under
guttural undergoes propretonic reduction to the
compound shewa, tp- pata. Here is the progression:

Prep (measure/degree, even unto).

N m/f s, deep, sea, abyss.
See 2:4.
N m s, reed, rush. A collective singular here, hence the
singular participle
.
Qal pass ptcp m s, to bind.
Prep (spatial, to) + n m s con (), head, + 1 c s ps.
E.N.
There are at least three possible ways to scan the structure of this
verse, the first being tristichs:
A1
A2
A3
The waters surrounded meeven unto [taking] my life

the deep enclosed me;
reeds were bound to my head.
In this scheme there is synonymous parallelism between A1 ( ) and

A2 (
). If one considers the idea of restriction, then the synonymous
parallelism continues into and A3 (
).
The second arrangement is to delimit two cola, both with
hemistichs:
A1
A2
The waters surrounded me

even unto [taking] my life
42
CHAPTER 2
B1
B2

reeds were bound to my head.
Colon A is formal, with A2 showing the result of A1. B1 and B2 have

incomplete synonymous parallelism: )(
//
. There is also
incomplete external parallelism between A and B: ( A1) // ( B1);
(( ( A1) // )(
( B1);
( A2) //
( B2).
The third option is to consider the possibility of enjambment
(the running over of one verse into the next) with v. 7a:
A1
The waters surrounded me
A2
even unto [taking my] life
3
A
B1
reeds were bound to my head
B2 (v. 7a)
at the deepest depths
of the mountains.
In this arrangement colon A is a chiasm of tristichs: Jonahs dire

circumstances (A1 and A3) enveloping their potentially mortal result (A2).
Colon B exhibits formal parallelism. Much of the parallelism observed in
the previous two options appears here as well.
Jonah 2:7 [Eng=2:6]

Prep (spatial with verb of motion, to) + n m p con ().

The noun means cut, shape; extremity, however the
precise meaning here is uncertain. Scholars have suggested
bottom, deepest depths, which should probably be
followed because it suits the context.
T.C.

43
READING JONAH
prb l et tr post
Probably (prb) read (l) and (et) transpose (tr) after (post)
The line is ambiguous, with the editor viewing this word as the center of
the difficulty. The editor attempts to provide a clearer meaning by
emending the word under question to the noun, masculine, plural
construct from , end, boundary, and to move it from its present
position to after , but this brings no improvement.29 Tucker (2006:
57) cites Wolffs idea that enjambment is at work and that

should follow
from the end of v. 6., i.e. reeds were
bound to my head at the bottom of the mountains. This seems to be the
best option since it involves only enjambment rather than emendation.
(The portion of the text in question appears in brackets in the translation.)
As to the meaning of line, evidently Jonah conceived of himself as
imprisoned by the mountains that lie below the surface of the sea.
Read with since the editors proposals lack manuscript support.

Art + n m p (), hill, hill country, mountain.

Qal suff 1 c s ().
N m p con () , bar, + 3 f s ps. The term is usually used
in association with doors and gates (e.g. Ezek 38:11), or
prisons (although examples of this are figurative, e.g., Amos
1:5). Here the term is a hypocatastasis for some sort of
geological barriers at the sea floor (perhaps mountains or
canyon walls) that constrained Jonah. (On YHWH as
restraining the sea with bars, cf. Job 38:8-10.)
Prep (), away from, behind, about, round about, + 1 c
s ps.
Prep (temporal/terminative, for) + n m s, long time,
duration, future time; forever.
29
For a detailed discussion on why, see Sasson, Jonah, 185-87.
44
CHAPTER 2
...
A nominal clause. Supply the verb to be,
which, since Jonah is recollecting, should be in the past
tense, i.e. were.

Hiph pret w/c 2 m s (), to bring up, cause to ascend,
take away. This doubly weak verb (I-Guttural and III-H)
undergoes the usual apocopation (loss) of the III-H. While
the a-class prefix vowel of the Hiphil is present, the
characteristic i-class theme vowel is not because gutturals
(here, )prefer a-class vowels. Hence, there is morphological
overlap with the apocopated form of the Qal prefixed and
preterite ww consecutive.

Prep (spatial, from) + n f s, pit. The term is a
hypocatastasis for Sheol, since upon death the soul of the
deceased descended into it. It occurs frequently enough in
the Old Testament to be considered an idiom.

N m p con (), life, lifetime, life span, + 1 c s ps. Plurality
of emphasis. The term is used figuratively: God raised not
simply Jonahs life, but Jonah himself. Hence, life is a
metonymy of adjunct for the person Jonah.

N m s. Vocative use, i.e. direct address (O YHWH).

N m p con + 1 c s ps. The theonym is not poetic excess;
rather it is in apposition to , specifically apposition of
species. That is, it clarifies that YHWH is a god, and, through
pronominal suffix, that he is Jonahs god.
E.N.
If A1 is deemed to belong to this verse (see the options for
structure in v. 6), then the verse has two cola. Colon A consists either of
internal formal or terrace parallelism, depending on whether one regards
and as parallel members. Colon B features internal formal
parallelism. There is also external antithetical parallelism between the cola,
signaled by the adversative ww in and the ideas of descent
through ( A) and ascent
( B).
A1
A2
I descended to [the deepest depths of the mountains],

the earthits bars were round about me for
45
READING JONAH
B1
B2
a long time;
but you brought my life up from the pit,
O YHWH, my god.
Jonah 2:8 [Eng=2:7]
Prep (temporal, simultaneous with infinitive, when) +

Hithp inf con (II. ), to faint, feel weak. The main uses
of the Hithpael stem are direct reflexive, indirect reflexive,
benefactive reflexive, estimative-declarative reflexive,
reciprocal, and passive (IBHS 26.2-3), with some
grammarians recognizing an iterative or durative value (see
GBH, p. 147, n. 4). The use here is not immediately evident.
Ross mentions an intransitive nuance similar to some Qal
forms, and that may be the usage here.30 The preposition
plus infinitive is a common way of beginning a temporal
clause. Here it took the near loss of life for Jonah to
remember YHWH (cf. Luke 15:17).
Prep (metaphorical/reflexive, within) + 1 c s ps.

N f s con (
), soul, living being, life, self, person, desire,
appetite, passion, + 1 c s ps.

Qal suff 1 c s, to remember. In the Old Testament, this
verb often means not simply recollection, but taking a course
of action. In this case, Jonahs remembrance is not simply to
recall YHWH, but to pray to YHWH to deliver him from
mortal danger.

Qal pret w/c 3 f s.

Prep (movement/termination, into) + 2 m s ps.

N f s con (), prayer, + 1 c s ps.

... See 2:5.
30
2001), 208.
Allen P. Ross, Introducing Biblical Hebrew (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic,
46
CHAPTER 2
E.N.
As in 2:3, the poet shifts from referring to YHWH in third-person
speech (A) to second-person (B). The transition bespeaks a greater
spiritual proximity of YHWH in Jonahs spirit, and perhaps alludes to the
restoration of his pre-flight intimacy with YHWH.
E.N.
cola.
This verse features internal formal parallelism (seriatim) in both
A1
A2
B1
B2
When my life fainted within me,

I remembered YHWH;
and my prayer came to you
into your holy temple.
Jonah 2:9 [Eng=2:8]

Piel ptcp m p (). The Piel participle is signaled by the

mm prefix, with shewa as its vowel, plus an a-class vowel
under the first radical, and usually dg forte in the second
radical. The Qal stem of the this root is well attested (to
keep, watch over; take care of, save, retain; observe; do
something carefully; observe an order; hold on to, devote
oneself to), but this is the only occurrence of the Piel of the
root in the entire Old Testament; hence the meaning is
somewhat uncertain.
Apart from the difficulty of the root not being otherwise
attested in the Piel, the Piel itself is not well understood and
has a considerable semantic range.31 To elaborate from the
discussion of the stem in
( 2:4), IBHS (24.2,
following Jenni [1968, 1973]), remarks that the stem
expresses the bringing about of a state and is also
31
The assumption here is that the intial mm reflects the participle and that the
morpheme is not a poetic play on the noun
, guard, custody; watch, lookout; division
of service.
47
READING JONAH
associated with causation. The Piel differs from the Hiphil
in that it causes a state rather than an action (as the Hiphil).
The syntax of the hemistich indicates that the morpheme is
transitive, which for the Piel is resultative according to IBHS
(24.1h). GBH (52a) is more circumspect, if not despairing:
the Piel is the most elusive of the Hebrew conjugations.
Whatever its precise functions may be, one can at least say
that it is the active pattern corresponding to the passive Pual
and reflexive Hitpael. . . . Traditionally it has been
considered intensive in meaning. The Hithpael meaning of
the root, to keep away from, does not suit the context of
this verse. It seems that one must begin by working from the
Qal meanings. By incorporating the context of the
preceding and following verses, it is reasonably clear that v. 9
pertains to false worship. The Qal to devote oneself is
contextually plausible and includes a reflexive aspect that is
common with the Hithpael. Incorporating the plurality of
the morpheme, it could thus be rendered those who devote
themselves, perhaps implying the result of repeated idolatry.
Moreover, drawing on the intensive force that applies in
many instances of the Piel, worship is an intensive
progression from devotion. Acknowledging the noted
uncertainties of the morpheme and the Piel stem, worship
may be suggested as a plausible meaning.
T.C.

prp , al

The editor proposes (prp) or
The editor proposes either Piel ptcp m p con ( ) or art + Qal ptcp m
p (). (As mentioned with the textual note in 1:3, when the
proposed word[s] in the apparatus is missing some of the vowels or
48
CHAPTER 2
consonants, the editor is simply highlighting the change[s]. The missing
vowels or consonants are the same as those in the word[s] in .) For the
reasons stated, the meaning of is somewhat unclear. Both of the
editors suggestions retain the same root as . The first would translate,
devotees of, and the second, those who watch, watching in the sense
of false worship. The fact that all of the major witnesses and versions
appear to read with suggests that we should do likewise. Moreover, the
primary canon of textual criticism (2:5), weighs in favor of , and both
of the suggestions are effectively lectio faciliors.
Read with as the editors suggestions are lectio faciliors with no
manuscript support.
N m p con (), vapor, breath.

N m s, emptiness, vanity.

The construct vapors of vanity is a hypocatastasis. Jonah
has idols in mind, but idols are not literally vapors of vanity.
Hence Jonah is drawing a comparison between two unlike
thingsidols and vaporsto show a common feature in
both, viz. their ontological nothingness. That the reader
must make the vapor-idol connection distinguishes this from
a metaphor in which the connection is stated rather than
implied. An alternative classification is a metonymy of the
adjunct. As such the vapors of vanity would refer to the
worthlessness of supposed revelation from an idol.32 Jonah
thus states an adjunct (vapors of vanity) of the subject (an
idol). The line thus mocks those who worship gods whose
revelation is worthless.

N m s con (), loyal love, steadfastness, goodness,
kindness, + 3 m p ps.

Qal pref 3 m p, to leave, loose, forsake.
32
Although the phrase could refer to the smoke from incense that was offered in
conjunction with worship, the possibility seems unlikely because it is doubtful that the
incense itself was worshiped.
49
READING JONAH
E.N.
If the understanding of the first hemistich is correct, then A1 is
also an example of meiosis, or belittlement, in this case of idolaters.
E.N.
The colon has formal parallelism: hemistich A2 continues the
thought of hemistich A1.
A1
A2
Those who worship vapors of vanity;

forsake their steadfast love.
Jonah 2:10 [Eng=2:9]

Prep (circumstances/instrument, with) + n m s () .

N f s, thanksgiving, a song of thanksgiving or praise.
Qal cohort 1 c s (). Since the verb supplies its own
subject (1 c s), the independent pronoun, , is emphatic:
Jonah is not like those in v 9.
Pr, initiating a dependent object clause with respect to
.
Qal suff 1 c s ().
Piel cohort 1 c s (), to make intact, complete, make
restitution; recompense, reward; restore, replace; finish.
N f s con () , salvation, deliverance, help, + paragogic
h. The term paragogic means added, and paragogic h
on feminine nouns is common (GBH 93a, j). It may have
been added to augment the assonance in the verse.
Prep + n p. Some classify the preposition as possessive, e.g.,
Salvation belongs to YHWH; but taking as
a noun clause and classifying the preposition as genitive of
agency (by) is also possible.
E.N.
This verse connects to 2:9 through the adversative ww of ,
which effects antithetic parallelism. That is, Jonah contrasts the behavior
of idolaters (2:9) with his devotion to YHWH (2:10). Looking at this verse,
there are a number of ways to divide it. The translation scans it as
50
CHAPTER 2
tristichs, all of which exhibit formal parallelism. The last tristich could
perhaps be understood as a concluding doxology. Also, as the sailors
uttered vows in hopes of deliverance (1:16), so Jonah resolves to pay his
vow for his deliverance.
A1
A2
A3
But I myself will sacrifice to you with a voice of thanksgiving.

What I have vowed, I will recompense;
Deliverance is by YHWH!
Jonah 2:11 [Eng=2:10]

Qal pret w/c 3 m s. The preterite w/c transitions back to the

narrative. The verb usually translates as to say, but that is
rather anemic here. There are several other related meanings,
one of which is to command (cf. Est 1:17), which better
reflects the sense of the verse. Why did the author not use
the standard verb for command ( ?)Perhaps because the
addressee was a fish rather than a human.
Prep (object of transitive verb; semantic function, not
translated) + n m s ().
Hiph pret w/c 3 m s (), to vomit.

See 1:9.
And YHWH commanded the fish; and it vomited Jonah to dry ground.
51
JONAH 3
Jonah 3:1

For parsing see 1:1. The preterite w/c transitions the story
from the preceding poem back to narrative.
Is the preterite with or without the w/c is actually a
discrete tense? Although debated by Semitic philologists, the
greater probability is in the affirmative based on comparative
Semitic reconstructions of proto-Hebrew of a longer
prefixed conjugation, yaqtulu, and a shorter preterite,
yaqtul.33 Although the preterite is morphologically identical
with the prefixed conjugation in the Qal stem of the strong
verb (i.e. both are pointed ), it is distinct in the Hiphil
(cf. prefixed, ;preterite )and in some weak verbs
(cf. prefixed, , ;preterite, , ) . Further
support for the preterite comes from comparisons with other
Semitic languages (e.g., Ugaritic), and from occasions in the
Old Testament in both prose (e.g., ,
Judg 2:1) and verse (e.g., , Deut 32:8)
where it is clear that the verb form is expressing past time. It
is thus more accurate to distinguish between the two, for
example, parsing this word as Qal pret w/c as opposed to Qal
pref w/c.
Adj (ordinal) f s. Ordinal numbers (e.g., first, second, third)
derive morphologically from cardinal numbers (e.g., one,
two, three). The ordinal masculine form for two is ,
but
the feminine form has the tw suffix as in this adjective.
And the word of YHWH came to Jonah a second [time], saying, . . .
33
For a fuller treatment of the subject, including arguments against a preterite

prefixed verb, see IBHS 31.1.1.
53
READING JONAH
Jonah 3:2

... These words are repeated verbatim from 1:2. Repetition is an
important part of narrative.34 The reiteration of this
command from 1:2 is akin to a re-commissioning of Jonah
to preach to Nineveh.

See 1:2.
Conj + Qal impv m s.

T.C.

sic L = + , mlt Mss Edd
Sp (sic) Leningradensis (L) = + , many (mlt) Hebrew manuscripts
(Mss) and editions (Edd) read .35
The ww of has two vowel pointings, hence has an orthographical
error. The editor shows that reflects the points of both historically long
vowel req ( )and ww + req (). The latter is what one would expect:
the normal pointing for the ww conjunction is shewa ( ;)but since the
pointing in the next radical is also shewa, the first shewa lengthens to
req under the rule of the shewa. Next the editor reports that many
Hebrew manuscripts and versions point the conjunction with req. This
is unusual because normally the conjunction is pointed with req only
before labials (, , ,). Since is a velar, the conjunction should be
pointed with req (cf. GBH 26e). Unlike the inseparable prepositions,
34
For a detail discussion of the various means of repetition, see Robert Alter, The
Art of Biblical Narrative (Revised ed.; New York: Basic Books, 2011; orig. publ., 1981),
111-41.
35
The Masoretes produced a number of codices (books) of the Old Testament.

With the third edition of BHS ( 1967-1977), the editors chose for the base text Codex
Leningradensis (L), which was completed ca. 1008, purportedly by Samuel ben Jacob.
Hence, with BHS and L are essentially equivalents.
54
CHAPTER 3
ww is a weak consonant so that the normal rules governing its pointing
as a conjunction have some exceptions, as in the present case. When it
precedes a word that has shewa under its first consonant, the conjunction
is pointed as req.36
Read for the reason just stated.
Prep (logical/simple dative, to) + 3 f s ps. Note that the

command is the same as in 1:2, but the preposition is
different. Since the determination of YHWH has not
changed, the preposition may imply some inner change on
the part of Jonah; yet after he does deliver the divine
message, he is indignant that the city is spared. Perhaps here
the author uses the preposition to foreshadow the citys
response to Jonahs warning that spares it from what would
otherwise be destruction (i.e. against it, 1:2, to it, 3:2). In
this case one could classify the preposition as an ethical
dative of advantage, for.
Art + n f s, proclamation, message.
Pr. The pronoun initiates a relative clause that is essentially
epexegetical since it gives further information about
, namely that Jonahs forthcoming message is from
YWHW.
Pip 1 c s. The pronoun is the subject of the following
participle.
Qal ptcp m s (II. ), to speak.
Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city; and proclaim to it the message that I
am speaking to you.
36
GKC 104e. I am grateful to Dr. A. A. Macintosh, St. Johns College,

Cambridge, for calling this to my attention.
55
READING JONAH
Jonah 3:3
T.C.
See 1:3. The ww conjunction is logical (so).

Qal pret w/c 3 m s (). This I-H verb is similar to the
pattern of I-Ww verbs in the prefixed conjugation in the
loss of the first radical. Normally r is the prefix and theme
vowel. Typically, the preterite ww consecutive moves the
emphasis forward to the second syllable of the word (GKC
49d). This is the case here, and it results in a reduction of
the vowel under the lmed from tone-long r to toneshort segl.

sic L, mlt Mss Edd -

So (sic) Codex Leningradensis (L), many Hebrew manuscripts (Mss) and
editions (Edd) point the ww with r.
Of the seventeen occurrences Nineveh, in the Old Testament, this is the
only time that the ww is pointed with a segl. Although there is the
possibility that is simply preserving a different reading tradition, the
greater probability is that has suffered minor corruption. After all, the
difference between the two vowels is one very small dot. In a handwritten manuscript it is easy to see how the two could have become
confused. To illustrate, here is a portion of a very clear handwritten text:
56
CHAPTER 3

Read with the variants on the understanding that reflects an
orthographical error.
Prep (agreement/manner, according to) + n m s con ().
Conj (disjunctive, for a parenthetical clause, now) + n p.

Qal suff 3 f s () .
N f s con.
Adj f s.
Prep (miscellaneous/apposition of the object, ;hence, the
preposition functions as a semantic marker with no
translational value) + n m p ().
E.N.

Three grammatical matters are essential to keep in mind in order to
translate this phrase:
The first is the superlative degree regarding
. IBHS
(14.5) distinguishes between the comparative and the absolute
superlative. The latter, which is the case here, is used when
some person or thing is judged to excel in some quality, state, or
condition. On this basis the noun is translated as exceedingly
and rendered as an attributive adjective, modifying ( actually,
with it forms a chain of attributive adjectives).
The second matter is the use of the lmed preposition prefixed to
. It is one of the miscellaneous uses of the preposition,
here to avoid having a construct relationship of three or more
57
READING JONAH
nouns. As such the preposition is more of a semantic marker and
is not translated.
The third aspect is the multiple-word construct. In such cases the
translation follows the word order of the phrase, here, literally, a
city of great of exceeding, or, more smoothly, an exceedingly
great city.
There are at least two other plausible translations for this phrase: a great
city to the gods, and a great city belonging to God. 37
N m s con, a walk, journey.

Cardinal adj m s con () ,

three.

N m p () .

For the grammar of the cardinal adjective, see
( 2:1).
So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of YHWH;

now Nineveh was an exceedingly great citya journey of three days
[from one end to the other].
Jonah 3:4
Hiph pret w/c 3 m s (I. ), to allow to be profaned;

begin; render invalid. is another geminate verb, also in
the reduced state (see
, 1:5). The prefix vowel in the
simple prefixed conjugation of the Hiphil stem is tone-long
a-class qme, which is the same in the preterite ww
consecutive. The theme vowel of segl is, however,
somewhat unusual. To expand on the discussion of

(3:3), another result of the ww consecutive is the reduction
of the theme vowel (again, GKC 49d). Recall that the usual
pattern for the Hiphil prefixed conjugation is an a-class
37
For details, see Tucker (2006): 67-68.
58
CHAPTER 3
prefix vowel and an i-class theme vowel, usually the
historically long req-yd. With the ww consecutive,
theme vowel req-yd reduces as far as possible, i.e. segl.
The theme vowel of geminate Hiphil prefixed verbs with a
second guttural radical, however, is usually tone-short pata
(the 2 f s and an alternative form of the 3 m s have r),
which reduces further to segl.38 (Segl is both a-class and iclass; see GKC 9f.)

Prep (spatial/with verb of motion, to) + Qal inf con.
Without the preposition the form could be parsed as an
imperative, passive participle, or infinitive absolute.
Prep (location/with verb of movement, into) + art + n f s.

See 3:3.

Unlike the combination of cardinal + noun in 3:3, here the
cardinal is an attributive adjective, thus agreeing with its
noun in number, gender, and definiteness.
...

Another epexegetical phrase that gives further
information on the nature of the journey, namely, the
duration.
Semantically, the two verbs are very similar, so that only
one is necessary to convey the meaning. The pairing is
idiomatic of Hebrew speech, and its occurrence in the
speech of Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John
(e.g., Matt 4:4; 11:4; 17:17; Luke 4:12; 7:22; 9:41; John 3:3;
4:13; 12:30) is a faithful indicator of the Jewishness of Jesus.

Adv, yet.

Adj m/f p, forty. Attributive use.

A collective singular noun, days.

Niph ptcp f s (), to be demolished, overthrown.
T.C.

38
Cf. the reduction of the theme vowel in the hollow verb as it goes from
indicative to jussive and with ww consecutive ( GKC 49d).
59
READING JONAH
nonn huc tr 4,5
Several (nonn, abbv. for nonnulli) transpose (tr) to (huc) 4:5
As with the textual difficulty in 1:8, so here the editors notation is
somewhat ambiguous. One would expect Mss, Edd, or the like to
follow nonn. As it is the note reads several transpose this verse before
4:5. The move would read thus:
(3:4)
And Jonah began to go into the city, a journey of one

day; and he proclaimed and said, Yet forty days, and
Nineveh will be overthrown. 4:5Then Jonah went out
from the city, and he settled to east of the city; and there
he made for himself a booth, and he sat under it in the
shade until he should see what would happen to the city.
Although transposing 4:5 here makes for a lucid reading, so does the
sequence of 3:4-5 in . It is, furthermore, difficult to envision how
could have suffered such a corruption. Moreover, the critical apparatus
lists no major witnesses or versions that follow this transposition.
Read with as the editors proposal has no manuscript support.
And Jonah began to go into the city, a journey of one day; and he
proclaimed and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.
Jonah 3:5
Hiph pret w/c 3 m p (), to stand firm, trust, believe.

N m p con (), man.
Prep + np. There are two ways of understanding this
compound, and thereby classifying the preposition. The first
is to classify it as marking the object of a verb of emotion,
60
CHAPTER 3
viz. they believed in God. Tucker (2006: 71-72) follows

BDB, i.e. that when followed by the bt preposition, the
verb means to trust in or to have faith in. This
interpretation thus understands the belief of the Ninevites as
effectively a confession of the god of Jonah (God is our
god). The second possibility is the beth essentiae, which
marks the predicate and can be omitted from the translation,
i.e. they believed GodGod being a metonymy of the
subject for the adjunct, Jonahs warning. In other words the
Ninevites believed the warning from God that was delivered
by Jonah. Again, both are possible, but the context favors the
latter, since it is less clear that the clause is about confessing
God than in believing the message of God that was
conveyed by Jonah. Of course there is also the possibility
that the author had both meanings in mind.
See 1:14.
N m s, fast, fasting.
Qal pret w/c 3 m p, to put on, wear, clothe, be clothed.
N m p (), sack, sackcloth. The second radical of
monosyllabic nouns with a short/changeable vowel doubles
when inflected to preserve the vowel.
Prep + adj m p () . The preposition shares aspects of both
partitive (the great are part of the larger group of Ninevites)
and superlative (greatest). Regarding the adjective, the
plural inflection effects a propretonic reduction of qme to
shewa.
Conj + prep. The conjunction can be classified either as
pleonastic (i.e. stylistic) or explicative (even). The
preposition is measure, which functions as the end of the
range begun by the preposition in
.
Adj m p (), small, young, unimportant, again, a
superlative, in this case due to the adjective made definite
by a pronominal suffix (IBHS 14.5c; so GBH 141j). In
61
READING JONAH
Biblical Hebrew tone-short a-class vowel + doubled nn (or
lmed) replaces tone-long a-class vowel + nn (or lmed).39
And the men of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast and
the put on sackcloth, from the greatest to their least.
Jonah 3:6
Qal pret w/c 3 m s (), to touch, reach, strike. The initial

nn has assimilated into the gmel.
Prep (movement/degree, as far as).
N m s.
T.C.

sic L, mlt Mss Edd

Codex Leningradensis (L) has an orthographical error (sic), many Hebrew
manuscripts and editions read

As with 1:3 and 3:3, the issue is a matter of pointing. Final kap generally
takes either shewa or qme (, ).
Here, the scribe probably neglected to
replicate the final shewa (haplography).
Read with the variants as has suffered corruption.

See 1:3.
Prep (spatial, from) + n m s con (/), throne, + 3
m s ps.
39
I am grateful to Prof. Geoffrey Khan, University of Cambridge, for clarifying

this phenomenon. For an example in the plural, he instances ( sg: ).
62
CHAPTER 3

Hiph pret w/c 3 m s, to cause to pass over, bring over;

dedicate; cause to/let pass through; put off.
N f s con () , glory, magnificence; mantle, cloak, + 3
m s ps.
Prep (spatial, from) + prep (spatial/simple locational,
upon) + 3 m s ps.
Piel pret w/c 3 m s (), to cover, clothe, put on. III-H
preterites (and jussives) lose the final h.
See 3:5.
Qal pret w/c 3 m s (), to sit, remain, dwell. The first
radical drops out in the prefixed conjugation of original
I-Ww verbs. The normal pointing is r for both radicals
() . The theme vowel is from the original i-class of the
prefixed action/fientive verb, and its derivation is debated.
One theory is that it follows by analogy from the second
vowel. Another theory is that it comes from an originally
long ay vowel, the evolution being *yayib *yib
yb, i.e. ( GBH 75bc). With the fronting of the
emphasis by the ww consecutive, it reduces to segl.
Art + n m s, ashes. The article can be classified as definite
in the imagination of the writer.
And the word reached as far as the king of Nineveh, and he arose from
his throne and put off his cloak from upon himself; and he put on sack
cloth and sat on the ashes.
Jonah 3:7
Hiph pret w/c 3 m s, to utter a plaintive cry; summon, make

a proclamation; call out.
Prep + toponym. The classification of the preposition as
spatial, i.e. in Nineveh, is possible, but perhaps better is to
see it as allative (quasi-locational)/specification, for, with
63
READING JONAH
regard to, since the proclamation concerns Nineveh.

Moreover, Nineveh here is a synecdoche of the part for all
of the citizenry.
Prep (ablative/authority, but not translated) + n m s con,
taste; feeling, discernment, sense; order, decree. Tucker
(2006: 76) observes paronomasia (i.e. a word-play, or a pun)
with this noun and the verb that follows after the atn
where the other meaning of the root applies, i.e. taste.
Conj + adj m p con ( ) + 3 m s ps. The basic meaning of
the adjective is great, but used substantively as it is here, it
can convey the idea of courtiers or noblemen, as in 2 Kgs
10:6.
Although the infinitive construct is technically not a finite
verb, it can be used verbally as it is here. Hence, this is the
third verb of speech in the verse. Since one suffices, a second
one seems somewhat superfluous (but recall the discussion of
; 3:4), and a third is all the more so. Many of
the standard translations thus reflect only two of the verbals.
While the translations convey faithfully the meaning of the
Hebrew, the present translation understands the three verbals
as a rhetorical device to underscore both that the
proclamation is not from peasant or merchant but from the
king himself as well as the severe nature of the proclamation
itself. This makes for a rather awkward translation, but it
would not have registered as such on the ears/eyes of the
hearers/readers of the story since the two occurrences of
are separated by four words. It may be that the two
are a stylistic device to bracket the preamble from the decree
itself.
Art + n m s. The article is used with a so-called generic noun
which pertains to a class or group of persons, animals, or
things (IBHS 13.5.1f); and in contexts such as this, it is a
semantic marker and is not translated. The same applies to
the next three occurrences of the article.
Conj (alternative, or) + art + n f s, beast, animal, cattle.
64
CHAPTER 3
Art + n m s, cattle, herd, ox.

Conj (alternative, or) + art + n m/f s, small cattle, sheep
and goats, flock, flocks.

Negp + Qal pref (jussive in meaning) 3 m p, to taste,
perceive. There is no morphological difference between the
indicative and the jussive for this word, but denotes the
negated volitive mood (may not), and even without it the
context warrants a (negated) jussive. This verb and ,
which follows, are jussives of command coming from the
nobility to the citizenry.
N m s, (something) or other; with a negative particle,

nothing at all.

Negp + Qal pref (jussive in meaning) 3 m p (), to
pasture, tend, graze.

Conj + n m p (), water.

Qal pref 3 m p (), to drink.
And he made a proclamation and said, saying: The decree of the king
and his nobles concerning Nineveh: No man or beast, cattle or flock may
taste anything. They may not graze and they may not drink water.
Jonah 3:8

Conj + Hithpael pref 3 m p (), to cover, clothe oneself,

jussive in meaning. Again, this form is morphologically the
same for the indicative and the jussive. The context warrants
the latter, which, continuing the edict from the court to the
citizenry, should be classified as command. Here the
Hithpael is direct reflexive, or perhaps benefactive reflexive if
one interprets the kings orders as in the hope of averting
judgment.
See 3:5.
65
READING JONAH

Art + n m s. For the anarthrous translation (i.e. without the

article, see

, 3:7).
See 3:7.
See 1:14. Another command jussive.
Prep (circumstances/mental; with) + n f s, strength, force,
violence.
Qal pref 3 m p (). Jussive of command. Qal values
include, to turn back, return, turn away from, abandon. It
can also mean repent, in the sense of turning away from
sinful conduct.
N m s. The noun is used distributively (see 1:5).
Prep (metaphorical/spatial, from) + n m/f s con () ,
way, road, distance, journey, matter, + 3m s ps. Here the

term is a metaphor for conduct in life.
See 1:7.
Art + n m s, violence, wrong.
Pr, which introduces a relative clause that explains more
about the immoral conduct.
Prep (spatial, in) + n m p con (), hollow or flat of the
hand, palm, sole of foot, pan, + 3 m p ps. The term is a
metonymy of the cause or adjunct, i.e. the hands are the
means of the immoral conduct to which the king refers.
And they shall cover themselves with sackcloth, man and beast, and they
shall call to God with strength; and they shall repenteach man from his
evil way and from the wrong which is in the palms of their hands.
Jonah 3:9

Pi, which begins an interrogative clause.

See 1:12. The vowel under the ayin is a furtive pata (see
2:1).
66
CHAPTER 3

Qal pref (possibility, may) 3 m s (). Clearly God is

never in need of repentance in the usual understanding of
the word. Rather, the idea here is more of relenting.

Niph suff w/c 3 m s (), to regret, be sorry, console
oneself, have compassion. The verb is a prefixed of
possibility, may be sorry. As mentioned in 1:7 with the Qal
preterite ww consecutive

, so the normal pattern for
the Niphal suffixed conjugation of I-Nn verbs is for the
nn of the first radical of the root to assimilate into the
second, i.e. here, * ( + ). However, because guttural
consonants cannot take the dg forte, the doubling is said
to be implied.

Art + n m p. This is a case of the article with an intrinsically
definite noun (IBHS 13.6a). Recall from 1:6 that can
mean a god or gods. The addition of the article clarifies
that this word is a proper noun (actually, a theonym)
(God). The same phenomenon occurs with toponyms: cf.
, hill; , Gibeah.

Qal suff (possibility, may) w/c 3 m s ().

Prep (spatial, away from, albeit figurative) + n m s con
() , anger.

N m s con (), nostril, nose, face, anger, + 3ms ps.
Translating the construct as formal equivalents, e.g., anger
of his anger, or anger of his nose, is clearly awkward.
Rather, is a genitive of quality, e.g., his fierce anger,
his burning anger.

The conjunction expresses the hoped for result (so that) of
the series of hypothetical/desiderative verbs.

See 1:6. Given the hypothetical nature of the previous clause,
it seems better to interpret this prefixed verb as desiderative
(we might), expressing the kings hope.
E.N.
Recall that the captain raises this same hopeful possibility (1:6). As
was the case for him and his crew, so it will be for Nineveh, i.e. YHWH
spares those who humble themselves.
67
READING JONAH
E.N.
The double occurrence of is conspicuous since the first is
unnecessary and somewhat awkward (no object followsat least
immediately). Likewise the repetition of is noteworthy, inviting the
the exegete to ask why? One possibility is that it collaborates with the
subjunctive mood of the verbs to underscore the hope that God would
restrain himself from judging the city. It is as though Gods turning away
from his anger is twice as important as his having compassion.
Who knows whether God may turn back and have compassion; and turn
away from his fierce anger, so that we might not perish.
Jonah 3:10

Qal pret w/c 3 m s (), to see. This form is often

confused with )( , to fear, from the root ( see 1:5).
That it is from , however, is apparent by the single
occurrence of yd, rather than the double yd as with .
This is a good point to discuss the temporal clause. As
the name suggests, it pertains to time. Temporal clauses
introduce the main clause and are thus subordinate. They are
very similar to conditional clauses (GBH 166a), which have
an if/then structure, e.g., if X, then Y. That is, Y (the main
clause) is qualified by X (the conditional clause). The first
part of such a structure is called the protasis (if X,), and the
second part is called the apodosis (then Y). Temporal
clauses function similarly in that the main clause is qualified
temporally. The action of the main clause happens in
relation to a temporal event, hence it is helpful to apply the
terms protasis and apodosis with temporal clauses as well
as with conditional clauses.
In this verse the protasis is signaled by the ww in ,
which is temporal, i.e. when God saw (the first of the two
following translations). The apodosis is also signaled by a
68
CHAPTER 3
ww, namely the ww in , which is thus classified as
resumptive, i.e. . . . then he pacified himself . . . Since the

resumptive ww is really a semantic marker to indicate the
beginning of the apodosis, it may be left out of the
translation (translation 1).
N m p con (), deed, work, + 3 m p ps.
Qal suff 3 c p (). Recent past (had [just] repented).
Prep (spatial, but used metaphorically, from) + n m s ()
+ 2 m p ps.
See 1:7.
Niph pret w/c 3 m p (). None of the Niphal values for
this stem are particularly satisfactory. Perhaps the reflexive
consoled himself is the least problematic. It is close to the
the idea of God pacifying himself over his fury that was
mentioned in the previous verses. The difficulty that the
stem presents the translator is evident in the dynamic
translations of many modern versions, e.g., God relented
(ESV, NASB), God changed his mind (NRSV). Pacify
would be slightly more of a formal equivalent.
If one does not take the verse as a temporal clause as
discussed above, then the ww could be simple sequence
and. As such the cause/effect nature of the verse would
warrant classifying this conjunction as logical (so; the
second of the following translations).
The repetition of
is surprisingperhaps functioning
either for rhetorical effect.
Prep (relation of circumstance, regarding).
See 1:7. The adjective is effectively elliptical at the end of the
verse (represented by the bracketed it in the translation).
Pr, beginning a relative clause the antecedent of which is
.
Piel suff 3 m s (II. ).
Prep (purpose, to) + Qal inf con ().
Prep (allative/disadvantage, to) + 3 m p ps.
Qal suff 3 m s.
69
READING JONAH
E.N.
Again the verse may be translated as a temporal clause (1) or as a
logical or result clause (2):
(1)
When God saw their deedsthat they had turned from their evil ways
God pacified himself concerning the disaster of which he had spoken to
do to them and did not do [it].
(2)
And God saw their deedsthat they had turned from their evil ways; so
God pacified himself regarding the evil of which he had spoken to do to
them and did not do [it].
70
JONAH 4
Jonah 4:1

Qal pret w/c 3 m s (), to be bad, not fit for use; evil,
displeasing. This is another geminate verb (cf. 3:4). It could
be confused with the Niphal prefixed, since it follows the
pattern of i-class prefixed vowel + a-class theme vowel, and
one could account the absence of the dg forte to the
guttural . The prefixed conjugation of this root in the
Niphal stem is clearly attested only twice in the Old
Testament (Prov 11:15; 13:20), where it is distinct from the
Qal through compensatory lengthening of the theme vowel,
i.e.
( other possible occurrences may be forms of the Qal
stem; see the discussion of the Qal and Niphal in HALOT,
s.v. I ).
The verse is somewhat unusual in that the syntax is not
the standard verb + subject + object, nor is there a discrete
subject; it is the somewhat vague it that the verbs third
person number supplies. This is a case of an impersonal
construction where the verb has no topic in view other than
the condition or action expressed by the predicate (IBHS
22.7a). There are several types of impersonals, this one
being an emotional, which represents the emotion as
coming from outside (IBHS 22.7b).
Prep. The preposition is also somewhat unusual (see the

discussion of
below), but should be classified as

logical/ethical dative of disadvantage, for.

The phrase is epexegetical with reference to .

Qal pret w/c 3ms (), to burn, be kindled, of anger.
Again, the possibility of confusing the morpheme for the
Niphal is understandable, but the root it does not occur in
that stem in the prefixed conjugation. If it did it would
71
READING JONAH
presumably have the hallmarks of the Niphal stem; cf.

(second guttural); ( III-H). This is the emotional use of
the verb in an impersonal construction.
Prep + 3 m s ps. Impersonal emotional verbs are usually
followed by the lmed preposition, which identifies the
subject of the emotion (IBHS 22.7b). With the preceding
verb, the clause is literally, and it was anger to him.
But it was displeasing for Jonah, a great misfortune, and he was angry.
Jonah 4:2

See 2:2.
For multiple verbs in the quotative frame, Tucker (2006:
86) refers to Rocine to explain that the first verb relates the
manner in which the speech is given, and the second marks
the beginning of the actual speech itself. This may well be
the case here, although the discussion of ( 3:4)
would account for it as well.
This plea commences a prayer that contains a further
instance of irony. In 1:14, the plea is from the Gentile sailors
to YHWH not to destroy them for their actions that imperiled
Jonahs life. Here it is the beginning of a plea by Jonah (vv.
2-3) to YHWH to take his lifea prayer that is based on
Jonahs hardheartedness and self-pity.
Ip + negp.
See , 1:8.
N m s con ()
+ 1 c s ps. Many versions translate this
noun as a verb (e.g., ESV, NASB, NRSV), but rendering it as
concern is faithful to the text and semantically equivalent
with matter.
72
CHAPTER 4
The context warrants a temporal use for this preposition, but

the standard values (before, until, during) are rather
awkward with the infinitive. HALOT (s.v. III , A.2.b)
suggests for this verse as long as I am, which is suitable
except that the preterite ww consecutive ()
necessitates changing as to was.
Qal inf con ( ) + 1 c s ps.
Prep (spatial, but use in rather than the values supplied by
IBHS).
N f s con () , ground, land, + 1 c s ps.
Prep + adv = therefore.
Piel suff 1 c s, to meet; go before, in front of; HALOT (s.v.
, Piel, 4.b.), to do for the first time. BDB (s.v. ,
Piel, 3.) states that before an infinitive construct the verb
means to anticipate, forestall. The idea of anticipation
works well here, i.e. Jonah deviated from YHWHs command
because he knew that YHWH would forgive the Ninevites.
Further support for this interpretation comes from the
Masoretic accents: has the disjunctive zqp
qn accent,
has the conjunctive mrek accent, and
has the disjunctive ip accent; hence
is a syntactic unit, with slight breaks before and after.

See 1:3. The preposition in this case, however, is essentially
epexegetical, providing further information about the
previous verb (cf. GBH 124o).
See 1:3.
Conj (causal, because), initiating the causal clause .
Qal suff 1 c s.
Conj (resultative, that), initiating a result clause that
explains the outcome of his knowledge.
Pip 2 m s. The subject of a nominal clause, you are a . . .
N m s con, god, gods, God; cf. ( 1:5).
Adj m s, gracious. Substantive use of the adjective, i.e.
grace.
73
READING JONAH

Conj + adj m s, compassionate. Substantive use of the

adjective, i.e. compassion.
Adj m s con (* or *), long, extending, longlasting. In construct, literally, long of anger. Since the
literal translation is especially awkward, substitute the more
dynamic deferring.
N c d (). Plural of intensity.
Conj + adj m s, much, many, great. Substantive use of the
adjective.
N m s, goodness, loving kindness, loyalty, faithfulness,
favor, graciousness. Genitive of quality (in loyalty).
Conj + Niph ptcp m s (). Many translations render the
last part of the verse along the lines of relenting from
disaster/calamity. Such an idea is, however, already implied
in the phrase

. Could the writer be indicating
more through the clause

?This translation
reflects the hunch that he is. When the Ninevites repented in
response to Jonahs warning, God not only relented of anger
but was moved to pity over Ninevehs evil, i.e. such evil
stems from being bereft of his guidance (cf. the rhetorical
question of YHWH in 4:11).
Prep (metaphorical/with verb of feeling, over).
See 1:2. The article is definite in the mind of the author, but
in this case not translated (cf. IBHS 13.5.1.e). If the hunch
just mentioned is correct, then the article may be qualifying
the anger, i.e. YHWH does not pity all wickedness, but only
that which ensues from ignorance of the Law.
E.N.
Note the irony in the short length of Jonahs prophecy compared
with his much longer complaint to God.
And he prayed to YHWH and said, Now, O YHWH, was this not my
concern as long as I was in my land? Therefore I anticipated [what you
would do], fleeing to Tarshish, because I knew that you are a god of
grace and compassion, deferring anger and great in loyalty, and moved to
pity over wickedness.
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CHAPTER 4
Jonah 4:3

Conj (logical, therefore) + adv, now.

Vocative, O YHWH.
Qal impv 2 m s ( )+ ptcl of ent. This is the only I-Lmed
verb that follows the pattern of I-Nn verbs in that the
lmed assimilates (GBH 72j). Also like the masculine
singular imperative of I-Nn verbs, the initial radical is
omitted (aphaeresis, or the loss of the first sound of a word,
as in the i sound in is in the change from she is to
shes), which accounts for the lack of the dg forte in the
second radical (here, ). Since the verb is also III-Guttural,
the theme vowel is pata rather than lem of the strong
verb (cf. verbs of the I-Nn, I-Yd, I-Ww, II-Guttural, and
III-H patterns).
See 2:8.
Prep (metaphorical/spatial, from) + 1 c s ps. When this
preposition takes a pronominal suffix, reduplication and
assimilation occur: + + .
Conj, for, introducing a causal clause that explains why
Jonah thinks that YHWH should take his life.
Adj m s, good. With the comparative mm in , the
adjective is translated in the comparative degree, i.e. better.
N m s con () , death, + 1 c s ps. The move from the
absolute to the construct brings a contraction of the
diphthong aw to , i.e. the so-called
Canaanite shift, which occurs in NW Semitic languages.
Prep (comparative, than/for) + n m p con (). The
comparative mm is semiotic of grammar rather than
terminology. It signals the reader that the word to which it is
prefixed is the second element in a comparison, in this case
the adjective . Hence, the adjective better prefaces the
first element and the conjunction than precedes the
second.
75
READING JONAH
Therefore now, O YHWH, take my life from me; for it is better for me to
die than to live [lit. my death is better than my life].
Jonah 4:4

Ip + Hiph inf abs (), to be friendly towards, deal well
with, do good to someone, do good, do well; adv. well,
utterly.
While the h may resemble the article, it is the
interrogative particle. The pointing is as it is here when the
h precedes gutturals with an open first syllable (GBH
102n). The Hiphil stem is recognizable by the h prefix +
a-class prefix vowel (r yd) + i-class theme vowel.
In this verse the interrogative particle has been classified
as exclamatory, rather than as a straight-forward question,
i.e. you are really angry? (GBH 161b). Such an expression
is, however, usually conveyed by an infinitive absolute
followed immediately by a finite verb from the same root
(here *) . Since the accents indicate that the
infinitive absolute stands on its own, it is probably better to
consider it as the equivalent of a finite form at the
beginning of a sentence (GBH 123u), and a stative verb at
that; hence,
is an interrogative clause, which is the
second, more common option for translation: Is it good?
Many translations render this suffixed verb as an infinitive,
to be angry, yet an infinitival aspect for the suffixed
conjugation would be very unusual (it is not mentioned in
GBH or IBHS). Instead, this clause is partially analogous
with ( 4:1), i.e. the emotional use of the verb in an
impersonal construction. Here, however, the clause is
subordinate to the main (interrogative) clause
.
Moreover, is a stative (impersonal) suffixed verb and the
76
CHAPTER 4
lmed preposition is possessive. The clause is literally, it is
anger to you.
And YHWH said, Is it good [that] you are angry?

Jonah 4:5

Qal pret w/c (adversative, but) 3 m s (), to come/go

out/forth. Jonahs action is an obstinate response to YHWHs
question in the preceding verse, which the adversative use of
the conjunction reflects well.
T.C.

cf 3,4a

Compare (cf) textual note a in 3:4.
The editor thinks that this verse belongs after 3:4. See the discussion there
of the editors proposal.
Read with as the editors proposal has no textual support.
Prep (spatial, from).

See 1:2.
See 3:6. In 3:6 the king sat in penance, but here Jonah sits in
self-righteousness.
Prep (spatial, to) + n m s, front, before, east. Tucker
(2006: 92) astutely observes that was the direction the
disobedient moved throughout the Primeval history (Gen
3:24; 4:16; 11:2).
77
READING JONAH
Prep (allative/spatial) + n f s. A formal equivalent translation

of the phrase would be with regard to the city, but the
translation below uses the preposition of in lieu of the
longer, more awkward formal rendering.
Qal pret w/c 3 m s ().
Prep (allative/interest/reflexive, for) + 3 m s ps (here
reflexive) himself.
Adv, there.
N f s, booth, thicket.
Prep (, locational, under) + 3 f s ps.
Prep (location, in) + art + n m s, shade, shadow.
Prep (temporal, until).
Pr (temporal use, when). Since the previous preposition is
already temporal, the relative pronoun may be omitted from
the translation.
Qal pref 3 f s. In conjunction with the preceding preposition
, the prefixed verb here expresses possibility, until he
should see (cf. GBH 113k).
Indefinite pronoun, what, as opposed to the more common
interrogative particle.
Qal pref 3 m s. The doubled initial yd is due to the force of
the preceding interrogative particle (cf. the doubling of the
first radical followed by the article and the ww
consecutive).
Prep (circumstantial/specification, with regard to) + n f s.
But Jonah went out from the city, and he settled to east of the city; and
there he made for himself a booth, and he sat under it in the shade until
he should see what would happen to the city.
Jonah 4:6

78
CHAPTER 4
See 2:1. There God appointed a great fish to teach Jonah a

lesson, and here it will be a lesson from a plant.

This is the only occurrence of the compound theonym
YHWH God in the book of Jonah. It is almost certainly not
by chance, nor simply a change of theonym for the sake of
variety. Since God (, )is a rather generic
theonym for a deity that was worshiped by many different
peoples, the juxtaposition with the covenant name YHWH
brings into sharper focus the identity of the god who is truly
at work, both with the Ninevites and with Jonah.

N m s, plant. The word occurs only in Jonah, hence it is
useful to consult the cognate languages for help with the
meaning. Since Akkadian kukkntu means castor oil plant,
one can infer that is some sort of plant.

Qal pret w/c 3 m s ().

Prep + prep. Combined, the two prepositions convey the
spatial meaning, over.

Prep (allative/advantage/ethical dative) + np. Of the ethical
datives, ingressive seems best here since it marks the
beginning of a state; namely, comfort as the plant provides
shade from the scorching sun of the desert. It serves a
semantic purpose and is not translated.

Prep (purpose) + Qal inf con () .
Prep (spatial/simple locational, over).

N m s con + 3 m s ps. This is another direct allusion to cp. 2.
There YHWH used the stick approach to get Jonahs
attention by binding his head with sea weed. Here he uses
the carrot approach in creating a plant to provide shade for
his head. In both instances God tries to lead Jonah to realize
his folly indirectly through the environment (cf. Luke
15:17a).

Prep (purpose) + Hiph inf con (), to snatch away,
deliver, save.
79
READING JONAH
T.C.


The Septuagint () for this compound reads definite article, genitive,
neutral, singular ( ) + infinitive present active ( , ), to
shade.
Evidently the Greek scribe sought a less figurative term for s to save.
Read with as the stronger text.

Prep (object of a transitive verb, semantic function, not

translated) + 3 m s ps.

Prep (source, from; on this classification, see GBH 133e) +
n f s con ( ) + 3 m s ps. Here misfortune is accurate, but
somewhat vague; hence the translation adopts the slightly
more dynamic discomfort.

Qal pret w/c 3 m s, to rejoice, be glad.
Prep (metaphorical/with verb of rejoicing, over, here in a

causal sense, i.e. he rejoiced because of the plant).

N f s, joy, jubilation. For the translation of this noun

and its adjective, cf.
, 1:10.
E.N.
A further instance of how this scene is something of the inverse
of that in cp. 2 is the repeated use of locative verbs and prepositions that
connote upward direction. In cp. 2 God appoints a great fish to take
Jonah down to distress, whereas here he appoints a plant which grows up
to provide comfort for Jonah.
Then YHWH-God appointed a plant, and it grew over Jonah to become a

shade over his head to save him from his discomfort; and Jonah rejoiced
greatly over the plant.
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CHAPTER 4
Jonah 4:7
See 2:1. Adversative use of the conjunction (but).

N f s, worm. Direct object of the verb.
Prep (temporal, at) + inf con (). The phrase is literally
at the rising.
Art + n m s, dawn. Indirect object of the verb.
Prep + art + n f s, the morrow, day after. The preposition
could be classified as temporal, e.g., on the day after; but
the disjunctive ip accent with
marks a break,
which is customary with apposition. The appositional
preposition thus lends support to what is reasonably inferable
from the text, i.e. that the time period was no more than one
night.
Hiph suff w/c 3 f s (), to strike, smite. Another doubly
weak verb. The nn assimilates into the tw, and final h
apocopates.
Qal pret w/c (result, so that) 3 m s, to dry, wither.
Another original I-Yd verb (see , 1:5).
But God sent a worm at dawn, the next day; and it struck the plant so
that it withered.
Jonah 4:8

See 1:1.
Prep (temporal, when) + Qal inf con, to rise, come forth.
When used in clauses, the
preposition presupposes an
implicit comparison, a correlation between the times of the
two actions (GBH 166m). Here it introduces the protasis
of a temporal clause, i.e. When . . . (cf. the ww
conjunction in , 3:10). The infinitive construct is verbal,
81
READING JONAH
and
governs its aspect. Also, temporal clauses are always
subordinate to a main clause, which here is
.
The roles played by each of the components of the
clause

are thus: ww consecutive
(sequence, and) + preterite (signals past action; see
,
3:1) + preposition (temporality) + infinitive construct (verb)
+ subject (

) And when the sun rose, . . .
Art + n m/f s, sun. Subject of the infinitive construct.
See 2:1. The ww is resumptive, introducing the apodosis. It
can be translated then or omitted.
N m s, east, the east.
Adj f s (*) . This is the fifth hapax legomenon in the
book of Jonah. Unfortunately, in this case the word does not
seem to occur in any of the cognate languages such as
Akkadian, Ugaritic, or Arabic. In terms of syntax, the
adjective is in apposition to the compound , lit. an
eastern wind, X. Hence, any proposal for the meaning of
the word must comport with its syntactical function, which
essentially is an attributive adjective to the compound
. From the perspective of a Hebrew writer along
the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, a wind from the east
in the summer would come across the desert as hot and very
dry in contrast to the humid, cooler coastal wind (cf. Gen
41:6; Isa 27:8; Ezek 17:10; Hos 13:15).
would thus
seem to convey the parching intensity of the wind that
Jonah encountered. Sasson surveys a number of proposals for
the term, before concluding that the term may be
paronomasia (which is abundant in cp. 4), and, by
comparing with Exod 14:21, that it probably has to do with
intensity.40 Hence he settles on fierce, appealing to Joseph
Kara (c. AD 11th), who understood the wind as destroying
40
Sasson, Jonah, 303-304.
82
CHAPTER 4
Jonahs booth.41 Tucker (2006: 99) suggests cutting, based
on
.
T.C.

prp

The proposes (prp) reading instead of
.
The editors proposal is a hypothetical form of the noun II , the Qal
of which is, to annoy, taunt. Presumably, then, the line would read, a
bothersome east wind. Since the proposal is from a hypothetical
construct, it is hardly an improvement on .
Because the term is unclear, one must weigh the various scholarly
proposals to make the most contextually suitable choice.
See 4:7.
Prep (spatial/simple locational, upon).
Hithp pret (direct reflexive) w/c 3 m s (), to enwrap
oneself, become faint. Resultative use of the ww, so that.

Qal pret w/c 3 m s, to ask, inquire, interrogate, consult,
claim, demand, beg for, wish.
Prep (purpose, that) + Qal inf con (), to die. Verbal

use of the infinitive.

Literally, And he wished his life to die.

N m s con () .

See 4:3.
E.N.
Jonahs assessment (that led to his wish) that his death was
preferable to life is almost surely hyperbolic.
41
Sasson, Jonah, 6.
83
READING JONAH
And when the sun rose, God sent a scorching east wind, and the sun
struck upon the head of Jonah so that he became faint; and he wished that
he might die and he said, My death is better than my life.
Jonah 4:9

See 4:4.

Prep (metaphorical/governing the object of verb of
emotion, over) + art + n m s.
Prep (degree, even unto).

See 4:4.

Epexegetical to

, explaining the degree of Jonahs
anger.
E.N.
Jonah is on a downward spiral. Whereas the object of his anger
was implied in 4:4, here it specified as the withering of his source of
shade. The former anger was over Gods decision to spare Nineveh after
its repentance. Again, since Nineveh was the source of great trouble for
Israel, one can empathize somewhat with Jonahs belief that Nineveh got
off easily. Moreover, since his prophecy was not fulfilled, he could also
be seen to have lost face, adding insult to injury. Here, however, the
anger is over the relatively trivial matter of physical discomfortloss of
shade. Moreover he is dangerously close to presuming too much from his
relationship with YHWH by firing back YHWHs question as a statement.
And God said to Jonah, Is it good [that] you are angry over the plant?
And he replied, It is good [that] I am angryeven unto death.
Jonah 4:10

84
CHAPTER 4
See 1:8. Since the following verb supplies the subject, the
pronoun is used emphatically, i.e. you yourself
Qal suff 2 m s (), to pity, look on with compassion.
(For hollow verbs, see 1:3).
Prep (metaphorical/with a verb of feeling, for, over).
Pr, which, initiating a relative clause that is subordinate to
in the preceding main clause,

.
Qal suff 2 m s, to labor, toil.
Prep (circumstantial/specification, with regard to, or more
simply, over) + 3 m s ps.
Piel suff 2 m s (), to cause to grow, bring up, make
great/powerful, magnify, + 3 m s ps. The first meaning is
applicable here, but cultivate, expresses the Hebrew slightly
less woodenly.

The clause translates literally as
which you did not labor over it nor did you cause it to
grow, or, by adjusting the syntax for smoother English, i.e.
for which you did not labor over nor cultivate.
Pr (), which, + n m s con (). As IBHS 19.2c explains,
morphologically this relative pronoun can be pointed with a
variety of vowels and, like the article, it doubles the
following consonant. It is very rare in the Old Testament. It
is also curious in that it occurs in texts that can be established
as Archaic Biblical Hebrew (e.g., Judg 5:7) and Late Biblical
Hebrew (1 Chr 5:20), but not in those of Classical Biblical
Hebrew. Its prevalence in other Semitic languages leads
IBHS to conclude that the more frequent was the
predominant dialect of Biblical Hebrewamong Hebrew
and South Canaanite dialects.
See 2:1. Here, however, the noun expresses duration,
overnight.
Qal suff 3 m s. Generally the verb expresses aspect, e.g., he
was, but it also conveys the idea of existence and
85
READING JONAH
becoming. Hence here one can reflect this idea as came into
being.

This relative clause translates literally, which was the
son of a night. The odd sounding clause was, in ancient
Israel, an idiomatic way of expressing age, i.e. the plant was
one night old (cf. Gen 5:32; Exod 7:7; 1 Sam 4:15).

Qal suff 3 m s. The normal pata of the second radical
lengthens to qme from the pause at the end of the verse.
And YHWH said, You yourself had pity for the plant for which you did
not labor over nor cultivate; it came into being overnight, and it perished
overnight.
Jonah 4:11

See 2:5.
The context of the verse indicates that it is a question, but the normal
interrogatives are missing. Still, there is grammatical warrant for an
interrogative meaning from the conjunction: The omission of the
interrogative is common after introducing an opposition . . . This
type of sentence is particularly frequent with a pronoun and
surprised, rhetorical questions (GBH 161a). Here the ww is
coupled with the independent personal pronoun, and again the
context indicates that it is a rhetorical question.
This is yet another instance where the pronoun is technically
superfluous, since the verb supplies the subject (I). As we have
seen earlier, the pronoun imparts an intensification, usually connoted
reflexively, e.g., I myself. This is the case here; but since YHWH is
comparing his capacity for pity with that of Jonah, the pronouns
emphasis conveys comparison rather than reflexiveness. The effect is
similar to the so-called qal wmer rhetoricIf X, how much more
Y,in rabbinic exegesis (the first of Hillels seven middoth; cf. Paul
86
CHAPTER 4
in Rom 11:12), i.e. if you pitied the plant, how much more should I
pity Nineveh?
Qal pref 1 c s ().
Prep (metaphorical/with verb of feeling, over, for, upon).

See 1:2.

Pr, initiating a relative clause (

) that provides a fact (the population count)
that is subordinate to the main clause (
) .

Ptcl of existence, there is/are.

Prep (spatial, in) + 3 f s ps.

Hiph inf abs (), to make numerous/great. Nominal use
of the infinitive absolute (rare), specifically as the predicate in
a nominal clause (cf. IBHS 35.3.3) and under the influence
of the following comparative mm, i.e. are more.

Prep (comparative, than) + adj f d con (), two.

Adj f s (), ten.

N f s, ten thousand, myriad, immense number. The word
is related with ,
and may be an Aramaic loanword (cf.
see the discussion in HALOT, s.v. ,
) .
The phrase is literally two-ten ten-thousand,

which works out to twelve times ten-thousand, or 120,000.

N m s. A collective singular (species), men.

Pr, initiating a second relative clause (

)that provides more information (Ninevehs
ignorance)
about
the
Ninevites
(

) .

Qal suff 3 m s. Characteristic use of the suffixed conjugation,
i.e. the action is typical of the subject in past and present.
Here, know.
Prep ( ; spatial, between).

N f s con (), right, right side, south; idiomatic for
right hand; + 3 m s ps. The antecedent of the pronominal
suffix is . The idea behind this referential idiom is that if
87
READING JONAH
one faced east, the right hand was to the south and the left
hand was to the north.
Prep (allative/spatial, with regard to, but, more
dynamically, and) + n m s con, left, left side, north;
idiomatic for left hand; + 3 m s ps. The antecedent of the
pronominal suffix is .
Conj + n f s. The noun is paired with

, i.e. 120,000 men . . . and cattle. The intervening
material is epexegetical to 120,000 men, so the addition of
also to this noun (and also many cattle) by many modern
translations is unnecessary.
Adj f s () .
So, shall I not look with compassion upon Nineveh, that great city; which
has in it 120,000 men, who do not know [the difference] between their
right hand and their left, and many cattle?
88
GLOSSARY
to perish
ground, land
to say
I
ship
I
nostril, nose, face; anger
who, which, what, where
you
beast, animal, cattle

to come, come in, go, go in
son
to go through, flee
great
(II. )Qal and Piel, to speak

word, thing, matter
fish
way, road, distance, journey; matter
to be, become, come to pass

temple, palace
to come, go, walk
to slaughter for sacrifice, to sacrifice
89
READING JONAH
sacrifice
this, these; such, such a one; he of; here, there
to rage
Qal, to cry, cry out, call; Hiph, to call, call out; have
proclamation made
to pity, look on with compassion

life, lifetime, life span
loyal love, steadfastness, goodness, kindness
to burn, be kindled; of anger
good
to cast, cast out
dry land, mainland

to know
YHWH, Yahweh, or LORD
day
Jonah
Hiph, to be friendly towards, deal well with, do good to
someone, do good, do well; adv. well, utterly
sea
to come/go out/forth
to fear
fear
to go down, descend
that, for, because, when

Piel, to cover, clothe, put on; Hithp, to cover, clothe oneself
night
90
GLOSSARY
what?, how?
a walk, journey
death
who?
Piel, to send, appoint, ordain
intestines, body, inner being, stomach
to declare, tell
to vow
Niph, to regret, be sorry, repent, console oneself
Nineveh
Hiph, to strike, smite
soul, living being, life; emotion; passion
to snatch away, deliver
to lift, raise
to give; set, place, lay
to encompass, enclose, envelope

to storm, rage
tempest, storm
Qal, to pass over/on/through/by; Hiph, to cause to pass over,

bring over; dedicate; cause to/let pass through; put off
city
Qal, to go up, ascend, climb; Hiph, to bring up, cause to
ascend, take away
to do, make, make from; put into effect; attach; give effect
to;, acquire; prepare, carry out, perform, work, toil; act,
behave, treat
to intercede, pray
91
READING JONAH

face
shade, shadow
holiness, apartness, sacredness

voice; sound
to rise, stand
a plant
to call, read, proclaim
to see
head
much, many, great
to fall into heavy sleep
breath; wind; spirit
evil, wickedness; misfortune, calamity, disaster
Qal, to turn back, return, turn away from, abandon; Hiph, to

cause to return, bring back; reverse
three
to be quiet, grow silent
Tarshish
92
REFERENCES
Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Narrative. Revised ed. New York: Basic
Books, 2011. Orig. publ., 1981.
De Rossi, G. B. Variae lectiones Veteris Testamenti. 4 vols. Parmae: Ex
Regio typographeo, 1784-1788. Repr., Amsterdam, 1969.
Dderlein, J. C., and J. H. Meisner. Biblia Hebraica. Lipsiae: Impensisi I.
G. I. Breitkopfii, 1993.
Ginsburg, C. D. . London, 1926. Repr., Jerusalem,
1970.
Hutter, M., and M. De Jonge. "Heaven (-)." Pages
388-90 in Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible . 2nd
ed. Edited by Karel van der Toorn, et al. Leiden: Brill, 1999.
Orig. pub. 1995.
Kennicott, B. Vetus Testamentum hebraicum cum variis lectionibus. 2
vols. Oxford: E. typographeo Clarendoniano, 1776-1780.
McCarter, P. Kyle, Jr. II Samuel: A New Translation with Introduction,
Notes, and Commentary. AB. Garden City, NY: Doubleday,
1984.
Mussies, G. "Wind-Gods." Pages 898-900 in Dictionary of Deities and
Demons in the Bible. 2nd ed. Edited by Karel van der Toorn, et
al. Leiden: Brill, 1999. Orig. pub. 1995.
Ross, Allen P. Introducing Biblical Hebrew. Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2001.
Sasson, Jack M. Jonah: A New Translation with Introduction,
Commentary, and Interpretation. AB. New York: Doubleday,
1990.
Stolz, Fritz. "Sea ." Pages 737-42 in Dictionary of Deities and Demons
in the Bible. 2nd ed. Edited by Karel van der Toorn, et al.
Leiden: Brill, 1999. Orig. pub. 1995.
Tucker, Dennis W., Jr. Jonah: A Handbook on the Hebrew Text. Waco,
TX: Baylor University Press, 2006.
93
READING JONAH
Watson, Wilfred G. E. Classical Hebrew Poetry: A Guide to Its
Techniques. JSOTSup 26. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press,
1984. Repr., 2001 (with corrections).
94

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READING JONAH: A GUIDE TO THE

Copyright 2013 by Charles L. Echols

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 1967/77 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft.

Text, Translation, and Notes

A PDF of Reading Ruth may be downloaded freely at

A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament . F.

Edited under the Supervision of M. E. J. Richardson. Leiden:

Sigla in the critical apparatus of BHS in the book of Jonah

Qal pret w/c 3 m s () , to be, come to pass. The preterite

word, thing, matter. undergoes

morpheme occurs so frequently that the Masoretes regarded

Now the word of YHWH came to Jonah, son of Amittai,

Qal impv m s, to rise, stand. The imperative is one of three

Prep (movement/termination, to).

Qal impv m s, to call, read, proclaim. Command use of the

Qal pret w/c 3 m s (). Adversative use of the conjunction

Qal act ptcp f s () , to come, go. Participles have

wage, + 3 f s ps. Direct object of . The

Conj + np. The conjunction is sequence, i.e. and or then,

N m s, tempest, storm. The syntax of is the

Qal pret w/c 3 m p (), to fear. Verbs that begin with

article, utensil, vessel, piece of

Prep (spatial, from) + prep (metaphorical/disadvantage,

Qal pret w/c 3 m s, to lie down.

Qal pret w/c 3 m s, to get closer, approach; come forward,

Niph ptcp m s (). Substantive use of the participle,

Prep (metaphorical/with verb governing object of interest,

Prep (, circumstances/agent, by) + pr ( )+ prep (,

Prep (allative/disadvantage, against) + 1 c p ps.

This preposition is metaphorical/disadvantage, against,

Prep (logical/simple dative, to) + 3 m s ps.

http://biblical-studies.ca/blog/category/series/. Accessed 27 February 2012.

Prep (allative/disadvantage, against) + 1 c p ps.

Pi + n f s con ( ) + 2 m s ps. The two words constitute a

Noun, gentilic, Hebrew.

It is thus tempting to classify

12]; 42:18). This type of adjective has been associated with

but they can also

Pi + pd. The pair are a nominal clause.

Conj. This is a (subordinate) causal clause that explains

Qal pref 1 c p. Deliberative use of the prefixed conjugation,

Qal ptcp m s ().

Qal impv m p (), to lift, raise, + 1 c s ps. Aphaeresis

Jack M. Sasson, Jonah: A New Translation with Introduction, Commentary,

Prep (, circumstantial/causal) + prep (, possession) + prep

Qal pret w/c 3 m p, to dig, row. The conjunction could be

The conjunction initiates a subordinate causal clause that

Qal pret w/c 3 m p ().

N m s, blood. A figure of speech, specifically a metonymy

Qal pret w/c 3 m p (). The initial nn has assimilated,

class theme vowel remains. This one word is an entire clause:

See 1:5 where it was remarked that most verbs beginning

Qal pret w/c 3 m p (), to slaughter for sacrifice, to

Piel pret w/c 3 m s (), to send, appoint, ordain. The

If one recalls that in Hebrew two vowels are separated by a consonant, it is

The cardinal numbers, 3-10, are substantives, but are

Hithp pret w/c 3 m s (), to intercede, pray. Benefactive

here is no pedantry on the part of the narrator. In the

as a third figure, viz.

I called, from my distress,

Hiph pret w/c 2 m s (), to throw, fling, cast, + 1 c s ps.

Explanation of the apparatus:

Conj + n m s, river, stream. A collective singular, i.e. the