Ap English Essay After Jonah

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(4:6) After Jonah has sat down outside the city to see whether God would destroy it, God “appoints” מָנָהָ a plant to grow up over Jonah and his shelter to deliver him from רָָעָה. Many translate this as “trouble” or “distress,” but it seems most prudent to allow terms to remain consistent in meaning throughout the text.10 The best translation for the author‟s purpose seems to be “evil.” The author utilizes the repetition of the verbal root רָָעָה for an express reason, especially in Jonah 4. Though the term describes Nineveh, in 1:7, in 4:1 and 4:6 they describe
Jonah. Stylistically, the author portrays God as the one that “appoints” different aspects of creation to redeem, or deliver, what “evil” has befallen. In Jonah 1 and 2, God …show more content…

rather, why God intercedes at all. In Jonah, God intercedes (“appoints”) to deliver from “evil.” What the reader should see here is that the author uses this repetition to draw the audience in once more to the irony of Jonah‟s position. God is using the Jews to reach the nations, to reconcile them to God, but he does not need the Jews to do so. This is heavily proven by God‟s use of nature to restore …show more content…

Jonah is not fully delivered by the plant, however as a simple change in mood does not solve Jonah‟s problem. (4:7–8) The second part of Jonah‟s deliverance from evil is the worm and the east wind.
The worm killed the plant, and the east wind brought hot and non-precipitating weather causing Jonah pain and frustration, so much that he desires death. This scene, though, is confusing considering the fact that Jonah had previously built a “booth” or “shelter” for the purpose of obtaining shade. What did the small plant add that would have been so joy-giving? The most likely answer is that of the joy that must have been received by temperate weather and an unsolicited gift (plant). Jonah thought highly of the plant though it represented nature running its course. The likelihood exists that the 2T Jewish audience would have recognized the plant, the worm and the east wind as natural occurrences in the near east. Stuart also suggests that
Jonah‟s faintness and desire to die alludes to a common psychological condition, though this is arguably irrelevant to the point of the story, it serves as a reminder of the region and climate of

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