Obadiah hopes only in general for a day of judgment from Jehovah, and the return of the exiles. (verses 15, 20.) Accordingly, Obadiah wrote later, and made use of Jeremiah from recollection. It is probable the book received its present place in the canon, on account of the reference to Edom, in Amos ix. 12."

[It is difficult to determine the literary character of a prophet who has left us so few lines. However, he is not wanting in strength or vivacity. His language is pure, and his thoughts noble. Theocratic arrogance, and national antipathy towards foreign nations, are too obvious to be denied. Yet his hatred towards other nations is not so deep and deadly as that of some of his younger contemporaries. In style, he resembles the better and more elevated passages of Jeremiah and Zephaniah. Sometimes his figures are bold and striking. (verses 4, 18.) He is fond of questions; and, for the sake of emphasis, repeats a thought in a different form. (verses 12—14.)]

V. JONAH.

§ 236.

CHARACTER OF THE BOOK, JUDGING FROM ITS CONTENTS.

Among works which are prophecies, in the proper sense of the word, there is one small book in the collec

a

See Schnurrer, 1. c. p. 432.

Jo. Gerhardi Annotatt. in Proph. Am. et Jon.

Jonas illustratus per paraph. Chald., Masoram m. et p. et per trium præ

tion of the twelve minor Prophets, which is a mere narrative. The hero of the book is Jonah, the son of Amittai, and is probably the same who is mentioned in 2 Kings xiv. 25. This narrative is certainly not a true history; but, on the other hand, it is not a mere fiction." It is probable the materials were derived from popular

stantiss. Rabb., S. Jarchi, Abr. Aben Esræ, Dav. Kimchi, Textum punctat., ut et per Michlal Jophi Textum non punctat. nec non per varias Notas philol., Auct. Joa. Leusden; Traj. 1692.

Jo. Theoph. Lessing, Observatt. in Vatic. Jonæ et Nahumi; Chemn. 1780. Curarum crit. et exeg. in LXX-viralem Vers. Vaticiniorum Jonæ Spec. i. ii. iii. Auct. Jo. G. Chr. Hoepfner; Lips. 1787, 1788, 4to.

Der Proph. Jonas übers. u. mit erklär. Anmerkk. herausgeg. von H. A. Grimm; Düsseld. 1798.

Ex Michlal Jophi

......

part. complect. Prophet. Jona.

"The following authorities favor the opinion that it is a real history: 3 Macc. vi. 8. [?] Josephus, Ant. ix. 10, 2. Budleus, Hist. Eccles. V. T. vol. ii. p. 589, sqq. J. B. Lüderwald, Uber Allegorie und Mythologie in d. Bibel; 1787, 8vo. Griesdorf, Diss. i. ii. de verosimillima Libr. Jona interpretandi Ratione; Viteb. 1794, 4to. Th. C. Piper, Diss. Historiam Jonæ a recentiorum Conatibus vindicatam sistens; Gryph. 1786, 4to. J. H. Verschuir, Diss. de Argumento Lib. Jonæ ejusque Veritate hist., in his Opuscula, ed. Lohze; Ultraj. 1811, 8vo. Steudel, in Bengel's Archiv. vol. ii. p. 401, sqq. Reindl, Sendung d. Proph. Jonas; Bamb. 1826. Sack, Apologetik, p. 345, sqq. Hengstenberg, Kirchenzeitung; 1834, No. 27, sqq. Laberenz, De Vera Lib. Jonæ, Interp.; Fulda, 1836. (See Jäger, On the Moral and Religious Design of Jonas, in Tub. Theol. Zeitschrift; 1840, vol. i. p. 62, sqq.) Some explain it as a history, and maintain,

1. That it has taken a mythical form: Thaddeus, Sendungsgeschichte der Proph. Jonae; Bonn, 1786, 4to. Goldhorn, Excurse z. B. Jona; 1803, p. 28, sqq. Bauer, Einleit. 3d ed. p. 489, sqq.; his Hebrew Mythology, vol. ii. p. 213. Friedrichsen, Krit. Uberblick. der merkwürdigsten Ansichten d. B. Jona; 1817, 8vo. 219, sqq., 238, sqq.

2. The supposition that it contains a dream: Grimm, Uebersetz, p. 61, sqq. 3. The supposition that the language has been perverted: Anton, Von der alten Tonkunst Hebraer. in Paulus, N. Rep. vol. iii. p. 36, sqq.

4. The opinion it is an allegory: Less, on the historical style of antiquity, in his Vermischte Schriften, vol. i. p. 161, sqq. Palmer, On Jonah in the Whale, in Scheerer's Archiv. vol. i. pt. i. p. 93, sqq. See Bertholdt, p. 2364, sqq., and Rosenmüller, Prol. in Jon. p. 346, sqq.

legends, and wrought over, with the design of making a didactic work. However, it cannot be proved from Ps. ii. 3, sqq., and Tob. xiv. 4, that facts from the actual history of Jonah lie at the foundation of the work, as some maintain. This fact remains certain, that the book was written for a moral end. We must not, however, insist on a rigorous unity in the means which the author uses to attain this end. The most prominent doctrine of it lies, incontestably, in the fact that God

• Some consider the narrative as historical allegory: Hermann von der Hardt, Enigmata prisci Orbis. Jonas in Luce in Hist. Manassis et Josiæ; Helmstadt, 1723, fol.; and in his work, Jonas in Carcharia, Israel in Carcathio Kerta; 1718. (Comp. Rosenmüller, 1. c. p. 388, sqq.) Some take it as a moral fiction: Semler, Apparat. ad Lib. V. T. Interprct. p. 271. Michaelis, Uebersetz d. A. T. pt. xi. Anmerk. p. 101. Herder, Briefe, vol. i. p. 136, 2d ed. Niemeyer, Characteristik d. B. vol. v. Eichhorn, § 577, a. Stäudlin, N. Beiträge, p. 224, sqq. Hezel, Bibel. d. A. und N. T. vol. vii. p. 129, sqq. Paulus; Memorab. vol. vi. p. 32, sqq. G. A. Müller, in Paulus, ibid. vol. vi. p. 124, sqq. Augusti, Einleit. § 223, 1st ed. (Comp. § 224, 2d ed.) Meyer, Hermeneutik. d. A. T. vol. ii. p. 574, sqq. Böhme, in Illgen's Zeitschrift; 1836, vol. i. p. 195, sqq.

There is a mythus of Hesione, the daughter of Laomedon, whotn Hercules delivered from a sea-monster, in Diodorus Sic. iv. 42, Apollodorus, ii. 5, § 9-12, and, with later additions, by Tzetzes ad Lycophron, Cassand., verse 33: Στὰς ὁπλισμένος παρὰ τὸ στομίον, ὡς κεχηνὸς ἐπῄει τὸ κῆτος, ἀθρόως τῷ τούτου ἐμπεπήδηκε στόματι. Τρισὶ δὲ ἡμέραις ἔνδοθεν κατακόπτων αὐτὸ ἐξῆλθεν, ἀποβεβληκὼς τὴν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλῆς τρίχωσιν. See, also, Cyrill. Alexand. in Jon. c. ii. Isaac Porphyrogenitus, in Posthomeric. in Allat. Excerpta var. p. 274. Eudocia, p. 344.

A mythus of Andromeda, Plin. v. 13. Bochart, Hieroz. ii. 743. Rosenmüller, p. 354. Gesenius, A. L. Z. 1813, xxiii. p. 177, sqq. Friedrichsen, p. 237. Forbiger, Comment. de Lycophron. Cassand. verse 31-37. Cum Epimetro de Jona; Lips. 1827. Anton, Comp. Libb. sac. V. T. et Script. profan. pt. x.; 1831, p. 7. Krahmer, Das Buch Jonas; 1839, p. 47, sqq. The story of Jonah has a certain resemblance to the legends of Elijah, especially with 1 Kings xix. Goldhorn refers to this. The combination of the history of Jonah with the mythus of Oannes, which Baur has made in Symbol," in Illgen's Zeit

his "The Prophet Jonas an Assyrio-Babylonian

schrift for 1837, p. 101, sqq., is peculiar to him. Comp. Jäger, 1. c. p. 145.

forgave a heathen people, and remitted the punishment intended, in consequence of their repentance. Therefore this is distinguished from the other theocratical books by its universal religious character. "This prophecy is written," says Kimchi, on i. 1, "that it may be a lesson to the Jews; for a foreign nation, which was not of Israelitish descent, was inclined to repent, as soon as the prophet had accused and convinced them of their sin; and with perfect penitence they turned from their wickedness, while the Israelites had not repented, and turned from their impiety, though the prophets had accused them, both early and late. Accordingly, the book is designed to teach, also, that God-to whom be glory-will spare the penitent, of whatsoever nation they are, and will pardon them, especially if they are numerous.” a

§ 237.

ITS LITERARY CHARACTER.

The opinion that the book is composed of several distinct pieces, cannot be maintained. However, the hymn (ii. 3-10) is very improperly borrowed from Taken by itself, it must be ex

some other source."

According to Jäger, the author had also this special design, to justify the policy of God in sparing Nineveh, (Babylon.) See Knobel, vol. ii. p. 375, sqq. Böhme thinks it teaches the hatefulness of the Hebrews before God, and other nations. Krahmer (p. 65, sqq.) thinks it refers to the Jewish colony, and its relation to the Samaritans. But these conjectures cannot find much favor.

See Müller, in Paulus, Mem. vol. vi. p. 167, sqq., and Nachtigall, on the book of Jonah, in Eichhorn, Allg. Bib. vol. ix. p. 221, sqq.

The following are the principal peculiarities of the language: ; i. 6.

plained in the same manner as Ps. lxix. 1, 2, and 15, which is borrowed from Ps. xviii. 5, and xlii. 7.

a; i. 12., deposuit; iii. 6.
1977; ii. 1, iii. 6, sqq. ; iii. 7. 17; iv. 11.
Chap. iii. 9, is an imitation of Joel ii. 14; and iv. 8, of

[The hymn is placed below, with its parallel passages:— 2." I cried in my distress to Jehovah,

5 "The waters compassed me about, The waters come even to my life.”