Abstract
The book of Jonah in the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible remains one of the most well-known books in the entire Bible. The book tells the captivating story of an unwilling prophet who, as a result of his refusal to be a prophet called by YHWH to the Ninevites, was swallowed by a big fish but survived the incident after spending three days in the belly of the enormous fish. Old Testament scholars have never ceased to be fascinated by this book. A steady stream of publications on the book probing new and different interpretations can be noted year after year.
Recently, the study of trauma and trauma theory has become a notable trend in Old Testament / Hebrew Bible studies. It is interesting, for instance, to note that the most recent congress of the Old Testament Society of South Africa, hosted at Unisa in 2024, was presented with the theme of “Migration, war, trauma and sacred texts”. The book of Jonah, in particular, has been subjected to investigation through the lens of trauma. There is little doubt that Jonah suffered physical trauma. To bluntly disobey a prophetic calling from YHWH and decide to flee from YHWH by boarding a ship to take him to a destination as far away as possible from the presence of the God who had called him to prophesy to the Ninevites would have been nothing but an experience of physical trauma. To experience a storm at sea so severe that even seasoned sailors became afraid that they might perish would have added to the prophet’s experience of physical trauma. To be thrown overboard into the sea, which “grew even wilder than before” (Jonah 1:13), facing a certain death, would have been nothing but trauma. Furthermore, then to be swallowed by a big fish and survive the incident after three days would have amounted to severe trauma. Trauma is often described as coming face to face with death itself, and that is exactly what happened to Jonah in the belly of the fish. In the last chapter of the book it is said that Jonah “was greatly displeased and became angry” (4:1). A few verses later he expresses the wish to die – “for it is better for me to die than to live” (4:3) – and the last time we read something about what Jonah said, he repeats his death wish: “I am angry enough to die” (4:9). Once again, to come face to face with the reality of death is an experience of trauma.
Contributions were also made by reading the book through the lens of a postcolonial trauma framework. Focus was placed on the material wounds brought about by colonialisation, locality in remembering the colonial period, and the role collective memory plays in the individual as part of a community.
In this contribution the lens of trauma is narrowed down to theological trauma. No evidence could be found of an investigation of theological trauma experienced by Jonah. Theological trauma refers to the concept and experience of God by someone (in this case Jonah) and how exactly this is the cause of trauma for the person involved. When someone’s concept and experience of God are in conflict with the action or lack of action from God in reality, theological trauma is the result. Where there is tension between what is apparently happening in the realm of history and a group’s or an individual’s concept of God, one may speak of theological trauma. This, then, is the research problem investigated in this contribution: How can Jonah’s theological trauma be described? Jonah, as a prophet, does have a knowledge and concept of God in his mind, which is in tension with his experience of God. The method to be followed to provide an answer to this problem is to focus on the literary characteristics of the text combined with the historical background of the post-exilic period during the late Persian rule over the province of Yehud.
Jonah is a prophet called by YHWH. As a prophet, he has a particular concept of who God is and what God does. Jonah is well acquainted with YHWH, “the God of heaven who made the sea and the land” (Jonah 1:9). He is well aware of God as the God of creation, a tradition that became particularly important in exilic and post-exilic times in Judah. Jonah’s concept of God is also seen in his prayer to YHWH in Jonah 4:2: “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” This confession serves as a reminder of one of the most important statements made about who YHWH is in the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible (Ex 34:6–7) and is repeated several times in other parts of Scripture as well (Pss 85:15; 103:8; 145:8; Joel 2:13; Neh. 9:17; Num. 14:18). Apart from the confessions Jonah makes about who God is, he does what is expected of a prophet: He prays (2:1–9; 4:2); he delivers a prophecy (3:4); he enters into a direct conversation with God, where God answers him (4:3–10). Jonah also has an experience of his calling to be a prophet (1:1–3; 3:1–3), and he also has first-hand experience of YHWH’s salvific acts in his personal life and in what happened to the Ninevites.
This, however, is the cause of theological trauma for Jonah. Jonah, despite his confession that YHWH is the creator of the sea and the land, attempts to flee from this God. It is also noteworthy that Jonah identifies himself first of all as a Hebrew and then as one who worships YHWH. To be a Hebrew is more important than to act as a prophet telling the people about who God is. There is a tension between Jonah’s correct confession of who God is and, at the same time, his opposition to this very God, who, because God is the creator of the sea and the land, may bestow God’s grace upon whomever God wishes to do so.
In Jonah 2, theological trauma is also present. What Jonah knows and confesses about YHWH is in conflict with Jonah’s actions. Jonah tries to flee from the God who is the creator of the heaven and the earth, but it is impossible to do so. It is from the furthest point away from God that Jonah has to call on God to come and rescue him from a certain death. This conflict between Jonah’s confession and what he tried but failed to accomplish amounted to theological trauma.
Jonah’s theological trauma is further illustrated in his reaction to the conversion of the king and people of Nineveh. In Jonah 4:1, Jonah is described as being “greatly displeased and angry”. Jonah is well aware of the fact that God is “a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity”, according to his own testimony in Jonah 4:2. When God then acted in accordance with who God is, Jonah is not at all satisfied. This is the cause of theological trauma for Jonah. Theological trauma for Jonah means that God acts according to the revelation of who God is and what God does, as was said in Exodus 34:6–7. When it then happens in this way, Jonah becomes “greatly displeased and angry” (4:2). Jonah blames God for his grace and compassion, that God is slow to anger and abounding in love. The result of all this is theological trauma.
In the last verses of the book, Jonah’s theological trauma becomes so intense that it amounts to a death wish. For Jonah, it is better to die rather than live. In this sense, Jonah’s theological trauma remains unresolved. Jonah’s theological trauma means that God remains who God is. God acts in accordance with the century-old confessions about God. That God remains God is unacceptable to Jonah, and he is consequently deeply disappointed with God and God’s gracious actions towards the people of Nineveh. This is the theological trauma Jonah has to suffer.
Present-day believers also have a concept of and confessions about who God is and how God ought to act. God is, however, infinitely more than the concepts human beings may have of God. Present-day believers may also have an experience of theological trauma when the concept or expectations they might have of God differs from the reality of everyday life.
Keywords: Jonah; literary reading; research overview; theological trauma; trauma theory
- This article’s featured image was created by Robert Clark and obtained from Pexels.