Form and Meaning

This work is an investigation of the literary style of the biblical book of Jonah. Starting with a detailed analysis of word usage (repetition of words and phrases, the structure of individual chapters and of the book as a whole, the use of quotations from elsewhere in the Bible), it examines the relationship between these elements and the ideas the story itself conveys. Noting the wide diversity of opinion as to the character of Jonah and the purpose of the book, it demonstrates the sources of these ambiguities in the text itself and suggests a new approach to interpretation.