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connection with the prophet Jonah, the son of Amittai, as its author. And, as Bleek has
pointed out, the book does not anywhere mention Jonah himself as the actual writer of it,
at least, in its present form. On the question of the historical character of its details, or
else of its being only a great prophetic allegory, founded, however, on a substratum of
historical fact, we do not feel called upon here to enter. In either case the point would not
affect its Divine authority, its reality, or its lessons.
It is not only that it points to a preaching of repentance to the Gentiles also, and to their
ingathering with believing Israel into the family of God, but the circumstances of the time
give it a special meaning. From apostate, morally sunken Israel, such as we have learned
to know it from the descriptions of the prophets, Jonah, the very messenger who had
announced coming deliverance to Jeroboam, turns by Divine commission to the Gentiles:
to that great world-empire which was representative of them. And from this comes to us a
fresh and deeper meaning in regard to the application of this history by our Lord
(Matthew 12:39-41; 16:4; Luke 11:29-32). It had been "a wicked and adulterous
generation" of old that had heard the prophecy of Jonah, and understood not the sign; nor
was other sign to be given to it. So would it be to those who heard and saw the Christ, yet
craved after other "sign" suited to their unbelief. None other than the sign of Jonah would
be theirs - yet even this, "a sign" sufficient in itself (Matthew 12:40), a sign also not only
of judgment, but of wider mercy (Matthew 12:41).
(^)