the candour of the history shows it to have been written by the person whose story it relates. It is true that the book does not profess to have been written by Jonah himself; but surely a Jewish writer, imbued with the national respect for the prophetical character, would never have allowed himself to exhibit a. seer in such an unfavourable light. - The bigotry, selfishness, petulance, and disobedience, which are so plainly attributed to Jona.h, could have been set forth by no one but by himself. His weak- nesses and errors are allowed to remain unexplained and unsoftened; the writer makes no attempt to put a favourable construction upon his failings; he leaves the prophet lying under God's reproof. Sn.rely no one but himself would have done this; no one but himself could have shown this unique impartiality, this holy indifference to men's praise or blame. The calm, dispassionate narrative betrays one who is telling the story of his own actions, accurately and humbly, in order to teach a great lesson. The personality is wholly absorbed in this design. He writes for the instruction of others. He records his own weaknesses and prejudices as a warning to other prophets who should be placed in like circumstances. If we can get over other difficulties connected with language, history, etc., we shall not be unreasonable in regarding Jonah as responsible for the narrative, though it may have been modified by a subsequent editor. We may thus regard the story as being the confession of his repentance, the token that he sincerely grieved for his fault, and desired to make a.mends by exhibit- ing it in its full heinousness with its punishment and consequences. We gather the character of Jonah from his own words and actions. He is narrow-minded and prejudiced; a bigoted patriot, incapable of taking a comprehensive view of his unexampled mission. He thinks more of himself and his own reputation than of the moral good of those :to whom he is sent ; he would rather let the heathen perish than see them repent and spared, and so bring discredit upon his prediction. So that his pro- phecy held good, he cared nothing for the fate of the Ninevites ; compared with the maintenance of the veracity of the prophetical utterance, the overthrow of a heathen city was of small account. Instead of at once obeying, he reasons and looks to consequences. With the utmost trust in God's mercy and loving-kindness, he is not satisfied with blindly follow- ing the Divine leading, but must interpose his own self-willed action, as thongh he had more zeal for God's honour than God himself had. It is not, perhaps, fear for his own safety that holds him back. He is bold enough to be willing to inC111' death as an atonement for his fault. But in his eager desire to uphold the honour of God, he shrinks from e. task which may give occasion for the heathen to exult over a God who three.tens but does not strike. Yet, with all hie faults, his narrow insularity, hie rash impetuosity, his hasty anger, Jonah's is e. grand chare.cter, e.nd may be compared with that of St. Peter, which in many respects it greatly resembles. His faults were those of his er&. and his country; his virtues were such as God loves in every age, such as we Christiane do well to TUE nooK OF JONAH. vii
learn e,nd to emulate. We may grieve for his self-will and capriciousness e,nd bigotry; we me,y strive to imitate his truth and honesty, his con.rage and zeal. § III. DATE. The date of the historical Prophet Jonah is determined chiefly by internal evidence. We have seen that he is the prophet whose message is mentioned in 2 Kings xiv. 25. Speaking of Jeroboam II., the historian says, "He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher." Of this "word" we have no further knowledge; but it seems to have been uttered or remembered at a time of great national distress; for the account proceeds {vers. 26, 27), "For the Lord saw the afiliction of Israel, that it was very bitter: for there was not any shut up, nor left at large, nor was there any helper for Israel. And the Lord said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash." Whether the afiliction named belongs to Jeroboam's time or to a. period antecedent, it is plain that Jonah prophesied either in the very early part of that king's reign or before his accession. The date of Jeroboam's reign, as now corrected by .Assyrian chronology, is B.C. 799-759, or, as others say, B.C. 790-749; and he seems to have won his great victories over the Syrians soon after he came to the throne, when that people were weakened by the constant •attacks of the Assyrians. The state of things depicted in ver. 26 of the ahove-cited chapter is found to have existed in the time of J ehoahaz, when the King of Syria oppressed the Israelites : " Neither did he leave of the people to Jehoahaz but fifty horsemen, and ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen; for the King of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by threshing" (2 Kings xiii. 4, 7). Such a crisis called for an assurance of God's protection; and it may well be believed that the prophecy of Jonah was then uttered to comfort the despairing people in their dire necessity. It' is thn.s parallel to the celebrated pre- diction of Elisha, when, in his last sickness, he sent for Joash, the father of Jeroboam, and gave him promise of three victories over the Syrians (2 Kings xiii. 14--19). Probably after Elisha's death Jonah came into greater prominence ea a prophet of the Lord, and his words were treasured up and remembe1·ed, From these considerations we are warranted in setting his date at B.o. 800 or a little earlier, among the first of the minor prophets, somewhat senior to Amos and Hosea, As to the time of his arrival in Nineveh, nothing oan be exaotly settled. The Assyrian annals record no event which throws light on the matter. From n.o. 810 to 781 the throne was occupied by Vul-nirari, or Iva-lush, or Rimmon-nirari, as his name is variously read by different interpreters. This monarch made various military expeditions, whioh he recounts in his yjij INTRODUCTION TO