The prayer of an angry prophet (Jon 4:2−3)

Abstract

The article presents a study of the literary prophecy expressed in the words of Jonah’s second prayer (Jon 4:2−3). The purpose is to interpret the record of the prayer, which explains Jonah’s attitude towards God, especially his anger over God’s mercy on the Ninevites. After providing information about the literary and theological peculiarities of the book and the time of its composition, the place of the prayer in the content structure of the book and the structure of the prayer itself are discussed. The subject of analysis is the intertextual relations of the words and expressions of Jonah’s prayer with other statements and passages of the Old Testament. The study culminates in an attempt to read the message expressed in the text of the prayer. The analyses show that the first addressees of the record of Jonah’s prayer, who were the Judeans of the 3rd century B.C., received in this text an actualization of the truth about the graciousness and mercy of God YHWH and their calling to participate in God’s work of showing kindness also to strangers and even enemies.