Imagery and Religious Conversion. The Symbolic Function of Jonah 1:13
Jonah 1:13 has a delaying function in the narrative, introducing a pause between Jonah's demand to be thrown in the sea (1:12) and the event's occurrence (1:15). Most commentators discuss only the events of 1:13 and their causes. In this article, I suggest an interpretation of Jonah 1:13 b...
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
MDPI
[2018]
|
In: |
Religions
Year: 2018, Volume: 9, Issue: 3, Pages: 1-9 |
RelBib Classification: | HB Old Testament |
Further subjects: | B
Theology
B Bible. Jona 1,13 B Jonah B biblical imagery B Religious Conversion B Old Testament |
Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | Jonah 1:13 has a delaying function in the narrative, introducing a pause between Jonah's demand to be thrown in the sea (1:12) and the event's occurrence (1:15). Most commentators discuss only the events of 1:13 and their causes. In this article, I suggest an interpretation of Jonah 1:13 based on the imagery of the narrative. An analysis of the use of metaphors and symbols does not replace the message of the verse; such an analysis simply augments it with motives of the seamen's conversion. Beside the narrative level, there is a hidden level suggesting a deeper understanding of the story where symbols and metaphors have a consolidating function. Distance, directions, and movement in Jonah 1 describe acts with religious connotation. At the same time, the physical action of rowing is a symbolic anticipation of the seamen's conversion. It contains a message about the inner itinerary that leads to the transformation of the sailors. Thereby, I suggest that Jonah 1:13 not only reveals YHWH's plan with Jonah but it also focuses on the sailors and their conversion. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 2077-1444 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Religions
|
Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3390/rel9030073 |