Jonah: God's Scandalous Mercy

by Kevin J. Youngblood, Daniel I. Block

Hearing the Message of A Commentary on the Old Testament With careful analysis and interpretation rooted in a study of Hebrew, this addition to the Hearing the Message of Scripture series tracks the flow of argument in the Old Testament book of Jonah, showing that how a biblical author says something is just as important as what they say. Through a set of distinctive features, the Hearing the Message of Scripture series serves pastors and teachers in their study of the Old Testament, helping them better understand and better convey the meaning behind each biblical text. Key features A Graphical Display of the Text of Each Passage , enabling readers to grasp quickly and accurately the main idea of the text, its development, and supporting ideas; and allowing them to understand how the commentator arrived at this depiction and interpretation of the passage. Identification and Discussion of the Main Idea of Each Passage , with a special emphasis on identifying and discussing the main thrust of each passage and showing how it contributes to the development of the whole composition. Help in Drawing Out the Meaning of the Hebrew for Interpretation , drawing on Hebrew grammar in the service of meaning. Theological and Canonical Significance ,providing a theological and applicational discussion of the main thrust of the passage, synthesizing the theology of the passage and elaborating on it.

Genres: Old Testament

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 28, 2014

Reviews

[Spencer R]

Full review https://spoiledmilks.com/2015/07/18/r...
This series looks at the flow of the text to discover the author’s “theological agenda” and what they tried to communicate to their audience(9).

Youngblood’s look at the historical context, though brief, is helpful in putting Jonah in his historical place. Youngblood gives a reason for the lack of historical details in Jonah, unlike other OT prophetic books. It’s simply not the author’s purpose. We don’t need to know when this was, who the ‘king of Nineveh’ was, or why/how the people repented so easily. What the text tells us is that God’s word prevailed. We need to look at what the text says and not what we wish it said.
The look at discourse analysis fills up what has been lacking in many commentaries.

Recommended?
This is an excellent commentary to use for studying Jonah. If a book has the ability to encourage you to read and teach God’s Word, it’s probably worth getting. And this one is.

[Jonathan Ginn]

This is an excellent, excellent commentary on the book of Jonah. Two of its greatest strengths are (1) that it utilizes rhetorical and discourse analysis to study the Hebrew text of Jonah and break down its literary macro- and microstructures, and (2) that it offers significant biblical-theological reflections that consider how Jonah fits into its surrounding canonical context. This combination of incisive exegesis and insightful biblical theology is quite rare to find in most commentaries these days.

[Dustin Bagby]

By far the best commentary I read in our series through Jonah. Highly recommend this one!

[Nathaniel Martin]

Really good.

[Larry Hiday]

Amazing! The understanding of the beauty of this piece of literature is awe-filled!

[Jimmy]

Jonah is one of my favorite books in the Bible. I preached through this book two years ago and I learned a lot from it. So in picking up this new commentary that just came out, I was looking for a work that can get more insights from the text beyond what previous commentaries have pointed out. This commentary didn’t disappoint—as a matter of fact, I learned a lot of new things about the book of Jonah as a result of reading this book. At this time I would say that this commentary tops them all.
The author interacts with other major books and articles on the book of Jonah. The author did a good job with the introduction which on my Kindle indicates that it made up eighteen percent of the book. There is a lot that is pack in those eighteen percent! This is the first volume in a new Old Testament commentary series published by Zondervan and the editor aims to make it not just a typical exegetical commentary but one that engages with the text using the tools of discourse analysis, analysis of literary forms, canonical criticism (specifically, the canonical significance of a passage) and insights from inter-textuality. This commentary is also immensely rich with exegetical insights one expect from a traditional exegetical commentary such as lexical details and grammatical observations.
What were some of the things that I learned from this commentary? Since there are too many examples I will stick only to some of the highlights in the first two chapter of the book of Jonah. One literary device the author noted that I haven’t noticed before in the book of Jonah was the use of suppression of historical and geographical detail as a rhetorical device. Two years ago when I went through Jonah 1:3 in the Hebrew I was stuck with why there is a third person feminine singular suffix for the word fare when I was thinking of Jonah as the referent (therefore should be third person masculine singular) but the author made a good point that this was referring to the ship and therefore one must not miss that Jonah was so desperate to leave God that he paid for the whole ship’s fare. The author also made the observation that the Hebrew verb for “go” (boa) is used in the story for opposing the movement of God as oppose to other verbs of motion which serves to imply Jonah’s unrighteous heart whenever the word appears. Youngblood also noted that the adjective “big” appears in the book twelve times and always with reference to obstacles to Jonah and his wishes. The author also advanced the latest view that Hesed which is typically translated as “loving kindness” actually does not refer to covenantal love but instead to action and attitude of love beyond the call of duty. The book also made me change my position concerning the prayer of Jonah in chapter two which I originally believed was a prayer of repentance; but the author Youngblood argues that it’s otherwise and quite conclusively I must say.
Whether one is a season exegete or a new student to Biblical Hebrew, this work will be fun, challenging and informative. If you are going to go through Jonah in great details you need this work.
NOTE: This book was provided to me free by Zondervan Academic and Net Galley without any obligation for a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

[Chris]

Jonah is a book in the bible that almost everyone can read in one sitting and certainty one of the most read minor prophets. Written in a narrative format, Jonah can be easily understood by the young and the old.

Kevin J. Youngblood has written a commentary to help pastors tackle this minor prophet exegetically. The commentary is spilt into 3 portion, first Youngblood gives us his own translation for the book of Jonah. Next, he gives the customary introductory materials you often see in commentaries and finally, the commentary on the text of Jonah.

What I found helpful within this commentary is how it helps to crystallise the text into a main sentence. I have found that often when I try to exegete a passage, I want to know if I am getting the right picture, and this certainly helps me check to see if I’m a similar path with the author.

A 2nd feature that I found very helpful in this commentary is how they highlight the structure of the book of Jonah. I must say this is one area I often overlook when studying a passage, and I am thankful for Youngblood for pointing out these structure, and highlighting the important points the literary structure wants to bring out.

If you are looking out for a verse-by-verse commentary on the book of Jonah, I would certainly recommend you to take a look at this commentary, or even to buy and use it. Do note that you would need to have a working knowledge of hebrew to be able to fully utilise it. But, even as one who does not have any knowledge of hebrew, I found it helpful in my own study of Jonah.

Rating: 4.25 / 5

Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Dan]

This is one of the first commentary books in a new series titled, "Hearing the Message of Scripture a Commentary on the Old Testament." I received a copy of this book from Zondervan asking for an honest review of the material.

If the entire series they are planning is as good as this book then I will be very happy to start buying a new set of commentaries. Why do I like it?

1. It is written by Conservative Christian Scholars who stick to the Bible and believe it is The Word of God and useful for teaching and leading the Christian in their daily walk.

2. It is formatted in a way that I find useful. It gives an explanation of the section of scripture, gives historical and doctrinal background and then provides an outline form to help you catch the full meaning of the text.

3. It is not written 'over the head' of the layperson. It does have it's scholarly insights and gives uses of the original language, but it is not such that a layperson would feel lost and unable to comprehend the structure and dialogue of the text.

The insights that you will gain from this commentary are plentiful. If you read this while your Pastor is leading you through a study of the book you will find the additional information a good preparation study for you to get the most out the sermons that you will hear.

If you are writing the sermon, well the commentary will provide you some points to ponder as you wrestle with the text and seek to teach your flock what they need to learn from the Lord through this Old Testament book.

All in all, this is a great start to a new commentary series.

[DelAnne Frazee]

Title: Jonah - God's Scandalous Mercy
Author: Kevin J. Youngblood
Published: 1-28-15
Publisher: Zonderville Academic
Pages: 192
Genre: Bible Books
Sub Genre: Reference; Christian; Religion and Spirituality
ISBN: 9780310282990
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley

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The book of Jonah is known by many if for no other reason than through the story of Jonah being swallowed by the whale, but there is more to learn for Jonah than just the childhood biblical story. Delve into the questions of: Why did God turn against the people of Nineveh? Why He later change His mind and rescind their destruction? Why did Jonah run as far away from Nineveh as he could against God's wishes?


Jonah was one of the lesser known prophets of the Bible, but has a big message to tell. Kevin J Youngblood and Daniel I Block traverse through the passages deciphering the meaning of the verses and the warning God was giving. God is merciful, but He is also a protective parent of his chosen children. This book answers many questions readers of the Bible occasionally have and help teachers show students the beauty of the book.


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[Jeanie]

A rich deep study of the Old Testament book of Jonah, you will be blessed with a study rich in context and a study of word structure. This study is complete.

The story of Jonah is not about the whale, or Jonah or even the city of Nineveh. It is however, about God and how divine mercy and divine justice interact without cancelling each other out. I am like Jonah more than I thought before and it is the reconciliation of justice and mercy. Jonah struggled with how God could show mercy to the very enemy of his chosen people. With symbolism in the account of Jonah, the escaping to the sea and Jonah then going to the desert, both environments symbolize chaos and death in biblical thought and correspond to Jonah’s spiritual state.

God also uses the whale and the plant to show mercy to Jonah while Jonah resists the mercy and misunderstands God’s redemptive purposes. The study goes in depth of the contrasting accounts of Elijah and Jonah. The similarities of God work for the Jewish nation and the contrasting responses of both prophets. How one understands and the other misunderstands.

A special thank you to Zondervan and Netgalley for ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Lindsay John Kennedy]

Full review is here http://wp.me/p2YKx0-1xl

Jonah is a profoundly rich commentary. Sure, there aren’t complex word studies, redactional criticism, or sermon illustrations, but none of these are part of this series’ intention. Paying attention to the literary strategies of the biblical authors is surely the way forward and Youngblood offers that in spades. Our first task ought to be understanding the biblical text first and foremost on its own terms, through paying close attention to its own structure and being shaped by its own agendas. Then the work of application and preaching can be built on a solid foundation. For this reason, any serious student, pastor or teacher will greatly benefit from picking this up. I read it in my own devotional time and profited immensely from it.

I am not overstating the case when I say that if all commentaries in the Hearing the Message of Scripture series live up to the quality of Youngblood’s Jonah (and Block’s Obadiah, for that matter), then the entire series will be priceless. So you need to collect the whole set!

[Many thanks to Zondervan Academic for providing a review copy. Their generosity has not affected my review.]

[Clint Boyd]

Excellent commentary, however, I am biased because I have Dr. Youngblood as a professor. Nevertheless, he picks up on some essential elements of the structure of Jonah that have previously been overlooked in scholarship. As he admits, the book of Jonah is one of seemingly endless commentary with its parallelisms and uniqueness.

Youngblood's work is very helpful for preachers and teachers; all sections conclude with remarks regarding each passage's relevance for today's church as well as its canonical significance in the old and new testaments.

[❀Aimee❀ Just one more page...]

I received a free digital copy for review.

This Bible study is best for those who have gone to school to study theology, or people who are looking for deep scriptural study.

This study has several unique detailed explanations of scripture, context, and history. I found several interesting ideas that will stick with me.

There were a few sections that I skimmed because it was either a bit over my head or dry (but this was only a few sections).

I came out of this with several new ideas and nuggets to remember.

[Benjamin Davenport]

Excellent commentary. Very detailed, yet the information is all very relevant to the Biblical Theology of Jonah. This is a masterpiece and required reading for anyone preaching on Jonah. Conservative for the most part, with a few minor glitches/ambiguities (e.g. his section on God changing His mind).