Jonah’s flight
Ronald Hanko provides an exegetical analysis of Jonah 1:3, examining the prophet's attempted flight from God's presence and what this reveals about God's omnipresence and covenantal relationship with Israel. Through careful attention to the Hebrew terms for "presence" and the divine name "Jehovah," Hanko demonstrates that Jonah's flight was not merely geographical but represented a rejection of God's special revelation and covenant standing with His people.
But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof and went down into it to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Jonah 1:3 Having received his commission, Jonah immediately repudiated it by fleeing the land of Israel and going not to Nineveh but to Joppa, where he took passage on a ship bound for Tarshish. Joppa is on the coast of Israel, a seaport now known as...
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