The content of Jonah's prophecy, which is described in the usual terms of ‘the word of YHWH', is depicted as being that YHWH wanted the wickedness of Nineveh to be brought to the attention of its people. We learn later that this was because He intended to destroy it (Jonah 3:2; Jonah 3:4), but was giving prior warning so that they might have an opportunity to consider their ways. This is typical of a God Who would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah without giving it its opportunity, even sending angelic messengers among them in order to give them a chance to discover the truth (Genesis 18-19); Who delayed judgment on the Canaanites for ‘four generations' in order to see if they would turn from their ways (Genesis 15:16), and Who gave Egypt every opportunity to escape judgment if only they would release His people. Every plague, until the final ones, was a new offer of mercy.
But the working out of the whole prophecy demonstrates that YHWH is ready to show mercy on all who truly repent, whether they be foreign mariners, a disobedient prophet or a sinful Nineveh. And in the final chapter the reasonableness of this is underlined. It is the main purpose of the prophecy to bring out this message.
Analysis of Jonah 1:1-17.
a Now the word of YHWH came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it, for their wickedness is come up before me” (Jonah 1:1-2).
b But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of YHWH, and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of YHWH (Jonah 1:3).
c But YHWH cast a a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was likely to be broken (Jonah 1:4).
d Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man to his god, and they cast overboard the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship, and he lay, and was fast asleep.'
e So the shipmaster came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, O sleeper? Arise, call on your God, if so be that God will think on us, so that we perish not” (Jonah 1:6).
f And they said every one to his fellow, “Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. Then they said to him, “Tell us, we pray you, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation, and from where do you come? What is your country, and of what people are you?” (Jonah 1:7-8).
g And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear YHWH, the God of heaven, who has made the sea and the dry land” (Jonah 1:9).
h Then the men were hugely afraid, and said to him, “What is this that you have done?” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of YHWH, because he had told them (Jonah 1:10).
g Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may be calm for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous (Jonah 1:11).
f And he said to them, “Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea, so will the sea be calm for you, for I know that for my sake this great tempest is on you.” '
e Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get themselves back to the land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them (Jonah 1:13).
d For which reason they cried to YHWH, and said, “We beseech you, O YHWH, we beseech you, do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not lay on us innocent blood, for you, O YHWH, have done as it pleased you” (Jonah 1:14).
c So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging (Jonah 1:15).
b Then the men feared YHWH greatly, and they offered a sacrifice to YHWH, and made vows (Jonah 1:16).
a And YHWH prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17).
Note that in ‘a' YHWH called Jonah to go to Nineveh, and in the parallel beause he did not go YHWH caused a great fish to swallow him. In ‘b' Jonah, instead of fearing YHWH, took ship to get away from him and paid his fare for the very purpose, and in the parallel the mariners did fear YHWH and approached YHWH and paid Him with their sacrifices and vows. In ‘c' YHWH threw the wind on the sea, and in the parallel Jonah was thrown on the sea. In ‘d' the mariners cried to their gods, and in the parallel they cried to YHWH. In ‘e' the captain was trying every method to save the ship, and in the parallel the mariners made every effort to save the ship. In ‘f' Jonah was picked out as the villain of the piece, and in the parallel he calls on them to cast him into the sea. In ‘g' he told them that he served YHWH the God of heaven who had made the sea, and in the parallel they asked him what they could do in order to calm the sea. Centrally in ‘h' we are faced with the real reason for the problem that they all faced.