In the previous post, I argued that both instances of יוֹנָה in Hosea mean dove and that it makes sense to read both with reference to the prophet Jonah (Hosea 7:11; 11:11).

The payoff for understanding the word with reference to the prophet (and not just a bird) is that it infuses Hosea’s message about Israel with the entire story of the prophet Jonah. Israel’s story is overlaid with the story of Jonah. Just as Israel acted foolishly and fluttered away like a silly bird, trying to run from Yahweh, so also Israel as a whole (Hosea 7:11). Just as Jonah was brought down to the depths so also will Israel be (Hosea 7:12).

But there’s implications for how you read Jonah, too. Once the connection between Hosea and Jonah is made, all the sudden the hope for Israel in Hosea frames the way you understand the character of Jonah in the book of Jonah. At the end of the book of Jonah, the reader is left wondering what will come of the prophet. Will Jonah participate with Yahweh or remain in his anger? At the end of the book, Yahweh confronts Jonah like a disciple, but imagine these words from Hosea as a sort of post-credits scene to the end of Jonah:

How could I give you up, Ephraim? How could I hand you over, Israel? How can I give you up like Admah and make you like Zeboiim? My heart turns over within me; my affection grows warm for you. I will not carry out the heat of my wrath. I will not turn and destroy Ephraim because I am God and not a man. I am among you as one devoted, and I will not enter agitated.

Jonah acts like a typical human being in the way he thinks about his enemies (Assyria), but Yahweh doesn’t. Jonah and Israel have acted contrary to Yahweh, like an enemy, but Yahweh will not respond with typical human anger to them.

So, in the end, if the stories of Jonah and Israel are connected and we let the story of each in form the other, then we do know how Jonah’s story ends. Yahweh has compassion on Jonah. He leads him out of his anger and rebellion. Jonah too flutters back to Yahweh like a dove. Israel’s story is Jonah’s and Jonah’s Israel’s.

This is the second part of a three post series: Part 1 & Part 3.