Yona 1 | And Yona Rose to Flee Away from the Lord's Presence

The book of Yona tells the story of a prophet who opposes his own prophetic mission. It opens with a classic prophetic command: “Rise up – go to the great city of Nineveh and cry out against it.” (1:2) At first, it seems Yona will comply as the verse continues, “Yona arose,” echoing the divine command. But our expectations are immediately overturned: “instead to flee to Tarshish, away from the Lord's presence.” (1:3)

The opening raises two questions that must be addressed: Why does Yona resist the mission? and why does he believe his escape might succeed?

Why Does Yona Resist the Mission: Most commentators explain Yona’s resistance as stemming from the intended recipients of the prophecy. While the book does not explain who Nineveh is, readers familiar with the Tanakh know it to be the capital of Assyria—the ruthless empire that destroyed the kingdom of Israel and devastated much of Yehuda. Yona refuses to warn the city of its impending destruction because he wants them to continue in their wickedness. If they do not repent, they will perish—or at the very least, they will not stand as a moral contrast to Israel, who fails to heed its own prophets. In a lecture delivered at the yeshiva, Dr. Yoshi Fargeon points out a weakness in this approach: it relies on knowledge not included in the book itself, and perhaps even intentionally omitted. While Yona son of Amitai is indeed mentioned in Melakhim II (14:25), nowhere in the book of Yona is there any reference to his being from Yehuda or Israel. (The rare designation "Hebrew" [=עברי] is used instead). Nineveh is not identified as the Assyrian capital, and no historical setting is given. The way the book is written suggests it is ahistorical — a literary text that could belong to any time and in any context. (Resembling the book of Iyov).

If we search for a motive for Yona’s resistance within the book itself, the answer emerges only in Chapter 4, during Yona’s argument with God. But at this stage —, after reading Chapter 1 only, the book withholds that information. Leah Frenkel (see the attached chapter from her book "Studies in the Book of Yona") argues that this omission is intentional. We are meant to read the story until Chapter 4 without knowing why Yona flees. The message of the first half of the book is not why he tries to flee from God's presence, but rather: is it even possible to flee from God's presence? And the answer is clear: No. No matter the motive, one cannot escape. And for that reason, the text intentionally refrains from offering one.

Why Does Yona Think He Can Flee: The Midrash (Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Tractate Pischa, Ptichta) poses this very question, citing verses from Tehillim: "Where can I escape from Your spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?... If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me; Your right hand will hold me fast" (Tehillim 139:7–10). One could answer: Exactly! It is only because of the book of Yona that the entire world learned this truth. But Yona himself had not yet realized it. After all, when he speaks with the sailors, Yona expresses deep belief in God and understanding of His ways (Yona 1:9). Most commentators follow the Midrash’s view that Yona fled 'from before the Lord' and not 'from the Lord', meaning he sought to leave the land of Israel, so he would no longer receive prophecy. The difficulty with this explanation is that it assumes prophecy cannot be received outside of Israel, but a straightforward reading of the Tanakh shows otherwise.

In the lecture, Yoshi offers another interpretation. He suggests that Yona never truly believed he could flee from God's presence. Rather, the flight was his way of 'resigning'. Instead of rising and heading eastward, he goes down and sails west—as far as he possibly can. It is a statement declaring: I refuse to carry out this mission, and I will go to every length to distance myself from You and from the task You have assigned me to do.