To the more orthodox of my Christian friends here, may your Lenten reflections deepen your faith and enliven your soul. “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” Jonah (NIV) Incidently, I find Jonah to be intriguing. It is the only book I've ever translated in full for myself (with much help and references). The Hebrew is almost like "Simple English".
The same comment about simplicity has been made about the Koiné Greek of the New Testament. Yes, these books were written in simple language. That would make them accessible. Yet for centuries, scholars and rogues alike have "interpreted," reinterpreted and exploited these simple books - meant for everyday people - to their own taste and/or advantage. I like the Book of Gershwin, myself. Particularly "It Ain't Necessarily So." Good music and goes well with my personal creed. (And Jonah is mentioned.) Interesting part about the influence of traditional Jewish Blessings in the song, here in wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Ain't_Necessarily_So
One theory is that Jonah's author was not a native Hebrew speaker. Another theory is that the author wrote Jonah to be read by non-Hebrews. Both, of course, could be true but I incline to the latter because the message Jonah is supposed to carry is addressed to Nineveh which is portrayed as a non-Jewish community.
