Jonah for Normal People: A Guide to the Most Misunderstood Prophet of the Bible

by Jared Byas

Jonah’s encounter with a big fish is one of the most widely recognised—and misunderstood—stories in the Bible. In this highly accessible guide to the book of Jonah, Jared Byas invites modern-day readers to explore the context behind the story, and consider the questions Jonah’s early audience questions about the relationship between justice and mercy, what it means to be a worshipper of Yahweh (and who gets to be one), and what happens when God doesn’t act how we would like.

Through explorations of genre, language, history, themes and theology, Byas skilfully guides us on a journey with Jonah into the depths of the unknown . . . and finds many of these questions are still relevant today.

Genres: Religion, Theology, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Faith, Biblical Studies

95 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2022

Reviews

[Matt LeFevers · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but profound study of the book of Jonah, one of my favorite books in all of Scripture. Jonah is only four chapters long, but as Byas shows, each of those four chapters is absolutely packed with meaning, ambiguity, and theological depth. It’s a document that you can read in a few minutes but spend the rest of your life wrestling with.

Jonah for Normal People does a marvelous job teasing out the mysteries, questions, and themes lying just beneath the surface (pun intended?) of this text. Some of this I knew (either from other scholars or - likely - from Byas’s own podcast) and some of it was entirely fresh insight to me, but all of it was an engaging and thought provoking read.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Bible is ambiguous, and those ambiguities aren’t problems to be solved in some forensic way. Instead, they are the very possibility for new and creative interpretations. They are the nooks and ledges that allow us to keep the Bible alive for modern context.”

Excellent. I want Jared (and Pete) to teach me about every book of the Bible like this.

[Bret Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened through the audiobook on a car trip. Excellent job breaking Jonah down into easy to understand bites. I’ll likely go back and read/highlight a copy later, but there’s a lot to take in just through the audiobook.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this book for a sermon series I did on Jonah and it was incredibly helpful for the historical information, symbolism, and thematic discussions. I also really enjoyed Byas's tongue-in-cheek asides. Highly recommend.

[Joanna Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether you think Jonah is literal or parable, this little book is worth reading for the cross-references and insights it provides. Read side by side with the book of Jonah for a better understanding.

The joking tone is not really my cup of tea though.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as prep for a series on Jonah at work. It was very helpful but also created so many more questions about Jonah for me. Yet another example of what I was taught growing up that isn’t accurate or the entire story

[Kate Kelts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jared Byas is a brilliant, funny, insightful, relatable writer.

Jared’s approach to Jonah is not what many of us grew up hearing, but Jared is gentle, inviting the reader into curiosity and conversation.

Jonah for Normal People is a quick read, but one I’ll come back to and most likely annoy everyone I know with my enthusiastic insistence that they all read this too.

[Matt Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent installment in the Bible for Normal People series! It’s short and accessible with helpful overviews of current scholarship as well as a foray into the profound questions Jonah is meant to make us ponder. Thanks Jared!

[Samuel Cornell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly what I've desired when it comes to a Bible study guide. The way it dives deep into cultural context, the original language, underlying themes, and double-meanings is just great. The way Jared goes into this humbly and realizes the certainty that everyone is going to have a different interpretation, this is exactly what I needed. It left me with knowledge I would never have received from any mainstream evangelical commentary.

And I can hear the voices already of how "you can have all the knowledge but what about the spiritual aspect huh?"
Well this book goes deep on the knowledge and just as deep on the Spirit. I felt myself asking great questions about God and truth in ways I hadn't thought of when just reading Jonah in the context I always had before. And I also found myself drawing near to God in ways I wouldn’t have done if I hadn’t been confronted with some of the questions I received from the deeper meanings here. I really have an appreciation for the book of Jonah now. Before reading this book, I can truly say I wouldn't have understood most of what is actually there, but now I read it and am, if anything, encouraged by the new challenges, questions, and revelations that come with the ancient text.

I also have found myself loving the book of Jonah more than I ever have. Before this guide I wouldn’t have wanted to read Jonah more than once every long while because I thought I knew the story and what was there. But now I feel like I’ll come away with something different every time I go back to it. It’s completely revitalized my desire for Bible study.

In the book, Jared encourages more questions and the pursuit of truth. After having read so many commentaries and bible study books, I know that this isn't how the majority do it. And for that, I'll give a heartfelt thank you to God and to the "normal people" crew.

p.s. The book is often very funny. Just the cherry on top of a very philosophical, theological, and revelatory milkshake.

9/10

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I disagree with his beliefs. His reasoning is ridiculous. It is like saying that Adam and Eve is not literal or that the events of the 40 years of the exodus never happened. People want to defy the truth when in actuality, we should believe.Here is a guide to the things that are to be taken literally. When names are mentioned, it is literal. When there are conversations, again, literal. God cannot lie. The Bible is God’s Word and even Jesus used parables to teach truths, though the stories aren’t actual events. If a story does not say it a parable, then it really happened. A lot of preachers and Bible teachers say the story of the rich man and Lazarus, in Luke 16, is a parable. This cannot be the case because Lazarus and Abraham are named and conversation takes place between the rich man in hell and Abraham in paradise. Parables never mentions people’s names. Just believe God. We won’t understand everything and we will have questions and that is natural. What is not natural is to make God a liar and people do it at times, not even realizing it. Cathy R.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in a theologically conservative tradition within the white Evangelical church and have spent the last 20 years deconstructing. Recently, I have started reading works like this because I want to be better educated about the Bible, what it is and what it isn't. Also, the book of Jonah has been a favorite since I was a child because I have always been quick to anger and resentful of God's offer of forgiveness to all the people I don't like. Jonah's complaints have always resonated with me. Why does God offer grace to awful people? Because he offers it to all people.

I liked the book. It was written in a conversational style that was a little casual for me, but I appreciated Jared Byas' honesty, extensive research and willingness to wrestle with the book's ambiguities. I plan to continue reading the series.

[Rhys Llwyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been listening to Jared and Pete Enns’ podcast for years, so I figured it was about time I actually read something by Jared. It didn’t disappoint.

We were doing a short series on Jonah at church, and I needed a commentary that was (a) intellectually stimulating, (b) engaging, and (c) capable of making my sermons sound more interesting! This book delivered on all fronts. It’s smart, witty, and just the right amount of spicy—kind of like Jonah himself, if he had a better attitude and a book deal.

I’ll definitely be checking out more books in this series. Who knew biblical commentary could be this enjoyable?

[David S Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and easy read to get you into Jonah (properly)

Jonah deserves serious attention. And lots of it. But for us to commit serious attention to the book we need to be convinced that it deserves it. This is what this little book does, it invites you into taking Jonah seriously. It gives you a good overview of how to approach the book, and enough content to convince you that there’s much more to explore out there. If you like this book, I’d recommend diving into the Bible Project’s classroom project on Jonah, you’ll have lots of fun.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short book examines what are the key take always from the story of Jonah. Jared Byas examines this story drawing out the story differently from the Sunday School version. There is so much richness in looking into the context and original language. Jared writes in an enjoyable style with a good amount of snark. Highly recommended.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a Christian, but the story of Jonah has always seemed pretty wild to me, and I like Jared Byas as a human being. He's a great writer with a mind for pop culture (movies, pop divas) and, as the title implied, his analysis of this particular slice of Bible lore is funny, engaging, and entertaining even for a heathen.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book and interesting take on Jonah! As the author points out, "Jonah is the kind of book that opens up a further conversation about possible meanings, not one that provides a clear answer. I would argue that in fact, the entire Bible ought to be read in this light." Good point for that very ambiguous book we call the Bible.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of great insights but I didn’t appreciate his political insertion at the end. Not good enough to own a copy but i still might recommend it as a resource to borrow from the library or rent from a service.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bays takes us on an adventure of common questions and excursions into historical perspective. His information and insight is modern and engaging. His references are solid. The tone is colloquial and professorial as if you were listening to an unscripted lecture.

[Kristie Burch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource for a different approach to the study of Jonah. We used this to study Jonah in our Sunday School class. The only thing that would make it better would be to include a group discussion guide.

[Andy Dickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to read analysis of the book of Jonah that highlights the depth and richness of the text when arguments about its historicity are set aside. Well written with stunning insight.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

So the fish was God ordained for good and not evil! Who'd have thought? Good read.

[Shannon Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series has quickly become some of my favorite commentaries for sermon prep. Super helpful information packaged in readable and easy-to-understand language.

[Holly North · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great content, I do wish it was longer and went more in depth.

[Wim Otte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pakkend commentaar op het profetische verhaal Jona met respect voor de historisch-kritische methode zonder droog en specialistisch te worden.

[Christina Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read for any biblical scholar or curious christian.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

For ACG--good counterbalance

[Roger McCort · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. If you teach the Bible or discuss the Bible or think about the Bible, you should have a copy in your library.

If you don't do any of those things, you should still take a few hours and read this book. It may change the perspective you view scripture from, or at least the book of Jonah. It may help you understand why some people view scripture from such radically different places.

It will help you with history and a deeper theology of this prophetic book as well.

Why only 4 stars for such a great book? Well, thelast chapter wanders a bit. I think Jared was trying to say a thing and not forget to add in another thing and maybe something else too and he just kind of tossed them together. Good stuff, but a lot less focused than the earlier chapters.

I'm glad to have added this to my library.