Poetics of psalm-creation in Jonah

Thesis

Jonah's prayer presents significant historical-critical and hermeneutical challenges, particularly due to its placement within the book’s narrative and its striking resemblance to several Psalms. Its position within the story raises questions about its function and coherence, while its heavy reliance on psalmic language complicates attempts to determine its originality. Scholars have often approached this passage in two divergent ways: either atomizing the text with critical tools that fragment its meaning or flattening it through overly literary analyses that overlook its compositional complexity.

This thesis proposes a way forward by offering an intertextual reading that integrates philological analysis, literary features, and compositional techniques evident in wider Second Temple literature. It adopts a forward-looking, generative hermeneutical approach that prioritizes understanding the creative and interpretive trajectories of texts while cautiously exploring literary dependence.

The primary contribution of this thesis is its intertextual reading of Jonah 2, presented in chapter two. This analysis demonstrates that Jonah (the author through the character) strategically incorporates psalmic language to craft an original composition, portraying his descent into the sea as an exile-like experience and casting himself as an innocent sufferer. This reading is supported by a close examination of specific Psalms that feature prominently in Jonah’s prayer.

Ultimately, this study argues that these psalms reflect a broader interpretive tradition in which suffering in watery chaos is frequently associated with the experience of exile as an innocent sufferer. By tracing these intertextual connections, the thesis demonstrates how Jonah’s psalm subtly yet profoundly appeals to God’s justice, linking his prayer with traditions found in Lamentations 3, Isaiah 53, and Job. This approach not only deepens our understanding of Jonah 2 but also sheds light on the dynamic ways biblical texts were creatively reinterpreted in later Jewish thought.

Authors: Gandi, H

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-ko54xwk2n
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: second temple Judaism; intertextuality; exile; prophecy; Jonah; Hebrew Bible; Dead Sea Scrolls; psalms
• Subjects: Bible. Old Testament--Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Hebrew poetry, Biblical; Dead Sea scrolls--Relation to the Old Testament; Bible. Old Testament; Intertextuality in the Bible