False prophet? Hmmmm. At Fuller they taught us that it was a parable, but not false (just unhistorical).
BTW, I didn't learn very well in seminary and take it as
fully historical. It is, however, HIGHLY stylized and full of literary mastery. Jonah goes "down" to Joppa (3), down to the boat (3), "down" below deck (5), and "down" to the bottom (2:6). We see the "fear" of the sailors (9, 10) and the "fear" of the Lord (10, 16).
Ch. 4 has the wonderful example of God's providence . . .
God “appointed,” “determined,” “prepared”
- A “whale” to carry him (2:1)
- A weed to comfort him (4:6)
- A worm to correct him (4:7)
- A wind to confirm to him(4:8)
(OK, so it wasn't a "whale" but I needed a "w" for the alliteration; certainly not original, but it worked)
