Jonah, the fifth of the Minor Prophets, is thought to have lived during the reign of Jeroboam II, when the kingdom was divided. (Lockyer, 198) Although the Book of Jonah is quite short, only two and a half pages, it is not short on themes. Because there are so many themes, it is difficult to categorize them or determine the main message. (Anchor 936 and New Interpreter's 490) These themes range from escape, prayer, second chances, anger, and God's compassion and mercy, to name a few. Below will be a brief explanation of each theme, mentioned above, in relation to the Book of Jonah. The first theme, escape and its consequences, is found in chapter 1:1-2:1. Jonah is called by God to go to Nineveh and preach because their wickedness has become a concern to God. The name Jonah means "dove" which in turn means "messenger". Ammitai is Jonah's father; Ammitai means truth, which is interpreted as son of “truth”. The interpretation here is that Jonah is a messenger of God's truth. (Hor) As a prophet and "messenger of God's truth", it is Jonah's responsibility to do what God has asked, yet Jonah chooses to run away and gets passage on a ship bound for Tarshish. There are many possible answers as to why he fled, but the reason is not revealed until chapter 4:3. However, just as Jonah runs away from his responsibilities, God's presence surrounds him in the form of a "violent storm" or great wind. (New Interpreter's 494) This is God's indirect way of speaking to Jonah and causes the next series of events that begin the aftermath. Frightened by the storm, the sailors begin throwing cargo overboard to lighten the load. One interpretation is that the sailors were trying to clear the s...... middle of paper...... Eugene. You can run, but you can't hide. http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=43475&ContributorID=7251Keck, Leander E. et al. "The Book of Jonah." The New Interpreters' Bible, Volume VII. Nashville: Abingdon Press 1996Leiter, Mark. How God Corrects a Bad Attitude. http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon. asp?SermonID=54054&ContributorID=5995Lockyer, Herbert. All the men of the Bible. Grand Rapids: ZondervanMagonet Publishing House, J. Dictionary of Biblical Interpretation. Ed. John H. Hayes. Nashville: Abingdon Press Magonet, Jonathan. "Jonah, Book of." The Anchor Bible Dictionary. Eds. David Noel Freedman, et al. New York: DoubledayThe New American Bible. Catholic Bible Print. Nashville Wilkins, Mike. Praying in the Belly of a Fish.http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon central_pro/quick_save.asp?SermonID=47464