. Jonah tells God of his anger about the vine
D. God explains that saving the city was more important than saving the vine
In four short chapters, the book portrays a man who worships and believes in God but does not understand God's love for those who do not share Jonah's devotion.
The book's structure is particularly interesting, because it focuses on Jonah, making God a secondary figure. Jonah himself is petty, easily angered, and not an especially heroic figure. When he saves the city, he does not rejoice in the fact that his actions spared so many lives; instead, he "was greatly displeased and became angry" (Jon. 4:1), asking God to take his life, rather than to have to know that he kept the nonbelievers safe.
In the structure of the book, Nineveh's redemption is almost a footnote. The focus is primarily on Jonah's disobedience and wrath. Although he is forced to acknowledge God's superiority, he is not happy with it. He believes that his worship of "the God o
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