211. Internal Meaning of Jonah, Chapter 1 (1)

The conversion of the nations, which are meant by Nineveh. (11, 9)

1-3 Those who were of the Jewish nation were commanded to teach the Word to the nations round about, but they would not, and thus they kept the Word among themselves alone. (11, 2, 2)

4-6 Knowledges [cognitiones] began to perish with them, and yet they lived unconcernedly. (2)

7-9 The nations perceived that the state of the church was perverted among themselves, because of the loss of knowledges [cognitiones] among the Jews, and that the latter were unwilling to impart them to others outside of themselves. (11, 2)

10-13 They should reject those things which were from the Jewish nation, because they were falsified, so that they might be saved. (11, 2)

14-16 They prayed unto the Lord for salvation, which was effected for them, when the falsities from the Jewish nation had been removed. (17, 3)

17 [See next chapter.] (7, 6, 11)

3. We must briefly say here, too, what themes concerning the Lord are found in general and in particular throughout the Prophets of the Old Testament, from Isaiah to Malachi:

1. The Lord came into the world in the fullness of time, which is to say, when the Jews no longer knew Him, and when for that reason nothing of the church remained. And if the Lord had not then come into the world and revealed Himself, mankind would have perished in eternal death. He Himself says in John, “If you do not believe that I am [who I am], you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

[2] 2. The Lord came into the world to execute a last judgment, and by doing so conquer the hells that were reigning at the time. This He did by combats, that is, by temptations or trials, which He permitted His humanity from His mother to undergo, and by continual victories in them then. If the hells had not been conquered, no one could have been saved.

[3] 3. The Lord came into the world to glorify His humanity, that is, to unite it to the Divinity that He had in Him from conception.

[4] 4. The Lord came into the world to establish a new church which would acknowledge Him as its Redeemer and Savior, so as to be redeemed and saved through love for and faith in Him.

[5] 5. At the same time He did so in order to set heaven in order, in order for it to be in harmony with the church.

[6] 6. His suffering of the cross was the last combat, or temptation or trial, by which He thoroughly conquered the hells and fully glorified His humanity.

That the Word deals with no other matters will be seen later in a short work on the Sacred Scripture.