1. Introduction
Jonah 1:8 in the NKJV is as follows: “Then they said to him, “Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” The word here used for country in “what is your country” is the Hb “eretz,” equivalent to the Ar “ar`a.” However, Targum Jonathan, when translating Jonah’s Hb into Ar, prefers the term “medinah.” The terms “eretz” and “medinah” are both present throughout the Hb and Ar Old Testament, but demonstrate a shift of worldview about the way the world is divided.
2. Lexical and Linguistic Background
The Hb term “eretz,” according to Strongs, is primarily defined as earth, land, and ground. Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon further strengthens this, demonstrating “eretz” primarily refers to the physical land, while also being used in construct with a nation. For example, the “land of Israel.” The Hb term “medinah,” according to Strongs, specifically refers to districts or subdivisions in nations, specifically under Babylonian and Persian jurisdiction. Gesenius remarks these subdivisions were usually under prefects, who were subrulers under the greater ruler.
3. Eretz and Medinah in the Bible
The Hb term “eretz” literally refers to the ground. In essence, the question in Jonah of “what is your country” literally reads, “what is your land.” Psalm 42:6 says, “…Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Jordan…” The Hb term “eretz” is used to refer to the literal ground, and can also be used to describe the land within a nation’s borders.
The Hb term “medinah,” on the other hand, is used to denote sub-divisions of land, specifically a state ruled by a prefect under a larger governmental order. This is clear as early as 1 Kings 20:14, which says, “…Thus says the LORD: ‘By the young leaders of the provinces…’” as well as as late as Esther 9:30, which says, “And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews, to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth.”
4. Transitional Developments in later literature
The use of Hb “medinah” specifically becomes popular in OT writing in exillic and post-exillic books like Ezra/Nehemiah, Esther, Ezekiel, and Daniel. This term in no way replaces the usage of Hb “eretz,” but acts as a more specific term for the subdivisions of the land. This becomes more interesting as we look at Jonah 1:8 Hb compared to Targum Jonathan, which replaces the Hb “eretz” with the Ar “medinah.” Both Hb and Ar share the term “medinah,” as they are related languages. This shift from an earlier preference of “eretz,” meaning general land, to “medinah,” meaning province under a prefect, reflects a shift in worldview.
5. Synthesis And Conclusion
Given the direction of OT usage of “eretz” and “medinah,” specifically due to the effect of Persian control over Israel, it is safe to conclude usage of “medinah” reflects a worldview shift from the general mixed land view of “eretz,” where a land sits under a country, to “medinah,” where land and people groups sit under a greater national rule. This shift is reflected in Targum Jonathan in Jonah 1:8. Even though this is certainly not the terminology a pre-exilic pagan would have used for country, this communicates the intended point in the worldview of Targum Jonathan.
