distinctive of Late Biblical Hebrew, suggests that the critical dating of Jonah at the time of Ezra and Nehemiah or later is in error. It is quite unlikely that the narrator wrote in the postexilic period and deliberately archaized the language of his story to bring it into conformity with its obvious preexilic setting. To conclude, the analysis of the linguistic evidence indicates that there are few reasons for maintaining a late date for the narrative’s composition. It is conceivable that Jonah