6 GENRE WHILE IT IS CLEAR THAT the book differs from other prophetic books in the Old Testament it is not clear how it should be classified. In the Old Testament there is history writing, legend, parable, lament, song and more, and attempts have been made to place Jonah in one or other of these categories. This is an important question, more important than it might seem at first, for the interpretation of the book depends on the intention of the author in this regard. History It is perhaps surprising