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Photo courtesy of David Sharir

Swallowed by the whale, Jonah dines on fish, in David Sharir’s portrait of the prophet as narcissist. While Jonah is sailing to Tarshish, God hurls “a great wind upon the sea,” threatening the ship; the storm ends only when the sailors toss Jonah, the cause of God’s displeasure, overboard. Author Lance Wilcox emphasizes the double meaning of Jonah’s tenure in the fish: It is a rescue, but a rather degrading one. Wilcox suggests that the childish and self-regarding Jonah needs to undergo a series of tests, such as his three-day sojourn in the belly of the fish, if he is ever to understand the will and mercy of God.