Jonah

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OT Divided Monarchy

Israelite prophet who fled God's call to preach to Israel's enemy Nineveh, was swallowed by a great fish for three days, and, after the city repented, resented the very mercy he had once received himself.

For younger readers

God asked Jonah to go warn the people of Nineveh, a powerful and cruel enemy city, that they needed to turn from their wrongdoing. But Jonah didn't want them to have a chance to be forgiven, so he ran away on a ship in the opposite direction! God sent a huge storm, and Jonah ended up being swallowed by a giant fish, where he spent three days before being spit out safely on land. This time, Jonah obeyed and went to Nineveh — and to his surprise, the whole city listened and turned back to God! But instead of being happy, Jonah got angry that God showed mercy to people he didn't think deserved it. God gently reminded Jonah that He cares about everyone, even people we think of as enemies. Jesus later used Jonah's three days in the fish as a picture of His own death and resurrection.

Life Story

Jonah, from Gath-hepher in Israel, had already prophesied successfully once, predicting Israel's territorial restoration under Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:25). When God called him to preach against Nineveh, the brutal capital of Assyria, Jonah fled in the opposite direction toward Tarshish by ship (Jonah 1:1-3). God sent a violent storm; the pagan sailors cast lots and discovered Jonah was the cause, and at his own request threw him overboard, where a great fish swallowed him (Jonah 1:4-17). From inside the fish, Jonah prayed a psalm of thanksgiving, and after three days and nights the fish vomited him onto dry land (Jonah 2). This time Jonah obeyed, and his brief message to Nineveh produced the most sweeping repentance in Scripture — the entire city fasted in sackcloth, and God relented from destroying them (Jonah 3). Remarkably, Jonah was furious rather than glad: he admitted he had fled precisely because he knew God was "gracious... and relenting from disaster," and did not want mercy extended to Israel's enemies (Jonah 4:1-3). God's final object lesson — a plant that gave Jonah shade, then withered — confronted Jonah's selective compassion (Jonah 4:4-11). Jesus later pointed to Jonah's three days in the fish as a sign of His own coming death and resurrection (Matthew 12:39-41).

First named in 2 Kings 14:25

References: 2 Kings 14:25; Jonah 1:1-17; Jonah 2:1-10; Jonah 3:1-4; Jonah 4:1-9; Matthew 12:39-41; Matthew 16:4; Luke 11:29-32

Genealogy

Father

Amittai

Mother

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Spouse(s)

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Children

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Connections

Amittai — begot → Jonah

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