Jonah
Book Type
The fifth book of the Minor Prophets; the thirty-second book of the Old Testament; the thirty-second book of the Bible.Introduction to the Book of Jonah
Jonah is the only narrative included in the books of the Minor Prophets. It tells the story of God commanding the prophet Jonah to preach in Nineveh, but Jonah decides to run the other way by boarding a ship. After God orchestrates a storm and a great fish swallows Jonah, he obeys God’s command. But when Nineveh—a major city of the Assyrian Empire and Israel’s enemy—repents after listening to Jonah, he is infuriated. The book’s lesson becomes clear in the end: God’s care extends to all who call on Him—even those who previously stood against His people. His mercy is truly for all.Jonah is well-known and loved for the amazing and ironic events it recounts. Although Jonah is the main character, the book’s main purpose is not to teach us about him but to teach us about God. Through Jonah’s experience, God, the all-powerful Creator, reveals that though he is a God who will pour out his wrath on the wicked, he is also one who eagerly pours out his mercy on those who repent—including those we would too quickly deem to be beyond mercy.The book of Jonah, the fifth of the Minor Prophets, is more like the stories of the prophets found in the Historical Books in both form and content. The book gives us a brief glimpse into the life of Jonah, the “wrong-way prophet,” who ran from God and was swallowed by a fish. Throughout the book, we see evidence of God’s grace and his love for all people.Theme & Overview
In this story of God's loving concern for all people, the stubbornly reluctant Jonah represents Israel's jealousy of its favored relationship with God and its unwillingness to share the Lord's compassion with the nations. According to the King James Study Bible, Jonah is unique in that the entire prophecy is written in the third person. The fact that the prophecy ends with the prophet in discouragement and under God’s rebuke would leave the reader discouraged, but because it is written in the third person the reader knows that the prophet wrote it after he had returned from his mission to Assyria and had favorably responded to God’s rebuke. He leaves behind a record of God’s dealings with him as an individual and with Assyria as a nation, and in this unique form he magnifies the power of God and obscures himself behind his message. The NASB Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible says two themes of Jonah are that (1) God will move heaven and earth to show us his will and we should obey when he calls—whether or not we understand or concur with his plans. And (2) his message of grace is for all who will believe and repent, regardless of our prejudices. The main theme of Jonah is that God’s grace and love extends to outsiders and even oppressors. The Israelites, as God’s people, should regard the love of God not as something earned, but as something gifted by God.Jonah also illustrates the narrowness of nationalistic pride and the wideness of God’s mercy. Jonah begrudges God’s grace to Nineveh; many of us have similar, despicable feelings, which must be dealt with and changed. Jonah complains to the God who saved him from the depths of the ocean—while ultimately being forced to recognize his own lowly place before the Maker of all. Being judgmental and the need to find humility often go hand in hand.The book of Jonah reminds both Jonah and us: God’s love is for all people. Insiders like Jonah need to recognize that God’s grace is not theirs by right, nor anyone’s for that matter—we should gladly participate in the sharing of grace. The book of Jonah confronts us and asks whether we will embrace God’s mercy or run from it.The Lord is a God of boundless compassion not just for “us” (Jonah and the Israelites) but also for “them” (the pagan sailors and Ninevites).Author
Jonah, named directly in the first verse. Jonah is a unique prophet: he goes to great lengths trying to avoid God's call. Jonah also responds to the repentance of Nineveh with anger, since he would rather have seen them destroyed.Recipients
Jonah was written both to the Gentile people of Nineveh as well as for the education of the Jewish people. God sent Jonah to preach to the wicked people of Nineveh regarding His upcoming judgment. However, Jonah instead ran from God and experienced his own judgment through being swallowed by a great fish. Jonah prayed and was rescued. He then obeyed the Lord and preached to the people of Nineveh. The people repented and God saved the city from His judgment. Jonah was angry at the Lord's mercy, yet the Lord reminded him of the importance of the many people in the city who repented. The book also presents repentance by both Jews (Jonah) and Gentiles, revealing God's compassion on all who repent and turn to Him.Date
Between approximately 793 and 758 BC.Background
The book of Jonah does not name its author. The title character is a prophet—Jonah, son of Amittai—who was active in Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II (2 Kgs 14:25).Jonah was a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel during the politically prosperous but spiritually dark reign of Jeroboam II (793–753 BC). Despite Jeroboam’s spiritual failures (see 2 Kgs 14:23–24), God allowed him to continue the expansion of territory begun under his father, King Jehoash. This expansion, predicted by God through Jonah (2 Kgs 14:25, 28), eventually brought Israel’s territory back to approximately what it had been in the glory days of David and Solomon (see 1 Kgs 8:65). When Jonah prophesied, nationalistic zeal was running high.The book of Jonah records the prophet’s visit to Nineveh, a key city in the Assyrian empire. Assyria’s power had swelled in previous decades. During that time, Shalmaneser III of Assyria (858–824 BC) extended the influence of the empire well into Palestine. Assyrian annals from that period record Shalmaneser confronting the Israelite king Ahab (1 Kgs 17–22), among others, at the famous battle of Qarqar (853 BC). But during the reigns of Jehoash (798–782 BC) and Jeroboam II (793–753 BC) in Israel, Assyria’s dominance in the region waned because of failed leadership and continued resistance on the frontiers. Jonah preached in Nineveh when the Assyrian empire was at this low point, probably around 755 BC.Setting of Jonah, about 755 BC. When God called Jonah to prophesy judgment in NINEVEH, ASSYRIAN power was at a low point, but the Assyrians had already proven to be brutal enemies. When God’s call came, Jonah fled the other direction—he took a ship from JOPPA toward TARSHISH, which was probably located at the far end of the MEDITERRANEAN SEA. Jonah later obeyed God’s call and preached to the people of NINEVEH. Assyria thus incurred no judgment in the time of Jonah.
Some years following Jonah’s visit to Nineveh, Assyria began reasserting itself throughout the Near East during the reign of Tiglath-pileser III (744–727 BC). In 722 BC, a few decades after Jonah, Assyria sacked Samaria and brought the northern kingdom of Israel to an end. A century later, the prophet Nahum of Judah announced the imminent destruction of Nineveh and the Assyrian empire for its pervasive wickedness. Nineveh was destroyed by the Babylonians in 612 BC. The repentance brought about through Jonah’s preaching evidently took no lasting rootThe main question complicating the interpretation of Jonah is that of genre: whether the book should be read as a historical narrative or a satiric parable. Some ancient sources, including the New Testament, could be understood as interpreting the narrative as historical (e.g., Matt 12:39–42; 3 ). However, the same question of genre affects how those references should be interpreted. The primary issue is not whether the events in the story could have happened. A God who performs miracles could certainly cause a great fish to swallow a human being (Jonah 1:17) or cause a vine to grow and wither in a matter of hours (Jonah 4:6–7). Instead, the issue is what the author intended. Those who argue that the book is a satirical parable interpret its exaggerated elements as comic devices used to lampoon the Israelites, who take pride in their privileged status but do not respond to God’s prophets. These exaggerations include the huge size of Nineveh, the short sermon Jonah gives, and that even the animals of Nineveh repent in sackcloth and ashes (Jonah 3:8). Whatever the story’s genre, the theological lesson remains the same: God’s love and mercy extend to all people who trust in Him.
The Purpose & Audience (Reasons for the letter)
Jonah is unique among the prophetic books. It narrates God’s sending of a prophet to Assyria, an enemy of Israel, and the widespread repentance that resulted. The lesson Jonah learned was evidently one that the entire nation of Israel needed. That lesson may be summed up in the last line of Jonah’s psalm-prayer, “my salvation comes from the LORD alone” (2:9, literally salvation belongs to the LORD). Salvation is the Lord’s to give to whomever he pleases, and those who have received God’s mercy must not try to restrict the flow of God’s mercy to others, even their enemies (see 4:1–11).Salvation, then, whether from the threat of physical harm or from judgment, is directly related to God’s sovereignty. The sailors were saved after God calmed the storm. Jonah was saved from drowning when God sent the fish to swallow him. There is no domain, even in the depths of the ocean, from which God cannot deliver and protect human life. Likewise, there is no nation that God cannot judge (3:4, 9) or save from judgment (3:10; see Jer 18:7–10).The book of Jonah reveals that even in the OT God was eager to bring salvation beyond the borders of Israel. Israel was his covenant people, and from the beginning his desire was to bless the nations through Israel (see Gen 12:3). Jonah fled because he was well aware of God’s desire to see wicked Gentiles repent and be saved from judgment (4:2; cp. Exod 34:6–7). Jonah did not have God’s heart for the nations, or he would have eagerly desired that they turn from idols to know the God of heaven, who created the world (1:9; see 2 Pet 3:9).GOD’S POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD GENTILES In chap. 1, Gentile sailors learn to revere and worship Israel’s God. Their reluctance to throw Jonah overboard shows that they were concerned to follow God’s ethical demands by not taking innocent human life. In chap. 3, Nineveh’s repentance shows that Gentiles can be saved too. God is interested in all people, a concern that anticipates the missionary mandate of the NT.GOD’S GRACE God was “gracious and compassionate” (4:2) toward Nineveh, thus showing that the God of the OT is a God of grace.GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY OVER NATURE The book of Jonah portrays the sovereign power of God over the natural world. God can hurl a storm at people (1:4), raise up a plant miraculously as well as a worm to kill it (4:6–7), and use a great fish to swallow and save Jonah (1:17). All this shows God’s control over nature.THE FUTILITY OF RUNNING FROM GODThe trouble that Jonah got into when he tried to run from God’s calling is a warning to readers that running from God is futile and only invites unnecessary hardship.CONTRIBUTION TO THE BIBLEThe book of Jonah shows God’s gracious concern for the whole world, his power over nature, and the futility of running from him. In addition, it foreshadows Jesus’s burial and resurrection. Matthew 12:38–45 and Luke 11:24–32 compare the ministry of Jesus with that of Jonah, Jesus being the greater. Both texts see Jonah’s great fish as a foreshadowing of Jesus’s burial in the tomb, making Jonah a “type” of Christ. If Jonah actually died in the fish (see note at Jnh 2:1–2), then his resuscitation further parallels the resurrection of Jesus.Key Verses (ESV)
Jonah 1:3: "But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD." Jonah 1:17: "And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."Jonah 2:2: "I called out to the LORD, out of my distress, \ and he answered me; \ out of the belly of Sheol I cried, \ and you heard my voice."Jonah 3:10: "When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it."Key Passages (NLT)
2 Ki 14:25 Jeroboam II recovered the territories of Israel between Lebo-hamath and the Dead Sea, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised through Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher.Jon 1:17–4:11Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said, “I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called…Structure & Outline 1
StructureThe book of Jonah has four chapters, which correspond to its four sections. In ch. 1, God orders Jonah to preach to Nineveh, but Jonah flees aboard a boat to Tarshish. When a storm surrounds the ship at Yahweh’s command, the sailors choose to throw Jonah into the sea and a huge fish swallows him.In ch. 2, Jonah recites a poetic prayer inside the fish, acknowledging that Yahweh heard his call and rescued him. Jonah promises to obey God’s command. God then orders the fish to vomit Jonah on dry land.Chapter 3 takes Jonah to Nineveh, where he proclaims, without elegance or tact, that the city will be demolished after 40 days (Jonah 3:4). Surprisingly, the Ninevites’ response is repentance and belief in God—and Yahweh decides not to destroy the city (Jonah 3:10).In ch. 4, Yahweh’s compassion incites anger in Jonah, who focuses on his own life difficulties, like his lack of shade in the heat of the day. In response, Yahweh makes a plant for shade grow and then die. Jonah complains, and Yahweh reminds him of the great irony of the situation. Jonah mourns a plant, for which he did not labor or make grow, but he does not care for the great city of Nineveh (Jonah 4:10–11).Outline • God calls and Jonah flees (Jonah 1:1–17) • Jonah’s prayer in the fish (Jonah 2:1–10) • Nineveh repents at Jonah’s preaching (Jonah 3:1–10) • Jonah’s anger and God’s response (Jonah 4:1–11)Outline 2
Jonah consists of four chapters. The first chapter addresses Jonah's call to preach in Nineveh, his attempt to run away from God, and the consequences that followed. Jonah illustrates the futility of running from God: the chapter ends with Jonah being thrown into the sea and swallowed by a great fish. Chapter 2 provides the prayer of Jonah. He calls out to God in his distress (Jonah 2:2) while in the belly of the fish. God answers his prayer, speaks to the fish, and the fish vomits Jonah onto dry land (Jonah 2:10).Chapter 3 gives the account of Jonah faithfully obeying the Lord to preach in Nineveh. After this second call (Jonah 3:1–2), Jonah obeys and proclaims destruction would come in forty days. The people of Nineveh believe God, fast, and mourn in response (Jonah 3:5). The king even issues a decree for no person or animal to eat, but to pray to the Lord for mercy (Jonah 3:6–9). When they do, the Lord shows them mercy (Jonah 3:10).Chapter 4 offers the response of Jonah. Rather than rejoicing, he wants to die (Jonah 4:3). Jonah then rests outside the city under a plant the Lord had provided. The next day, the plant is gone and Jonah is so angry he again wants to die (Jonah 4:8). The Lord reminds Jonah that the people of Nineveh are much more important than the plant that had died. The Lord chose to have compassion on them and cared for them much more than Jonah cared about a plant that produced shade. God's love is clearly shown for all people who respond to Him.