Jonah

About Jonah

Jonah is the story of a prophet who runs from God rather than preach to Nineveh, capital of Israel's cruelest enemy. A storm, a great fish, and a citywide repentance later, the real surprise lands: Jonah is angry that God is merciful. The book ends with God's gentle, unanswered question about His care for a city full of people who don't know better. In the Bible's story, Jonah stretches God's compassion beyond Israel's borders and points ahead to a mission for all nations.

Written by

The book is anonymous; it tells the story of Jonah son of Amittai, a prophet mentioned in 2 Kings, and tradition credits Jonah himself while many scholars think a later writer told his story.

When

Jonah lived in the 700s BC during the reign of Jeroboam II, but scholars genuinely differ on when the book was written, with some placing it centuries afterward.

Themes

• You can't outrun God
• Mercy for enemies
• God's compassion for outsiders
• Repentance
• The prophet's stubborn heart

Key verses

• Jonah 2:9But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!”
• Jonah 4:2So he prayed to the LORD, saying, “O LORD, is this not what I said while I was still in my own country? This is why I was so quick to flee toward Tarshish. I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion—One who relents from sending disaster.
• Jonah 4:11So should I not care about the great city of Nineveh, which has more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well?”