Illustration created for this project.
Jonah
The prophet who fled God's call, was swallowed by a great fish, and reluctantly preached to Nineveh.
What we know — and how we know it
Bible — stated in scripture (with verse) · 1
Archaeology — physical evidence · 1
Scholarly — supported scholarly belief · 1
Life, role & deeds
BibleSent to preach to Nineveh, he fled by sea and was swallowed by a great fish.
Jonah 1:3, 17
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Nineveh
Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyNineveh was indeed a great city of the Assyrian empire; its ruins have been excavated across the Tigris from modern Mosul.
Nineveh, the Kuyunjik and Nebi Yunus mounds opposite Mosul; palace of Sennacherib and library of Ashurbanipal excavated by A.H. Layard and H. Rassam, 1847–1854; A.H. Layard, Nineveh and Its Remains (John Murray, 1849)
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Nineveh
Death & legacy
ScholarlyScholars debate whether the book is historical narrative or a didactic story with a universal message.
Mainstream scholarship
Where in scripture
2 KingsJonahMatthewLuke
2 Kings 14:25Jonah 1:1Jonah 1:3Jonah 1:5Jonah 1:7Jonah 1:15Jonah 1:17Jonah 2:1Jonah 2:10Jonah 3:1Jonah 3:3Jonah 3:4Jonah 4:1Jonah 4:5Jonah 4:6Jonah 4:8Jonah 4:9Matthew 12:39Matthew 12:40Matthew 12:41Matthew 16:4Luke 11:29Luke 11:30Luke 11:32
Family
In their own words — 7 recorded sayings
“And he said to them, I am a Hebrew, a worshipper of the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” — Jonah 1:9
“And he said to them, Take me up and put me into the sea, and the sea will become calm for you: for I am certain that because of me this great storm has come on you.” — Jonah 1:12
“In my trouble I was crying to the Lord, and he gave me an answer; out of the deepest underworld I sent up a cry, and you gave ear to my voice. For you have put me down into the deep, into the heart of the sea; and the river was round about me; all your waves and your rolling waters went over me. And I said, I have been sent away from before your eyes; how may I ever again see your holy Temple? The waters were circling round me, even to the neck; the deep was about me; the sea-grass was twisted round my head. I went down to the bases of the mountains; as for the earth, her walls were about me…” — Jonah 2:2-9
“And Jonah first of all went a day's journey into the town, and crying out said, In forty days destruction will overtake Nineveh.” — Jonah 3:4
“And he made prayer to the Lord and said, O Lord, is this not what I said when I was still in my country? This is why I took care to go in flight to Tarshish: for I was certain that you were a loving God, full of pity, slow to be angry and great in mercy, and ready to be turned from your purpose of evil. So now, O Lord, give ear to my prayer and take my life from me; for death is better for me than life.” — Jonah 4:2-3
“Then when the sun came up, God sent a burning east wind: and so great was the heat of the sun on his head that Jonah was overcome, and, requesting death for himself, said, Death is better for me than life.” — Jonah 4:8
“And the Lord said to Jonah, Have you any right to be angry about the vine? And he said, I have a right to be truly angry.” — Jonah 4:9
Speaker attribution: Clear Bible MACULA (CC BY 4.0). Wording: Bible in Basic English (public domain).
Journeys
The flight and mission of Jonah
Told to go east to Nineveh, Jonah fled west by sea — until a storm, a great fish, and God's mercy turned him around.
- Joppa — Takes ship to flee from the Lord
- Tarshish — The far-western port he sailed toward
- Joppa — Cast into the sea and swallowed by the great fish
- Nineveh — Finally preaches; the great city repents
Places in their life
Photo: Godot13 — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Photo: Omar Siddeeq Yousif — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
In art
