AboutBibleProphecy.com

Jonah (or Jonas)

Jonah, the son of Amittai, was born in Israel. He was called by God to preach repentance to Assyria, of which the capital city was Nineveh. However, Jonah rebelled.

Jonah didn't want to preach to the pagans of Assyria. So, Jonah tried to escape God's plan by fleeing on a ship. But Jonah was thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. Later, the fish spit him out on the shoreline. Then, finally, Jonah obeyed God's command and went to Nineveh to preach. His preaching was successful and 120,000 people in Nineveh turned to God in obedience, sparing themselves punishment from God.

Jonah's time inside the fish is used as an example of Jesus' burial in Matthew 12:38-41. The basic theme of Jonah is that God declares His love for all men, whether they are Israelites or not. Jonah was unable to love the Assyrians properly, but God desired nothing for them but their salvation, and so He sent a prophet to preach repentance.

Jonah, means "dove". The Bible's book of Jonah is the 5th of the twelve minor prophets. Unlike the other prophet books, Jonah's is not a collection of prophetic speeches, but a short narrative.

Return to list of People in the Bible

Copyright ©2001-2007 George Konig and AboutBibleProphecy.com. All rights reserved.
May not be reproduced in any form without proper permission.

Bible prophecies
sorted by prophet
• Daniel's prophecies
• David's prophecies
• Ezekiel's prophecies
• Isaiah's prophecies
• Jacob's prophecies
• Jeremiah's prophecies
• Jesus' prophecies
• Micah's prophecies
• Moses' prophecies
• Nahum's prophecies
• Peter's prophecies
• Zechariah's prophecies
• Zephaniah's prophecies

Bible prophecies
sorted by theme
• Destruction of Israel
• Exile of Israel
• Dispersion of Israel
• Persecution of Israel
• Re-gathering of Israel
• Nationhood (Israel)
• Preservation of Israel
• Restoration of Israel
• Worldwide impact
• Messianic
• About other nations
• End Times

Life and teachings
of Jesus Christ
• Early life
• 1st year of ministry
• 2nd year of ministry
• 3rd year of ministry
• The final months
• Persecution of Jesus
• Resurrection of Jesus

Articles, answers,
explanations, links
• Articles & explanations
• What is Christianity?
• Learn about the Bible
• Answers to tough questions
• Links & Online Bibles
• Da Vinci Code hoax

Glossaries of
people, events
• People in the Bible
• Places in the Bible
• Bible glossary
• History of Israel
• Miracles of Jesus

Other stuff
• About us
• E-mail us
• HOME