The Book of Jonah
Jonah, swallowed by a great fish on the run from God, learns that God's mercy reaches even to the enemies of his people — a story as much about the prophet's heart as Nineveh's repentance.
- Testament
- Old (4 chapters)
- Type
- Minor Prophet
- Author
- Anonymous narrative about the prophet Jonah son of Amittai (mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25).
- Date
- Set in the 8th c. BC; the book's literary form suggests later composition.
God's mercy on enemies
Nineveh was Assyria's capital — the empire that would soon destroy Israel. Jonah doesn't run from danger; he runs from the possibility that God might spare them. The book makes Jonah's prejudice the central problem, not Nineveh's.
The unfinished question
The book ends with God's question to Jonah — 'should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons?' (4:11) — and no answer. The reader is invited to give one.
Key verses (KJV)
“Salvation is of the LORD.” — Jonah 2:9 (KJV)
“Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” — Jonah 3:4 (KJV)
“Should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons?” — Jonah 4:11 (KJV)
How to read Jonah
Four chapters — read in one sitting. Don't get stuck on the fish; the book's real surprise is the prophet's reluctance, and the open question at the end.
Read Jonah on your iPhone
Read the full book of Jonah in Quiethaven — choose your translation, read offline, and pick up where you left off. Pair it with a daily verse and a prayer timer.
Read Jonah free on iPhone.
Download on the App Store