Book Introduction
Jonah
Written by
The Author
— A prophet famous not for what he said, but for running in the opposite direction from where God told him to go
Traditionally attributed to son of Amittai, a historical prophet mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. The book reads as a literary narrative about Jonah rather than a typical prophetic collection.
700s–300s BC (debated)
The people of
To show that God's compassion extends even to Israel's worst enemies — and to challenge the narrow nationalism of God's people
What's It About?
God tells to go to — the capital of Assyria, Israel's most brutal enemy. Jonah does the opposite: he books a ship to Tarshish. God sends a storm, Jonah gets thrown overboard, a great fish swallows him for three days, and he finally obeys. The twist: Nineveh repents. And Jonah is furious — because he knew God would show mercy, and he didn't want the enemies of Israel to receive it.
Key Themes
Life Topics
Related Books
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