My jewish learning is a notforprofit and relies on your. The lords compassion is not only for insiders like jonah and israel but also for outsiders like the ninevites. In the belly of the fish for three days, jonah cries out to god, repents. Furthermore, the book of jonah seems to indicate that there is an inherent conditional element behind all prophecies, even if not explicitly stated. Concern for the salvation of all people, including ones enemies, is the proper attitude for people of god. Not too long after the ministry of elijah and elisha, another prophet came onto the scene in the northern kingdom of israel during the rule of jeroboam ii 2 kings 14. Consider that god could have stilled the storm without jonah having to be thrown into the sea and being swallowed by the fish. The theme of jonah is gods saving mercy toward the nations of the world. The message of the book of jonah christian articles. Jonah 14 msg running away from god one day long bible.
Book of jonah overview insight for living ministries. Running away from god one day long ago, gods word came to jonah, amittais son. Up on your feet and on your way to the big city of nineveh. I knew it when i was back home, i knew this was going to happen. Dec 19, 2015 the book of jonah includes the famous story of the great fish often erroneously thought of as a whale has led many to dismiss this book as merely a biblical fish story. At the bottom of the sea9then jonah prayed to his god from the belly of the fish. The book is about a prophet, some sailors and the inhabitants of the city of nineveh who are about to be destroyed because of their. It is a mistake to assume that events and actions of the book are not historical in nature. He paid the fare and went on board, joining those going to tarshishas far away from god as he could get. This time god does not mention the reason for sending jonah.
John hannah, the bible knowledge commentary wheaton. Moreover, some critics argue that the book of jonah depicts the prophet as being swallowed by a great fish jon. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. The issue is complicated somewhat by the use of the.
Jonah prophesied to nineveh but he wasnt happy about it jonah 4. The book of jonah includes the famous story of the great fish often erroneously thought of as a whale has led many to dismiss this book as merely a biblical fish story. Written by the prophet jonah, son of amittai, around 785760 b. The book of jonah is a subversive story about a rebellious prophet who. Perhaps the third quarter of the eighth century is the most likely date for the book, after the public ministries of amos and hosea and before the fall of samaria to assyria in 722721. Jonah represents jesus as the resurrection and the life. In most of the prophetic books of the bible, the focus is the message of the prophet. A reluctant prophet, jonah originally ran from god before delivering a message of repentance to the nation of nineveh. Jonah vividly displays the heart of mercy god has for all people groups of the world, even those known for their godlessness. Jonah is a prophet during the reign of king jeroboam ii. Intro to jonah biblica the international bible society. But, as every bible student knows, his plans were soon thwarted. The book of jonah recounts real events in the life and ministry of the prophet himself. Full text in english of the book of jonah my jewish learning.
Jonah is identified as a prophet and servant of god during the reign of king jeroboam ii of israel 2 kings 14. The audience of the book of jonah was the people of israel and all future readers of the bible and, typically, prophets issued warnings or gave instructions to the people of israel. Unlike many of the minor prophets, the book of jonah is mostly written in historicalstory form. The book of jonah is more than just a delightful story for children. But in the book of jonah, the focus is not so much on the. A commentary on the book of jonah cooper abrams bible truth. Literary characteristics unlike most other prophetic parts of the ot, this book is a narrative account of a single prophetic mission. The title of the book is the name of the main character, jonah. That is the point of the book of jonah in the old testament. Sep 18, 2018 the message is the bible paraphrased into contemporary english. The book starts with gods order to jonah to go and preach the people of nineveh but he was reluctant because they were his enemies and further thinking that they wont repent. Jan 02, 2020 jonah was the son of amittai, who came from gathhepher in zebulun called gittahhepher in joshua 19. Sometime after the fish vomited jonah onto dry land, the word of the lord comes to him yet again, arise, go to nineveh, that great city, and call. All of the citizens of the city, from the least to the greatest call for a fast and.
Watch our overview video on the book of jonah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. He went down to the port of joppa and found a ship headed for tarshish. The supposed legendary character of some of the events e. If you are not familiar with the story of jonahspend some time reading it. These were considered signs of divine anger and may help explain why the ninevites responded so readily to jonahs message, around 759. Within its four chapters is perhaps one of the better known childrens bible stories jonah and the big fish. Although the author of jonah is never identified in the book itself, jonah himself has traditionally been identified as the author. Jonah s experiences form the main contents and purpose of the book. The message is the bible paraphrased into contemporary english. The book is about a prophet, some sailors and the inhabitants of the city of nineveh who are about to be destroyed because of their sin.
To calm a storm, the crew throws jonah into the sea, where he is swallowed by a great fish god. Unfortunately, many christians thoughtlessly cast aspersions upon this important book in the canon of scripture without realizing that they are playing into the hands of the critics and innocently becoming the dupes of the skeptics. Jonah or jonas, in the hebrew bible tanakhold testament, is a prophet of the northern kingdom of israel in about the 8th century bce. The book of jonah is mostly remembered for its oddity. While jonah eventually departed and proclaimed gods message, the lesson of his story does not end there.
Thats after the prophet elijah but before amos and hosea. Aug 11, 2003 the book of jonah is mostly remembered for its oddity. Jonah was the son of amittai, who came from gathhepher in zebulun called gittahhepher in joshua 19. He is the central figure of the book of jonah, in which he is called upon by god to travel to nineveh and warn its residents of impending divine wrath.
That is, he did not preach that nineveh would be overturned unless they repented. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a bitter man. Jonah 1 msg running away from god one day long bible. Mar 16, 2019 written by the prophet jonah, son of amittai, around 785760 b. Jonah was a prophet in the land of israel about 800750 bc. Theyre in a bad way and i cant ignore it any longer. Jonahs experiences form the main contents and purpose of the book. The foundational source for the book was likely jonahs own telling of the story after his return from nineveh.
It is a book that will reward careful reading and meditation. Outline of the book of jonah jonah doesnt like his duty, so he tries to flee from god on a ship. The purpose of this book is to show that god is a merciful and gracious god. Identified in verse 1 as the son of amittai, jonah came from a town called gathhepher. Jonah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary.
And, as any schoolboy knows, a whale is a mammal, not a fish. Jonah is a perfect example of privileged hypocrisy and merciless pride. Nov 21, 2012 furthermore, the book of jonah seems to indicate that there is an inherent conditional element behind all prophecies, even if not explicitly stated. The book of jonah, written primarily in the third person, does not explicitly name the prophet as the author of his own account, but we have no reason to doubt either the inspiration or the historical veracity of the book. Through some supernatural events, god convinced him to obey and carry out the lords plan. It is a well known story for obvious reasons, not least of which are a disobedient prophet, an obedient fish and a wicked nation that starts out bad, yet ends up good. During this time, an important event happened to israel. Although the wicked city of nineveh deserved to be crushed immediately, god was patient towards them. But in the book of jonah, the focus is not so much on the message, but on the prophet. The prophetic significance of this book not only lies in the short message in nineveh but also in the entire history of jonah described in his book. The book is anonymous, and there are no indicators elsewhere in scripture to identify the author. When the people of nineveh hear jonahs message from god, the most unexpected thing occurs. I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness. Many have questioned whether the book of jonah is historical.
Introduction jonah is the book of the bible which perhaps has been criticized more than any other. Do you consider the fish swallowing jonah to be punishment or salvationlaw or gospel. Freebibleimages is a uk registered charity 1150890. He was the earliest of the prophets and close behind elisha in his place in the old testament. Apr 12, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of jonah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Date since jonah prophesied during the reign of jeroboam ii 782753. We are a team of christians creating a visual journey through the bible as a resource for teaching all ages available for free download by anyone, anywhere at any time. Jonahs story is told in the short just 48 verses but powerful book of jonah. The message of jonah to the people of nineveh contained no conditional statement. Jonah was a picture of the death and resurrection of christ. His name was jonah son of amittai from gathhepher near.
This summary of the book of jonah provides information about the title, authors. Oct 23, 2016 when the people of nineveh hear jonahs message from god, the most unexpected thing occurs. T he book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord. It concerns a disobedient prophet who rejected his divine commission, was cast overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and returned to his starting point. Jonah therefore is the only prophet of the ot revealing the grace of god towards the heathen. Jonah is unusual among the prophets in that his message is received and his audience repents. For one thing, it is a book artfully constructed, with one chapter devoted to a psalm. Jonah was resurrected from the whale to pursue gods path that he had laid before him, which was to rebuke nineveh into repentance.
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