The Book of Jonah.

Title

According to the Hebrew Masoretic texts (MT), the title of the book is derived from
main character, Jonah (which means 'dove'), the son of Amittai (1:1). Both the
Septuagint (LXX) as well as the Latin Vulgate (Vg.) attribute the same name to it.1.

Author

The book does not have any direct statements about the person who wrote it.
Throughout the book, Jonah is repeatedly referred to in the third person, causing
that some look for another author. However, it was not an unusual practice in the OT to write
in the third person (e.g. Ex. 11:3; 1 Sam. 12:11). Additionally, the autobiographical information
revealed in its pages clearly points to Jonah as the author. The first-person stories
a person of events and experiences so uncommon would be better product of
Neither should Jonah's verse of introduction suggest anything different, due to
What other prophets such as Hosea, Joel, Micah, Zephaniah, Haggai, and Zechariah have
similar openings.

According to 2 Kings 14:25, Jonah came from Gath-hepher near Nazareth.

the context places it during the long and prosperous reign of Jeroboam II (ca. 793-753 BC),
making him a prophet to the northern tribes shortly before Amos during the first half
from the eighth century BC, ca. 760 BC. The Pharisees were wrong when they said 'from Galilee'
"A prophet has never arisen" (Jn. 7:52), because Jonah was from Galilee. A Jewish tradition
it cannot be verified says that Jonah was the son of the widow whom Elijah resurrected from the
dead (1 Kings 17:8-24)2.
It is commonly not included in the eighth century, due to its date of composition.
It is discussed, and because his book is related to the commission of preaching to

1
MacArthur, John F. The MacArthur Study Bible. 2011 Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America,
Gripo Nelson, Inc. p. 1158
2
MacArthur, John F. The MacArthur Study Bible. 2011 Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Gripo Nelson, Inc. p. 1158
Assyria. However, because it comes from Israel and because its date, according to the most likely, falls

in the time of Hosea and Amos.

These indications and other factors lead us to the conclusion that the book
it appeared during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah when the Jews were dominated by
the spirit of exclusivism and particularism, and did not want to have dealings with other peoples.
God sent this message to call you back to your missionary vocation.

Place of ministry

Israel, in part and to the Gentiles of Nineveh, capital of Assyria (2 Kings 14:25; Jonah 1:1, 2)

Historical Context

Diodorus, a Greek historian from the first century BC, noted the fact of
that the circumference of Nineveh was about ninety kilometers. Very consistent with the
the indication of Jonah (3:3), that it was a city exceedingly great, of three days' journey.
to say, around thirty kilometers per day on foot.

Archaeologists have discovered that the walls of the ancient city, which are
they extended about four and a half kilometers long and two wide. But it is evident that the
The term Nineveh, both Diodorus and Jonah refer to the city and its suburbs.3

As a prophet to the ten tribes of northern Israel, Jonah shares his context.
history with Amos. The nation enjoyed a time of relative peace and prosperity. Both
Syria, like Assyria, was weak, allowing Jeroboam II to expand the borders of
north of Israel to where they had been in the days of David and Solomon (2 Kings 14:23-27).
Nevertheless, spiritually it was a time of poverty; religion was ritualistic and more so
more idolatrous, and justice had been perverted. The time of peace and wealth had made it
that it was in spiritual, moral, and ethical bankruptcy (cp. 2 Kings 14:24; Amos 4:1 onwards
5:10-13). As a result, God was going to punish her by bringing destruction and captivity of the

3
Ralph Earle, T. D. (n.d.). Know the Minor Prophets. Kansas City, Mo.: Beacon Hill Press. p. 44.
ibid p.45
Assyrians in 722 B.C. The repentance of Nineveh may have been aided by two plagues.
(765 and 759 BC and a solar eclipse (763 BC), preparing them for the message of judgment for
part of Jonah4.

Jonah prophesied that this energetic king would extend the borders of Israel from
Damascus in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. Indeed, Israel experienced a
prosperity during the time of Jeroboam that was unmatched in its short history.

The book contains expressions in Aramaic, a language that the Jews did not know.
until their captivity in Babylon and Persia where the language was the 'official' one. The same Hebrew

The book uses expressions that were used in times much later than the reign of Jeroboam.
II. The emperors of Assyria were never known by the title King of Nineveh, nor in the
The Bible in the writings of Assyria. The verse that says that Nineveh was a great city.
Indicates that the book was written after its destruction which occurred in 612 B.C.
expression used in 1:9, God of heaven, who made the sea and the land, indicates a
the theology of a late period in the history of Israel. The missionary spirit of the book is
similar to what is found in Isaiah 40–555.

Nature and purpose of the book

For many years, some scholars in the field have said that the book is the
narration of an event that occurred between 793 and 753 BC but written much
later to encourage the Jews to take on their missionary responsibility with the peoples
of the world.

Other scholars say that the book is an allegory of the captivity of the Jews in
Babylon and its subsequent liberation. The people of Israel are symbolized by Jonah and the great
fish is Babylon. Even the prophet Jeremiah described the captivity in Babylon as
―swallowed like a sea monster‖ (Jer.51:34). Then Jeremiah said that God was going to

4
MacArthur, John F. The MacArthur Study Bible. 2011 Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America.
Gripo Nelson, Inc. p. 1158
5
Hispano World Bible Commentary, volume 13, Hispano World Publishing, Alabama St., El Paso, Texas
79904. United States of America. p.169
to take the people of Israel out of Babylon, which had swallowed them (Jer. 51:44). That's why
Many believe that Jonah's experience in the belly of the fish is a representation.
symbolic of Israel's captivity and its subsequent return to its land. However, the others
details of an allegory are missing in the narrative.
The OT does not speak of a call for the Jews to preach the message of their faith to the
Gentiles before the captivity that took place in 586 B.C. There is no evidence that the
the entire nation has refused a mission to the Gentiles. Furthermore, it remains to be seen the meaning of

the gourd, the worm, and the fair wind. The best interpretation is to conclude that the
the book is a narration based on a historical event, told many years later
in the literary style of a parable. Both the OT and the NT make extensive use of the
parable to teach important truths. Before studying in detail the book of Jonah
One must read: 2 Samuel chapters 11 and 12, Isaiah 5:1–7, Luke 10:25–37; and 15:1, 2. From this
One immediately notices that the book of Jonah has the literary form of a parable.
This also explains the abrupt way in which the book ends. The truth has been
taught, no more words are needed.

Since the time of the prophecy contained in Isaiah 40–55, the Jews had the
commission to preach their faith to the Gentiles. It is enough to read Isaiah 45:22; 49:9; and 55:7 to know

that the beliefs of Israel should be shared with the other peoples of the earth.
Unfortunately, Israel never made an effort to bring the message to other nations. Like the
The book of Ruth indicates they were willing to receive individuals from others.
nations that would like to convert to the faith of Israel, but never sent missionaries to others
nations. Even due to their experience as captives in Babylon and later in Persia
they closed themselves even more upon returning to their land. Even Ezra and Nehemiah forced the
Jews to divorce the women of other peoples with whom they had married. (See
Ezra 10:1–3; Neh. 13:23–28.) During this very difficult time, a great anonymous prophet used the
Jonah's experience in writing one of the most important parables in the Bible. With
this magnificent work leads us to the door of the NT. We must never say that it is a work
fictitious. It is a prophetic message given in the form of a parable. This is not entirely strange; it is
It is very possible that the Lord saw a person of another nationality helping a
wounded Jew and this will inspire him to tell the parable of the 'Good Samaritan'6.
Literary genre

His work and his persona

Some scholars suggest that Jonah is not a historical figure, but rather a fictional one.
as Gregorio Nacianceno suggested in the fourth century, and which exists at the bottom of the narrative

a historical figure a nationalist Prophet, this prophet of salvation takes place in the time of
late little post the hero of a fantastic and colorful nationalist comic
Difference from other more conservative scholars who base themselves on the application that

Jesus Christ makes him, they assert the opinion that he was actually a historical figure,
it is also stated that it must be the prophet Jonah who appears in the historical books
(2 Kings 19:13), but despite the discussions, the conservative position remains today the
more accepted7.

THE USE OF THE BOOK BY JESUS

It is very important to remember that according to Luke 11:32 Jesus used the experience of

Jonah to teach the Jews that the people repented upon hearing the message of Jonah, and that
they had very hard hearts for not repenting before the message of one greater than
Jonah, who preached to them. It is not that Jonah was a 'type' of Christ but an illustration.
powerful to show the Jews of the time of Christ that they did very wrong by not
pay attention to the message of the Son of God. Also in Matthew 12:40, 41 Jesus says the
same and also add as an illustration that just as Jonah was three days and three nights
in the belly of a great fish (not necessarily a whale), so the Son of Man was going to
to be in the tomb three days and three nights, and to rise on the third day. These quotes made by

6
Hispanic World Bible Commentary, volume 13, Hispanic World Publishing, Alabama St., El Paso, Texas
79904. United States of America. p.171, 172
7
The provided text is a URL and does not contain translatable text.
Jesus warns us that the book of Jonah is very important and that we must study it with
take great care8.

Theological theme

The book of Jonah reveals God's sovereign dominion over man and all creation.
Creation came into existence through Him (1:9) and corresponds to each of His
commandments (1:4,17; 2:10; 4:6, 7; cf. Mr. 4:41). Jesus used the repentance of the
ninivitas to reprimand the Pharisees, and thus I illustrate the hardness of the hearts of the Pharisees and their

lack of willingness to repent (Mt. 12:38-41; Lc. 11:29-32). Jonah is a portrait of

Israel who was chosen and commissioned by God to be His witness (Isaiah 43:10-12; 44:8),
who rebelled against their will (Ex. 32:1-4; Judg. 2:11-19; Ezek. 6:1-5; Mark 7:6-9)
but has been miraculously preserved by God throughout centuries of exile and
dispersion to finally preach its truth (Jer. 30:11; 31:35-37; Hos. 3:3-5; Rev. 7:1-8;
14:1-3)

Interpretation challenges

The primary challenge is whether the book should be interpreted as a historical narrative or
as an allegory. The large scale of miracles, such as being kept alive for three
Days and three nights in a fish have led some skeptics and critics to deny its validity.
historical and replace spiritual lessons, whether for the constitutive parts (allegory) or for
the book as a whole (parable). But regardless of how grand and miraculous it is
the events may have been, the narration should be seen as historical. Focused on a
historically identifiable prophet of the Old Testament who lived in the eighth century B.C., the account of

who has been recorded in narrative form, there is no alternative but to understand Jonah
as history. Moreover, Jesus did not teach the story of Jonah as a parable, but
like a real story firmly rooted in history (Mt. 12:38-41; 16:4; Le. 11:29-32)9.

Key verse
8
Hispanic World Bible Commentary, volume 13, Hispanic World Publishing, Alabama St., El Paso, Texas
79904. United States of America. p.172
9
MacArthur, John F. The MacArthur Study Bible. 2011 Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America
Gripo Nelson, Inc. p. 1158
Book outline

I. DISOBEDIENCE. FLEEING FROM GOD, 1:1-16

A. The commission and the revelation, 1:1-3
B. The storm and its cause, 1:4-9
C. The salvation of the sailors, 1:10-16
II. PRAYER. RETURN TO GOD, 1:17—2:10
A. God prepares a great fish, 1:17
B. Anguish and hope, 2:1-4
C. Liberation from death, 2:5-7
D. The false worship and the true worship, 2:8-10
III. PREACHING. FULFILLING WITH GOD, 3:1-10
A. The urgent message, 3:1-4
B. The great repentance, 3:5-10
IV. EGOISM. THE DISCIPLINE OF GOD, 4:1-11
A. The angry prophet, 4:1-4
B. The graphic illustration, 4:5-8
C. The application of the illustration, 4:9-11

It has been called the book of Jonah - 'the most Christian book of the Old Testament' - and this is due to the great

message that contains: God loves all the people who inhabit the earth and has given us
Christians have the responsibility to preach the gospel to the lost so that they may be saved.
repent and be saved from your sin.
Key things from the book
I. Chapter one.
A. It descended. The only direction a child of God or a nation can go.
when he disobeys the revealed will of God it is downward. This is seen
reflected in Jonah's attitudes when he descended to Joppa, going down to the
interior of the ship to sleep, when he descended to the depths of the
Tue.
II.
Controversial passages