What is the book of Jonah about?
Well, it’s not simply about a great fish (mentioned only four times),
or a great city (named nine times),
or even a disobedient prophet (mentioned eighteen times).
It’s about God!
God is mentioned thirty-eight times in these four short chapters,
and if you eliminated Him from the book, the story wouldn’t make sense.
The book of Jonah is about the will of God and how we respond to it.
It’s also about the love of God and how we share it with others. – Wiersbe
Probably the best known yet least understood book in the Bible is the book of Jonah. – Stedman
Jonah is one of fourteen Old Testament books that opens with the little word and. This reminds us that this is God’s “continued story” of mercy and grace. - Wiersbe
I. The Author
A. The book of Jonah does not tell us who wrote the book, but most believe it was Jonah himself telling of his own foolishness.
B. Apart from this book, very little is known about Jonah. He lived in the 8th century BC and is spoken of in only one other Old Testament book. What do we learn about Jonah from 2 Kings 14:25?
1. Gath Hepher was a town in the territory of Zebulun, several miles north of Nazareth. This
identifies Jonah as a prophet to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Why was there both a Northern
and a Southern Kingdom? (See 1 Kings 12)
2. The ministry of Jonah took place during the reign of King Jeroboam II who reigned in the first half
of the 8th century B.C. Learn of King Jeroboam II in 2 Kings 14:23-24.
C. The story of Jonah has been described as a parable, an allegory, and a satire, but though it is an unusual story, it is actually written as a historical event. Jonah is a real person with a true story.
This is confirmed by the fact that Jesus uses the story of Jonah as an analogy of His own impending death and resurrection.
1. What does Jesus say in these verses: Matt. 12:39-41, Luke 11:29-32.
2. Comment on this quote from the NKJV Study Bible: Thus any view of the Book of Jonah that
does not assume it describes historical events is obliged to explain away the clear words of
Jesus to the contrary.
II. The Uniqueness of the Book of Jonah
A. Jonah is one of the minor prophets. The minor prophets are not in any way less significant than the major prophets, but their books are shorter and more narrowly focused than the major prophets.
B. Unlike the other prophetic books, the book of Jonah has no prophecies. Rather, the book is largely narrative. In Chapter 2 there is a song of deliverance that is similar to many of the Psalms.
III. The City of Nineveh
A. Nineveh was a great city thought by historians to be the largest city in the ancient world. Jonah speaks of Nineveh as a three-day journey in extent – it took three days to walk through the city, or possibly three days to walk around the city.
B. Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire. Assyrians were known both historically and biblically as extremely wicked people. It was the Assyrians who eventually conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
C. When Jonah was ministering in the Northern Kingdom, Assyria was growing in power but had not yet become the world-dominating power. When God told Jonah to go to Nineveh, Assyria, as well as Egypt and Syria, had become a threat to the Northern and Southern Kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
IV. Key Verse: Jonah 2:9
A. Write this verse from your favorite version of the Bible.
B. What does this verse mean?
V. Theme
A. Obeying God’s will brings blessings to us, and blessings to others through us; disobedience brings discipline.
B. Our God is sovereign, but also abundant in love and mercy.
C. God is not only concerned for Israel, but for other nations as well.
D. Our God is the God of second chances, even for His prophets.
VI. Before jumping into our verse by verse study of Jonah, be sure to read through the entire book so we can keep in mind the big picture.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God… 2 Tim. 3:16