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

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.

Popular chapters in Jonah

• Jonah 2

More Old Testament books

• The Book of Micah
• The Book of Nahum
• The Book of Habakkuk
• The Book of Zephaniah
• The Book of Haggai

From the blog

Frequently asked questions

What is the Book of Jonah about?

Jonah is a book of Minor Prophet, running to 4 chapters. Its main threads: God's mercy on enemies; The unfinished question.

Who wrote the Book of Jonah?

Anonymous narrative about the prophet Jonah son of Amittai (mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25).

Where does Jonah come in the Bible?

Jonah is one of the 39 books of the Old Testament in the Protestant canon, grouped with the Minor Prophet books. You can walk the canon in order using the previous and next links on this page.