Jonah

Lore & Background

In Judaism, the story of Jonah represents the teaching of repentance in Judaism, the ability to repent to God for forgiveness. In the New Testament of Christianity, Jesus calls himself 'greater than Jonah' and promises the Pharisees 'the sign of Jonah' when referring to his resurrection. Early Christian interpreters viewed Jonah as a type of Jesus. Jonah in Islam is regarded as a prophet and the narrative of Jonah appears in a sura of the Quran named after him, Yūnus. Many modern Bible scholars suggest the Book of Jonah is fictional, and at least partially satirical. Most scholars consider the Book of Jonah to have been composed long after the events it describes due to its use of words and motifs exclusive to postexilic Aramaic sources. The character of Jonah, son of Amittai, may have been based on the historical prophet of the same name who prophesied during the reign of King Amaziah of Judah, as mentioned in 2 Kings. Although the creature that swallowed Jonah is often depicted in art and culture as a whale, the Hebrew text uses the phrase 'large fish'. In the 17th century and early 18th century, the species of the fish that swallowed Jonah was the subject of speculation by naturalists, who interpreted the story as an account of a historical incident. Some modern scholars of folklore note similarities between Jonah and other legendary religious figures, like the Indian yogi Matsyendranatha 'Lord of the Fishes', the Sumerian king Gilgamesh, and the Greek hero Jason.

Reader's Guide

Jonah is the central character in the Book of Jonah, in which God commands him to go to the city of Nineveh to prophesy against it 'for their great wickedness is come up before me', but Jonah instead attempts to flee from 'the presence of the Lord' by going to Jaffa. He sets sail for Tarshish. A huge storm arises and the sailors, realizing that it is no ordinary storm, cast lots and discover that Jonah is to blame. Jonah admits this and says that if he is thrown overboard, the storm will cease. The sailors refuse to do this and continue rowing, but all their efforts fail, and they eventually throw Jonah overboard. As a result, the storm calms and the sailors offer sacrifices to God. After being cast from the ship, Jonah is swallowed by a large fish, within the belly of which he remains for three days and three nights. While in the great fish, Jonah prays to God in his affliction and commits to giving thanks and to paying what he has vowed. God commands the fish to vomit Jonah out. God again commands Jonah to travel to Nineveh and prophesy to its inhabitants. This time he travels there and enters the city, crying, 'In forty days Nineveh shall be overthrown.' After Jonah has walked across Nineveh, the people begin to believe his word and proclaim a fast. The king of Nineveh puts on sackcloth and sits in ashes, making a proclamation which decrees fasting, the wearing of sackcloth, prayer and repentance. God sees their repentant hearts and spares the city at that time. The entire city is humbled and broken, with the people (and even the livestock) wearing sackcloth and ashes. Displeased by this, Jonah refers to his earlier flight to Tarshish while asserting that, since God is merciful, it was inevitable that God would turn from the threatened calamities. He leaves the city and makes a shelter, waiting to see whether or not the city will be destroyed. God causes a plant (in Hebrew a kikayon) to grow over Jonah's shelter to give him some shade from the sun. Later, God causes a worm to bite the plant's root and it withers. Jonah, exposed to the full force of the sun, becomes faint and pleads for God to kill him.

Did You Know?

• The Book of Jonah is read every year in its original Hebrew on Yom Kippur as the Haftarah at the afternoon mincha prayer.
• According to Rabbi Eliezer, the fish that swallowed Jonah was created in the primordial era and the inside of its mouth was like a synagogue.
• Jonah is regarded as a saint by a number of Christian denominations; his feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is on 21 September.
• The medieval Jewish scholar Abraham ibn Ezra argued against any literal interpretation of the Book of Jonah, stating that the experiences of all the prophets except Moses were visions.