The story of Jonah, which also occurs in the Qur’an, is found among the short prophet books, often called the Minor Prophets or the Twelve Prophets. Most biblical scholars extrapolate two major themes from the story of Jonah: first, the omnipresence of God, and second, His willingness to forgive those who repent. Although Jonah hears God, he does not want to listen.

Punished prophet

The story opens with God telling Jonah to go to Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, to preach against sin. Instead, Jonah runs away to Joppa (Jaffa) and boards a ship sailing to Tarshish, whose location is unknown today. However, he cannot run from an omnipresent God. While Jonah is on the boat, the Lord sends a violent storm.

When the sailors discover that Jonah is a Hebrew, and that the Lord is angry with him, they ask Jonah what to do to calm the sea. Jonah tells them to throw him into the water. At first, they ignore Jonah’s advice, as they do not want to kill an innocent man, but when their attempts to row back to land fail, they throw him overboard. The sea calms and the sailors offer a sacrifice to the Lord. God then sends a fish to swallow Jonah, who stays in the belly of the fish for three days and nights.

Jonah is devoured by a “huge fish” with gills in this 15th-century French miniature from the Bible of St. John XXII. Contrary to popular myth, the Bible does not specify a whale.

Jonah’s prayer

While in the fish, Jonah says a prayer in poetic form similar to that of many of the Psalms of lament. He describes how he has been brought low, but the power of the Lord will save him, suggesting he is willing to do what is commanded of him. Jonah appears to allude to the Psalms in the prayer. He includes the word sheol in Hebrew, which is typically translated in the Psalms, and elsewhere, as the grave, or abode of the dead. Little is known about the ancient concept of sheol, but scholars believe it is a place where the presence of the Lord cannot be felt.

Jonah ends the prayer by vowing to reform. Echoing Psalm 3:8, he says: “Salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). After this, the fish spits Jonah out.

God’s compassion

Chastised by his experience, Jonah travels to Nineveh, where he fulfills God’s command. He tells the sinful Ninevites to repent and prophesies their destruction. However, when they do repent, and the Lord forgives them, Jonah is angry that God should show mercy to enemies of Israel and deny his prophecy. He obstinately sits outside the city, waiting for its destruction. To teach Jonah a lesson—prophets are the messengers of the Lord; they are not supposed to punish or act independently—God grows a vine (generally thought to be a gourd) over Jonah to provide shade while he waits near Nineveh, but then commands a worm to eat the vine, and sends a scorching east wind so that Jonah grows faint. Through this act, God both forgives and punishes Jonah. But Jonah remains angry. God then says to Jonah, “Should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand?” (4:10). While Jonah believes salvation should be for the Israelites alone, God’s mercy extends to all.

Interpretations of the story of Jonah

A 4th-century mosaic in the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, Aquileia, Italy, shows Jonah resting under the gourd vine sent by God.

For many, it is puzzling to see a prophet of the Lord being disobedient and the enemies of Israel receiving forgiveness. However, God mentions that all nations are under the Lord’s dominion and Ezekiel 21 states that even Babylon is the tool of the Lord. In Matthew 12:39–41, Jesus equates Himself to Jonah: He applauds that the people of Nineveh repented, but says that His work will be greater. Jesus also mentions that, just as Jonah was in the fish for three days, He will be three days and nights “in the heart of the earth.”

Many readers focus on the fish, or whale, but what all the interpretations show is the centrality of repentance and forgiveness. In Judaism, Jonah is read during Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) in remembrance of God’s forgiveness, even to the enemies of Israel.

See also: The Tower of Babel • Sodom and Gomorrah • The Ten Commandments • The Psalms • The Empty Tomb