Jonah is the 32 book of the old testament and of the Holy Bible. Most children know the story of Jonah being swallowed by the great fish. The story of Jonah is often one of the stories in the Holy Bible that atheists try to attack to say see this is impossible and thus the Bible is wrong. I will show you that scripture and God are right and it is the atheists who are wrong and the fools for not believing God. They can learn the most from Jonah to what happens to people who do not obey God. Jesus himself confirmed the story of Jonah. Jonah was an unwilling prophet of God who did not want to see his enemy saved and he suffered the consequences for his disobedience. We must always obey God at all times. The book of Jonah consists of four chapters with four representing the gospel. The book of Jonah represents the gospel in a nutshell as the book shows how for all who call upon Jesus and repent can be saved including Gentiles, even the worst enemy of his chosen people in the Assyrians. Jesus compared himself to Jonah. Just as Jonah brought salvation to Nineveh (Gentiles) after he was vomited up by the great fish, Jesus brought salvation to the Gentiles following his resurrection. The Assyrians had been long time enemies of Israel. Jonah is considered one of the twelve minor prophets. Jonah the prophet of Israel was from Gath-hepher. (II Kings 14:25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath–hepher.) The book of Jonah does not say when the events occurred, but II Kings 14 has Jonah as a prophet during the time of the Israel king Jeroboam II as verses 23-25 describe. The book of Jonah is part 1 of a two part story found in scripture with the book of Nahum being part 2.
(Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,) We see in verse 1 how the word of the LORD came to Jonah. The phrase the word of the LORD is used three times in the book of Jonah. The number three represents resurrection again to show the connection of the story of Jonah and salvation to Gentiles and to the resurrection of Jesus who also brought salvation to Gentiles, besides the Jews as well. We are also told that the word of the LORD came specifically to Jonah and to no one else. God called Jonah for this particular ministry and he does the same today to people. The name Jonah means dove and just as God used Jonah to preach repentance to Ninevah, God sent the Holy Ghost who is represented as a dove on Pentecost to indwell believers who are to preach to the lost. (Luke 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.) The dove is a peaceful bird just as the Holy Ghost brings people peace by convicting them of their need of salvation by Jesus. Jonah was the son of Amittai which means true. The gospel that Jonah was bringing in peace was true as seen in the very names of these individuals. The true gospel is a gospel of peace, unlike some cults or religions who try to use warfare and threats to bring their version of the gospel. God will never force the true gospel on anyone.
(Jonah 1:2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.) In verse 2 we see that Jonah is told to go to Nineveh that great city and cry against it since their wickedness had come before God. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria and was at one time for a short while the largest city in the world. The size of the city can be seen at the end of the book in how many children are mentioned. Assyria as I previously mentioned had been long time enemies of Israel. The Assyrian Empire was the major power of the world at the time. Nineveh was known for its great wickedness as was the whole nation of Assyria. The cruelty of the Assyrians was said to be some of the worst among the ancient nations. They tortured and butchered their prisoners and when they captured a people they would often times scatter them among other nations to try and make them lose their identity as a people and to also keep them from uniting against the Assyrians for their freedom. This is what happened to Israel after Israel was captured by the Assyrian Empire. The ten tribes of Israel were scattered among the nations and they remain that way even today. Jonah was the first prophet sent directly by God to the Gentiles as we see he was a type of Jesus. Not only was Jonah sent to the Gentiles, but probably to the cruelest Gentiles in the world. Jonah was prophet to the Gentiles just as Paul would be used as an apostle to the Gentiles. (Romans 11:13 For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:) Jonah was told to cry against Nineveh. This means that Jonah was to tell the people how wicked they were and to turn from their sins or else God would bring judgment. This would not be a popular message among such wicked and cruel people which is why Jonah would not want to go.
(Jonah 1:3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.) In verse 3 we see Jonah disobeyed God and did not go to Nineveh but rather tried to flee to Tarshish by going down to Joppa where he found a ship heading to Tarshish, so he paid the fare. The verse says he was fleeing from the presence of the LORD and God tells us this twice to emphasize the danger of such foolishness. This is exactly what many Christians do when they do not want to do what God has called them to do for him. This can be seen especially in men who have been called by God to the ministry and they try to flee from God to avoid serving in the ministry. We just like Jonah cannot flee from the presence of the LORD. Wherever we go he is still there. We also should not be trying to flee from the LORD, but rather should be trying to get closer to the LORD. We do not know exactly where Tarshish was located. It has been said to have been in Spain, Great Britain, Africa, Phoenician area, and many other locations. Wherever it was it was most likely far away and in the complete opposite direction from his intended target of Nineveh. Tarshish was where Solomon obtained much great wealth from. (II Chronicles 9:21 For the king’s ships went to Tarshish with the servants of Huram: every three years once came the ships of Tarshish bringing gold, and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks.) It must have taken a little while to get there as it was a three year round trip.
(Jonah 1:4 ¶ But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken.) We see in verse 4 how the LORD sent out a great wind causing mighty waves that nearly broke the ship in pieces. Ships back then were much smaller than today and made of wood, but God kept the ship together since he was not trying to kill those on board, but to get the attention of Jonah who was fleeing from him. As I said previously you cannot flee from God. He will always find you. This also applies back to those men who are called to the ministry. There is no more miserable Christian than one who is fighting the will of God. We see in this verse how God directly controls the sea by his great power as the Creator to intervene in the affairs of Jonah.
(Jonah 1:5 Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god, and cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it of them. But Jonah was gone down into the sides of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.) We see in this verse how the severe storm from God caused great fear upon the mariners. These men cried unto whatever god they worshipped and they cast items overboard in an attempt to lighten the ship and to try and keep it from sinking. The mariners never realized that the problem with their ship was not the goods on board, but rather the person Jonah. Notice that there were no atheists on board this ship. The reality is that very few people are true atheists despite American atheists making you think that most of the people in the world are atheists. This has never been true and is still not today as most people worship some god. Notice that while the mariners were all panicking, crying out to their god, and attempting to keep the ship afloat, Jonah was down inside the sides of the ship fast asleep without a care for anyone else except himself. Notice how in verse 3 Jonah went down into Joppa, down into the ship, and then here in verse 5 down into the sides of the ship. In scripture going down represents going away from or turning from God as well as can mean hell. Down represents sin of which Jonah was committing sin by disobeying the LORD.
(Jonah 1:6 So the shipmaster came to him, and said unto him, What meanest thou, O sleeper? arise, call upon thy God, if so be that God will think upon us, that we perish not.) No matter what the mariners did, nothing seemed to help, so the shipmaster woke Jonah and said what are you doing sleeping when you should be calling upon your God to save all of them. The shipmaster realized that maybe the God of Jonah was able to save them when their gods could not. He was right as only God can bring salvation to someone. No false god can. In one sense this verse describes the whole purpose of what Jonah was running away from in refusing to bring salvation to the Gentiles of which the mariners were as well.
(Jonah 1:7 And they said every one to his fellow, Come, and let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this evil is upon us. So they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Jonah.) It was decided by the crew to casts lots to find out who was the cause for this evil upon them. They understood that this was no ordinary storm like they had experienced before in their many years on the sea, but had to be supernatural. They were right. The lots were cast and the lot fell upon Jonah. The crew now knew Jonah was the source of their problem, but they did not know why.
(Jonah 1:8 Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou?) The crew began bombarding Jonah with many questions wanting answers for what he did and who he was that was causing these problems for them. They wanted to know what country he was from and what people group he was and what he did for a job for his living. By these questions it would be revealed he was one of God’s chosen people. Jonah was making Israel and more importantly God look bad in the eyes of the heathen. These men asked Jonah four direct questions why this evil was upon them. The number four means gospel and these men were searching and wanted Jonah to give them the gospel. These men would receive the gospel and get saved in verse 16.
(Jonah 1:9 And he said unto them, I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, which hath made the sea and the dry land.) Jonah tells the crew that he is an Hebrew and he fears the LORD who is the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land and this is why he can control the sea by sending this storm. Jonah was saying he worshipped Jehovah who was more than just a local god, but rather the very Creator of the sea they were upon.
(Jonah 1:10 Then were the men exceedingly afraid, and said unto him, Why hast thou done this? For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the LORD, because he had told them.) In this verse we see how the men became exceedingly afraid upon realizing that Jonah had fled from the presence of the LORD since Jonah had told him he had. They understood that as a Hebrew his LORD was none other than Jehovah himself. I am sure many of them had heard of some of the stories such as the ten plaques, crossing of the Red sea, the conquering of the Promised Land and many other things Jehovah had done for Israel. These heathen men rightfully became afraid knowing what God can do especially to those who are disobedient. These men seemed to sense the foolishness of how someone who worshipped Jehovah could disobey him. The heathen were wiser than Jonah just as Jesus spoke about how those of the world were wiser than the children of light (Christians). (Luke 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.) This is so true in many ways today. Many of them have more sight than Christians who help bring in the New World Order which is the enemy of God. This verse shows how our sins affect much more than just us. These men threw many of their possessions overboard and feared for their lives because of the sin of Jonah. Jonah should have preached to these men to bring comfort to them as well as salvation.
(Jonah 1:11 ¶ Then said they unto him, What shall we do unto thee, that the sea may be calm unto us? for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous.) The men asked Jonah what did they need to do to calm the sea. The sea continued to be violent and tempestuous with heavy strong winds and high waves tossing the ship to and fro. The men were rightly concerned for their lives. These men realized that they were dealing with an angry Jehovah and not just some ordinary storm and that they could do nothing of their own accord, but they figured Jonah as a worshipper of Jehovah would know how to calm the LORD.
(Jonah 1:12 And he said unto them, Take me up, and cast me forth into the sea; so shall the sea be calm unto you: for I know that for my sake this great tempest is upon you.) Jonah also understood that this great storm was caused by God who was angry with him and he understood that once he was off the ship then God would calm the sea and then those on board would live. At this point Jonah finally did the right thing and was willing to sacrifice his life by drowning in the open sea in order that the rest of the people on the ship might live. Jonah finally realized that there was no longer any point in fighting and resisting God. He will always find you no matter where you go. Scripture does not say that Jonah believed he would live, but he may have trusted that God would somehow save him, but either way he was willing to maybe die in order to save others. This again shows Jonah as a type of Jesus. This is what Jesus did for us as he willingly gave his life for us on the cross at Calvary so that we might have everlasting life to those who called upon him for salvation.
(Jonah 1:13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.) The men did not like the idea of throwing Jonah overboard as they knew that meant his death and they did not want to be guilty of killing a man so they once again tried to row the ship to land in a futile attempt, but the sea continued its violence and God prevented them from doing so, so that he might bring glory to himself. This again shows how these heathen men were wiser than Jonah. The men also understood that this raging storm was the result of an angry Jehovah against Jonah and they were not sure if throwing Jonah overboard might anger him even more rather than calming the sea as Jonah said it would.
(Jonah 1:14 Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee.) The men finally realized that to try and continue to row was futile and they had no choice but to throw Jonah overboard as he said and to plea with Jehovah to spare their lives and not place Jonah’s blood due to his death upon them as they did not want to kill him. They understood as the last part of the verse says that the LORD “hast done as it pleased thee” and it was God’s will to have caused this storm which was leading to the death in their eyes of Jonah. These men were not worshippers of Jehovah, but they were smart enough to realize that he was in control and so they wisely called out to the LORD.
(Jonah 1:15 So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging.) With all other options gone and having cried out to the LORD for mercy for killing Jonah, they cast Jonah overboard into the sea and immediately the sea ceased from her raging and became calm probably like a sea of glass.
(Jonah 1:16 Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the LORD, and made vows.) When these men saw how the raging sea immediately became calm upon casting Jonah into the sea, they understood that it was the LORD who had done this and that the LORD was the true living God and not the false gods that they had been worshipping. They immediately feared the LORD exceedingly meaning they turned from their idolatry and called upon the LORD to be there God as well. These men got saved, the first Gentile converts of Jonah. These men who were saved prior to Jonah going to Nineveh are similar or a type of the Gentiles that turned to Jesus for salvation prior to his resurrection and full ministry of the Gentiles as the Jews as a nation had rejected him. These men offered a sacrifice unto God realizing he was the true God and as now saved men they wanted to obey God. These men most likely knew all about the religion of the Hebrews and animal sacrifice. Even if they did not they understood that animal sacrifice was done to all gods, so they would have figure that the LORD accepted animal sacrifices as well. These men vowed to continue to serve the LORD the rest of their lives and to serve him only by disposing of their false gods.
(Jonah 1:17 ¶ Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.) We see in this verse how the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah so he could be saved and brought to Nineveh without any more delay or disobedience from Jonah. Jonah would have no choice but to preach repentance to Nineveh if he was in the city with no way home. The phrase the LORD prepared a great fish does not mean that God created a special fish for this time. I believe it just means he had a certain fish to be at a certain spot in the sea at a certain time to make sure he was there to swallow up Jonah at the prepared time by God. God said his creation was completed after day 6 of creation week as seen in Genesis 1 so I do not believe he creates anymore or did then either. He just had the fish to be there when he told it to be. This is similar to how God has four angels prepared to be loosed at a certain hour during the tribulation to dry up the Euphrates river to allow the 200 million man army from the east to cross over and confront the antichrist. God does not create them at that time. He created them back when all angels were created and just has them bound up there waiting to be released for his prepared time. The great fish was no different. (Revelation 9:15 And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.)
Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights which is representative again of Jonah being a type of Jesus who was in the grave for three days and three nights. Jonah’s mission was a type of the mission of Jesus. Jesus even said this would be the only sign the Jews of Jesus’ day would get as they had asked him for signs. (Matthew 12:39-40 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.)
There is debate over whether Jonah was swallowed by a fish or a whale. Here in this verse it says a great fish swallowed Jonah and in Matthew 12:40 as we just read Jesus said Jonah was swallowed by a whale. The Greek word ketos (pronounced kaytos) was used to translate whale. People say Jesus said it was a whale so that is what it was. This may be true. The word ketos means large fish or whale or sea creature with a whale being the largest “fish” or marine creature. It was not a sea monster as many modern bibles say. God did not create monsters. Satan made monsters when sin got involved. It is from the Greek word that we get the Latin word cetos and from that our English word cetacean meaning whale. Scientists classify cetaceans as whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Any marine creature used to be called a fish just as scripture refers to marine creatures as fish. This definition can still be found in an English dictionary. Scientists only began classifying whales as mammals when evolution took off. Scientist’s definitions are arbitrary and we need to understand God’s definition. This can even be seen in how we refer to the whale shark. This is the largest shark today what we would call a fish, not a whale. It is called a whale because of its large size similar to whales. God did the same thing when he said bats were fowl just as birds and flying reptiles were as well as flying creeping things that go upon all fours. (Leviticus 11:13-20 ¶ And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
14 And the vulture, and the kite after his kind;
15 Every raven after his kind;
16 And the owl, and the night hawk, and the cuckow, and the hawk after his kind,
17 And the little owl, and the cormorant, and the great owl,
18And the swan, and the pelican, and the gier eagle,
19And the stork, the heron after her kind, and the lapwing, and the bat.
20All fowls that creep, going upon all four, shall be an abomination unto you.) Today scientists separate them, but God does not. To God they are all flying creatures (fowl) just as fish are just marine animals which whales are. Bats as fowl can be seen in older English dictionaries. So biblically a whale would be classed as a fish. So since the Hebrew word used in Jonah means great fish and the word in the Greek also means large fish just show that it was a fish and God classifies whales as well as what we call fish as fish so it could have been a large shark which we call a fish or a whale which we call a mammal. Both of these are capable of swallowing a man whole such as a great white shark and the extinct megalodon shark that was similar to a great white shark, but was up to 50 or more feet in length. Probably the whale shark could also have swallowed a man if God wanted it to. Whales that could have swallowed him are the sperm whale as well as the large baleen whales probably could if God allowed them too as well as the killer whale. It also could have been one of the large extinct marine reptiles such as leviathan. All of these would fall under the definition of a fish, both biblically and in English. No matter whether it was a shark or a whale does not matter, just trust God when he says a great fish swallowed Jonah as a whale is also a great fish as is a large shark. There is a good chance that it was an actual fish in this case a shark or some other extinct fish capable of swallowing a man whole. The Assyrians whom Jonah was sent to worshiped the fish god Dagon who was also worshipped by the Philistines. Dagon was a half man, half fish god. The Assyrians also worshiped Nanshe who was the the fish goddess and was the female version of Dagon. The Assyrians had always been told that the fish god would send a man to them. This is one of the reasons they so readily received Jonah since he was vomited ashore by a great fish. This may be why God chose Jonah to go to the Ninevites as he knew that Jonah hated the Assyrians and he would run away and he could then have him swallowed by a great fish and cast on the sea as he had already gotten the people to be on the lookout for such a person. God always has a way to accomplish his purpose and they are not our ways. People deny the story of Jonah, yet how is it any harder to believe than any of the other miracles in scripture? If you have faith, the story of Jonah is easy to believe.
The second argument given by people saying that Jonah and the Holy Bible are false is that a person cannot survive in a fish belly for three days and three nights. There would be no oxygen and the digestive juices would kill you and maybe the pressure as the animal dove to great depths. Sharks digest food very slowly. After eating a large meal such as a seal, a great white shark may not eat again for a month or more. This is similar to large snakes such as pythons after eating a goat. Sharks also have the ability to invert their stomachs to remove any hazardous things harmful to their health such as in this case Jonah. Some whales such as the humpback whale go months in between eating at times. Baleen whales such as the blue whale have multiple stomachs and other compartments that help store air. A person who was swallowed by one of them could survive on this air and the whale would vomit out any irritation such as Jonah on land. There are various reports of people surviving being swallowed by a whale and of a dog that supposedly survived for six days in the belly of a whale. It is possible that Jonah actually died and did not survive so it would not matter as Jonah 2:2 may imply. The thing that people need to remember is that God prepared this great fish to swallow Jonah and so God could keep him alive even if normally a person would not live. This is why we call such things miracles. God used the great fish to serve his purpose and for his glory to bring salvation to a large city in Nineveh. He also used the fish to discipline his servant. A loving God will always find a way to discipline his children when they disobey even if people do not believe his ways. God said it happened in scripture so it did regardless of what man thinks. To God be the glory.
(Jonah 2:1 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish’s belly,) When Jonah realized he was inside the fish’s belly he prayed to God. This was a wise decision on his part. The first thing we should do when we are in trouble is pray to God, but we also must remember to pray beforehand as well so we might prevent from being in the trouble in the first place. Jonah neglected to pray while he was on the ship. Jonah should have prayed for the people of Nineveh from the start as well as for himself to remove his hate for those who he was going to preach to. Jonah failed.
(Jonah 2:2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.) Jonah cried out to the LORD because of his affliction of having been swallowed by the fish. It says the LORD heard him. God will hear the cry of his children who repent. Jonah had. The second part of the verse is controversial as it says he cried from the belly of hell. Some say that this refers to the fact that Jonah was in the belly of the fish and due to his affliction he was in such a terrible situation or a living hell that only the LORD could rescue him from. Others believe this means Jonah actually died in the belly of the fish and went to the paradise or Abraham’s bosom side of hell. Remember that hell has two sides, the torment side that the unsaved go to and the paradise side that believers went to prior to the resurrection of Jesus. This side is now empty as Jesus took the people here to heaven. If Jonah did die and go to the paradise side of hell, we see that God heard Jonah even from hell just as God did when he was in the belly of the fish. God hears his people no matter where they are when they cry out to him. It is believed that Jonah was crying from the paradise side of hell and God heard his cry and resurrected him to be vomited out alive on the land at Nineveh. This is believed to be a type of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as he said he would be in the heart of the earth as we saw in Matthew 12:39-40 for three days and three nights just as Jonah was in the whale’s belly for three days and three nights. Jonah was to be a sign for his coming resurrection. It is possible that Jonah literally died and went to hell, but scripture does not require this as Jesus said Jonah was in the whale’s belly for those three days and three nights. Jesus did not say Jonah was in the heart of the earth where hell is. The type of the resurrection would still apply to Jonah living as he “died” and was in the “grave” of the fish’s belly and rose again when he was vomited out of the fish’s mouth. Jonah would have been symbolically dead for those three days and nights just as we as believers are symbolically dead when we go under the water for baptism. We do not literally die when we are baptized. It is only symbolic and the same could have been with Jonah. Whether Jonah actually died or not, he still was a type of the future sign of Jesus and his death, burial, and resurrection with him being in the grave for three nights and three days just as Jonah was. If Jonah did actually die then the argument that a person could not survive in a shark or whale’s belly for three days and three nights would be a moot point.
It is possible that Jonah was quoting from Psalm 120:1 when he cried out just as the psalmist had. (Psalm 120:1In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me.) It is also possible that verses 3 through 9 quote from Psalms 43, 31, 69, 18, 116, 3, and 142.
(Jonah 2:3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me.) Jonah speaks of how God had cast him into the deep (ocean) into the middle of the sea. This was when God used the mariners to do his will by casting Jonah overboard. Jonah understood it was from God and not due to the mariners wanting to kill him. When Jonah was first cast into the sea, it was still raging with huge waves that would have passed over him and Jonah probably thought he was going to drown.
(Jonah 2:4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.) In verse 4 Jonah realizes that he had been disobedient to God and in his eyes had been cast out of his sight as a prophet due to his disobedience and now he was going to die in the belly of the fish, but he also knew he would see God again one day in heaven at the holy temple. Jonah appears to maybe also be asking God for mercy as well.
(Jonah 2:5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head.) The water of the sea compassed or surrounded Jonah as he was thrown overboard. He probably went under the water for a brief moment that it seemed to surround him even to his soul that he might drown. The depth closing about him was him almost drowning as he had nowhere to go. Seaweed was wrapped around his head. This may have been seaweed that was floating in the water or some that grows from the bottom, or seaweed in the belly of the fish.
(Jonah 2:6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O LORD my God.) The phrase “I went down to the bottom of the mountains” probably refers to the fish diving down deep to the bottom of the sea. Many mountains rise from the bottom of the sea. Many shorelines as well have mountains that rise from them so he may have been at the bottom of them being in the sea. The phrase “her bars was about me” may speak of the many cliffs that rise from the sea shore. Jonah was saying even if he escaped from the belly of the fish he could not get ashore due to the high cliffs. The bars may also imply how he nearly drowned and now was trapped inside the fish. At the end Jonah finally seems to be getting right with God as he refers to him as “LORD my God”. He thanks God for bringing his life up from corruption most likely referring to having brought him back to God from his previous rebellion against God. I do not believe as some believe that the corruption refers to Jonah being in hell. Jonah was only in the fish for three days and three nights just as Jesus was only dead for the same amount of time. Jews believed corruption began after four days, not three which is why scripture says Jesus never saw corruption and Jonah as a type of Jesus would have to match. Lazarus saw corruption because he was dead for four days. The corruption of Jonah was his sinful rebellion, not being in hell.
(Jonah 2:7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the LORD: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple.) Jonah says when he finally realized death was near due to drowning and then being in the fish that he remembered the LORD and his prayer was heard by God in heaven. Jonah had so rebelled against God that it took his near death to remember God and pray to him. Many professing Christians are that way today as they forget God and only remember him when they are in desperate need and all else has failed. God should be first in our lives so that we never forget him. Jonah seems to be quoting David from Psalm 3:4. (Psalm 3:4 I cried unto the LORD with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.)
(Jonah 2:8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.) Jonah was describing his own rebellion in how he had forsaken God and his mercy by fleeing from God to hang out with idolaters. Those that do forsake their own mercy as God will provide mercy to sinners, but only if we call out to him and initially Jonah and sinners never call out to God so they forsake their own mercy they would have been given by God if they had only prayed for it.
(Jonah 2:9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the LORD.) Jonah had apparently made a vow to God that if he by his mercy allowed Jonah to live then he would fulfill his vow when he got back to sacrifice unto God and he would do it with thanksgiving as he was grateful for being alive. Jonah probably also vowed to this time obey God and go to Nineveh. Jonah also realized that salvation is only of the LORD and no one else. Jonah was a saved man but he realized that not only is salvation of our souls by God only, but he also knew that only God could save him from the predicament that he was in.
(Jonah 2:10 ¶ And the LORD spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.) God speaks to the fish showing how he controls all of his creation and all of his creation listens and obeys. Even Satan has to listen to God as does man who often rebel. All of God’s creation are servants of the LORD to do his will when he commands. God had the fish swim to some location to be there at his appointed time and he had the fish vomit Jonah out onto dry land. The fish was quick to obey God, if only man was. Jonah was not vomited at Nineveh as we will see in chapter three and Nineveh was not on the seashore, but rather on the Tigris river near the current Mosul, Iraq. Scripture does not say where Jonah was vomited out at. He may have been brought back to where he stated his journey on the ship or to some other location.
(Jonah 3:1 And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying,) After Jonah was vomited on dry land, the word of the LORD came unto Jonah a second time. God was giving Jonah a second chance and a chance to fulfill his vow to him. God will give second chances to those who come to him in sincerity and repentance as Jonah had.
(Jonah 3:2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.) God once again tells Jonah to go to the great city Nineveh and to preach to the people what God had commanded him to preach. Jonah was to only say what God told him to say as seen in the phrase “that I bid thee” and not to add to it.
(Jonah 3:3 So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days’ journey.) This time we see Jonah does as he is commanded by God and goes to the city of Nineveh. The last part of the verse shows the size of this great city. The city was so large that it took three days to cross it. It has been said that the city was 64 miles wide. This would require walking 21.33 miles a day. The city was also great in its population as I previously mentioned as well as great in its wickedness. Some say this last part of the verse refers to it took Jonah three days to get to Nineveh from where he was vomited out by the fish. This is incorrect as it would take more than three days journey walking from Israel if that is where he started from again and scripture never says were he started from. Verse 4 also shows that the verse is referring to the size of the city and not the distance that Jonah traveled.
(Jonah 3:4 And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.) Jonah went a days journey into the city and cried out that in 40 days the city of Nineveh would be overthrown due to their wickedness unless they repented. The number forty in scripture represents trials and testing. God was giving Nineveh 40 days to repent and to turn away from their sin and to him. God normally gives warnings before his wrath comes as he wants people to repent. He wishes none should perish including in this case the wicked Assyrians. (II Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.) God gave warning before the global flood, to Sodom by Lot before he destroyed it, and many other times.
(Jonah 3:5 ¶ So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.) We see in this verse how all of the people believed God from the king down to the least person in the city. A fast was proclaimed by the king and they put on sackcloth showing their repentance. It seems that initially the people themselves proclaimed the fast before the king did as they heard the words of Jonah first. This is one of the few times that a prophet of God was listened to by the people and it took a wicked heathen people to listen. God’s own people would not even listen to his sent prophets, but rather killed them. This was probably the greatest revival in history or at least one of the greatest. There may have possibly been some with more people saved then her, but probably none with the percentage of the people saved and the impact of such a revival. The Assyrians were very wicked people, yet they repented. They were not as in some revivals where the people were nice people who thought they were saved, but were not and then called upon God. The Assyrians were as far from God as you could get yet they turned to God. This repentance allowed Nineveh to not be destroyed at this time and to survive for many more years. Unfortunately as time went by and these people died off and were replaced by others they returned to their wicked ways just as Egypt did after the death of Joseph. This would eventually bring about the destruction of Nineveh just as God had said he would. The same applies to America. God will destroy her one day due to our own wickedness, but if America would repent the way Nineveh did, we could at least postpose that destruction for many years until another generation comes in that once again turns from God. Let this be a lesson to those with children and grandchildren to raise them for the Lord and to teach them the ways of the lord so that they will not be that generation that turns from God. Proverbs 22:6 says to train up a child in the ways of the LORD and when they are older they will not turn away from God. (Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.)
(Jonah 3:6 For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.) We see in verses 6-9 a more detailed account of verse 5. It appears that Jonah himself spoke to the king. In verse 6 when the king hears the words of God from Jonah he gets off of his throne, removes his robe and puts on sackcloth and sits in ashes in humbleness to God. I believe the king of Nineveh actually understood that it was God on the throne and not him. This is why he got off the throne and he was saying God the throne is yours. By removing his royal robe and putting on sackcloth he again was showing it was God who was the real king of Nineveh. He may have been the king of Assyria, but it was God who controlled the destiny of Nineveh, not him. We do not know the year of Jonah’s preaching and so the repentant king is unknown. All we have are estimates and guesses. We know the year of Nineveh’s future destruction was 612 B.C.
(Jonah 3:7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:) The king not only humbled himself, but he commanded that all of the people of Nineveh as well as the beasts, not eat, nor drink water, but fast. This time there was a royal decree for any people who had not already humbled themselves and fasted or for those who may not have heard yet as it took three days for Jonah to cover the whole city. The nobles agreed with the king in the importance of this proclamation. Note the king could not make the people repent, only the individual themselves can be convicted by God and repent, but the king could lead by example and he could see the change in the people already. This might encourage the holdouts to repent as well. We see here leaders of the capital city of Nineveh humbling themselves before God. The king was so sincere it wanting to please God that he made even the animals fast in case the animals offended God. Our leaders in Washington, DC need to take note of this and humble themselves before God.
(Jonah 3:8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands.) The king commands that all people and beast needed to be covered with sackcloth and all were to turn from their evil way and their violence and to cry out to God for his mercy upon them and the city. Here again the king could not make anyone truly repent, but he understood that true repentance meant turning away from the wickedness that the Assyrians were noted for.
(Jonah 3:9 Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?) The king says who can know if God will turn from his fierce anger and allow the people to live. We see here how the king understood this was more than just anger by God, but a fierce anger by God against the people of Nineveh. I believe the king understood how wicked a people they were and how they did not deserve any mercy from God, yet he was praying God would allow it. I believe many of these people became truly saved as they understood the evil of their ways compared to the love of God. This is why there was true repentance until their deaths, and not just until the forty days passed. The king seems to have understood that God is much greater than us and so we cannot know what God will or will not do. Most people today do not seem to understand this fact and think they know what God thinks. The sparing of Nineveh was to have been a lesson to Israel to repent of her own wickedness to prevent her own destruction. Israel did not listen.
(Jonah 3:10 ¶ And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not.) God saw that the people of Nineveh had truly repented and had turned from their evil way. Their works showed this. Their works did not save them, but their works showed they were sincere in their repentance. Because God saw the sincerity of their repentance he chose to not destroy Nineveh as he said he would. As I said he would in the future destroy Nineveh, but not now. This shows how we can postpone God’s destruction if we turn to him with true repentance. Archeologists have found in ancient Nineveh a shrine to Jonah showing they were truly repentant and thankful that God had sent Jonah to them to give them one last chance. God is giving America many chances. Will we listen the way Nineveh did?
Jesus compared the repentance of the people of Nineveh to the people of his generation in Israel. He said that one day the men of Nineveh would judge this generation as they repented at the words of Jonah, yet the Israelites had a much greater preacher in Jesus and still refused to repent. (Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.)
(Jonah 4:1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry.) Jonah was angry that God decided not to destroy Nineveh. His sinful flesh just as ours always wants to see our enemies destroyed and revenge for all of the wicked they did against us or our nation. The problem was that the people of Nineveh were no longer the enemy of him or God. Jonah should have rejoiced that the people repented and listened to God and him in the message he brought to them. If only our leaders would do the same. They are our enemies now, but if they would all turn to God and then get the nation back on the right path, I would rejoice and all Christians and Americans should as well. We could quickly turn this nation back around with the help of God if our leaders were obeying God. Their decisions would then be righteous decisions.
(Jonah 4:2 And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.) In this verse Jonah prays to the LORD and he says was this not why I did not want to go to Nineveh as I knew you are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and have great kindness and would not destroy Nineveh if they repented. We see how Jonah understood how God is a truly loving God and does not truly enjoy destroying anyone so that they end up in hell. This verse also shows how even in the old testament God is gracious and loving. Many accuse God of only being mean in the old testament with no compassion when this is not true.
In this verse it seems to imply that God had told Jonah when he first told him to go that if he preached what he told him to then Nineveh would repent and he would not destroy the city. We see that in the first part how he says is this not what I said would happen when I was in my country Israel since he knew he was a merciful God. The verse then says this is why he fled to go to Tarshish as he did not want to see Nineveh repent. He wanted the people destroyed. This is the problem with many in the church today who have no interest in seeing anyone saved, let alone their enemies. We should want to see all people saved, especially our enemies as they would then no longer be our enemies. This would also show us the power of God and who is really in control if even our most wicked enemies can be saved. The early church had this same problem with Saul after he was saved and became Paul. The Christians knew of his wickedness and they did not want him to have been saved and did not believe he was, but God can save the vilest of sinner.
(Jonah 4:3 Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live.) Jonah asked God to take his life as he would rather have been dead than to see his enemies saved. Jonah may have also been worried what the people back in Israel would do to him when they see he brought repentance and salvation to their great enemy. He may have wished for God to kill him rather than his own people.
(Jonah 4:4 ¶ Then said the LORD, Doest thou well to be angry?) God asks Jonah if his anger was righteous. We see again how God is slow to anger by being gentle with Jonah instead of rebuking him.
(Jonah 4:5 So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city.) Jonah left the city and sat on the east side of it where he had made himself a booth to get shade from the hot sun. He wanted to see what would happen to the city if their repentance was sincere or not and if not then would God still destroy the city. If he did he wanted to be a witness to it as he was stilling wanting Nineveh destroyed and he still had a revengeful heart towards the people and he still hated them. The people in the city had become more righteous than Jonah.
(Jonah 4:6 And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.) God once again shows his mercy and love for Jonah. He does not scold Jonah knowing the reason why he was truly sitting outside the city looking at it. He has a gourd grow up quickly to provide shade for Jonah so that he would be more comfortable while he sat there. Jonah was very glad that God did that for him. We are always glad when God does something for us, but we often do not want to see the same mercy done by God to our enemies just like Jonah. Jonah was more glad for his comfort that he was for the souls of his enemy.
(Jonah 4:7 But God prepared a worm when the morning rose the next day, and it smote the gourd that it withered.) God prepared a worm the next morning so that it killed the gourd and it withered away. God prepared the gourd and the worm just like he had the great fish. They served his will for his purpose.
(Jonah 4:8 And it came to pass, when the sun did arise, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said, It is better for me to die than to live.) As the sun rose, God prepared a vehement east wind and the sun beat upon the head of Jonah. Vehement means intense wind. In a desert environment you do not want the wind blowing especially a strong wind as it is like being hit with a blast furnace. God was sending this and a strong sun upon Jonah to teach him a lesson. This is in contrast to giving him shade the day before. Due to the intense wind and heat Jonah fainted probably due to dehydration and wished he would die. He said that was better than to live. Instead of having a pity party for himself and wishing destruction on the Ninevites, he should have been inside the city rejoicing with the people over their repentance. God was trying to teach Jonah a lesson by taking his shade and providing the wind and heat to show him he should have been happy for the people instead of waiting for their destruction.
(Jonah 4:9 And God said to Jonah, Doest thou well to be angry for the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, even unto death.) God again asks Jonah if his anger is righteous as he was angry because God took away the gourd from him and the shade it provided. God once again shows his patience with Jonah. Jonah tries to justify his anger by saying it is even if it means his death.
(Jonah 4:10 Then said the LORD, Thou hast had pity on the gourd, for the which thou hast not laboured, neither madest it grow; which came up in a night, and perished in a night:) God tells Jonah that he has pity on the gourd, a non-living thing, which he did no work to bring it about or anything to make it grow. God said it came up in a day and perished in a night. God was saying you had no investment in the gourd, yet you only care about it because it affects you personally by removing your shade. This is how many professing Christians are today. They only care about the things that benefit them and not in the least about eternal souls of people.
(Jonah 4:11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?) We see in this verse how God is saying to Jonah that you are concerned that I should have spared the gourd and if so should I have not then have spared Nineveh which is far more important. All souls are precious to God even these previously wicked souls of Nineveh. God once again refers to Nineveh as a great city. As I previously stated it was a great city in size and wickedness, but also in population as it was at one time the largest city in the world. In this verse God says there are more than 120,000 people who cannot discern between their right and left hand. Children usually know the difference between there right and left hand around three years old so God was saying I have over 120,000 people in Nineveh under three years old. This shows the population of Nineveh was great. God also mentions the city has much cattle which again are much more important than the gourd. Jonah was silenced as God never records anything beyond this showing Jonah most likely realized the foolishness of his sin as he was so concerned about a gourd yet hundreds of thousands of people got saved and he showed no concern for them. God was righteous in sparing Nineveh. Scripture does not say how long Nineveh remained right with God, but some believe that Nineveh was destroyed about 150-200 years after the time of Jonah’s preaching. Nineveh was destroyed in 612 B.C. by the Medes. Jonah preached during the reign of Jeroboam II as we saw in II Kings 14:25 and he supposedly reigned from 793-753 BC so Jonah was there between 141-181 years prior to the destruction of Nineveh if these dates are correct.
Stay tuned for the start of the conclusion next week as we start to study the book of Nahum and part 2 of the story of Nineveh.
