The Book of Jonah

A detailed Summary of The Book of Jonah

The book of Jonah differs from the books of all the other prophets in that its only message was addressed to the people of a foreign nation. Furthermore, the book is strictly narrative in form, and contains no direct message from God except His command to the Ninevites to repent. This is where Jonah's role in the Bible takes place.

Jonah was a prophet from God, who at first tried to avoid that role by running away to from his quest, God, and responsibilities given to him by God. Jonah's duty was to "Go to great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before it" (Jonah 1:2-3). Summoned to announce the doom of Nineveh, having no desire to go as a prophet to a foreign city, and being unconcerned about the conversion of its inhabitants--obviously with an invitation to repent, Jonah sets out in the opposite direction, for Tarshish (Jonah 3:510), intending to flee from the presence of God. The seeming hopelessness of the mission to Nineveh and of the prospect that its non-Israelite population might repent was another reason that led Jonah to shrink from the commission.

On his way to Tarshish on a ship, God sent a g

In the first place, it condemns the intolerant prejudice of the Hebrew patriot, who refused to admit that non-Israelites could be considered eligible to salvation. Also his distorted sense of values is evident from his utter indifference toward the Ninevites. Why should Jonah be the only one who gets a chance to repent? God is giving the Ninevites an opportunity to repent, and Jonah is being selfish and inconsiderate because in his own selfish way he thinks that the only nation and the only category of people that deserve to be saved are the Hebrew. His distorted sense of values is evident from his utter indifference toward the Ninevites and his great concern over the gourd that has withered. After realizing that his actions do not seem like the standard of a profit he wants his life to be taken away by God (Jonah 4:3). Still after those words, and after all of his actions Jonah manages to get angry at God, and for what? For being alive, or for saving a city?

and "...provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish for tree days and three nights" (Jonah 1:17). This demonstration of physical courage stands in sharp contrast with Jon

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Approximate Word count = 787
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Religion

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The Book of Jonah

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