Jonah is a book of the Old Testament that consists of 4 chapters, and is located between the book of Obadiah Y the book of micah. It is well known that, among all the prophets of the Bible, Jonah was the one who had one of the most extraordinary stories, because he spent three nights in the belly of a fish and came out alive. We invite you to discover the history of Jonah and Nineveh next:
19876 members
Jonah’s story
Jonah and the giant fish
Jonah was a Hebrew prophet to whom God said: ““Depart right now for Nineveh, the great city, and cry out against her, because her wickedness has come to me”” (Jonah 1:2). However, he did not obey God’s command and went to Tarshish. While he was sailing, there was a strong storm and he was thrown into the sea, where a giant fish swallowed him and kept him in its belly for three days and three nights. In addition, the Bible teaches us that being there he composed a beautiful praise to the Lord, and that, precisely in that dark place, Jonah repented of his rebellion and implored the Lord for forgiveness, so God allowed the fish to vomit him on the shore. , and later, he was able to go to Nineveh, as he had been told at first.
Jonah and Nineveh
When Jonah arrived in Nineveh, he told the people that the city would be destroyed in 40 days. Then, “(the king) ordered the following announcement to be proclaimed in Nineveh: «By decree of the king and his officials, no man or animal, neither large nor small cattle, must taste a morsel: they do not graze or drink water; dress men and animals in penance clothes; Cry out to God with all your might and let each one turn from his misconduct and from the violence that is in his hands. (Jonah 3:7-8). Thus, we can see that Jonah’s message bore fruit and the Lord forgave the people for his wickedness. At the end of the book, specifically in chapter 4, we can see an agitated dialogue between God and Jonah, since the latter was angry with the Lord for sparing Nineveh. However, God responded by reminding him that his heart is full of mercy when a sinner repents.
24467 members
5 biblical passages from the book of Jonah
“Then they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and immediately the fury of the sea subsided. The men, filled with great fear of the Lord, offered him a sacrifice and made vows” (Jonah 1:15-16).
“The Lord caused a great fish to swallow Jonah, and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord, his God, from the belly of the fish” (Jonah 2:1-2).
“Then he prayed to the Lord, saying, “Ah, Lord! Didn’t what I said happen when I was still in my country? That’s why I tried to flee to Tarshish as soon as possible. I knew that you are a kind and compassionate God, slow to anger and of great mercy, and that you repent of the evil with which you threaten “ (Jonah 4:2).
“But I, in thanksgiving, will offer you sacrifices and fulfill my vows: Salvation comes from the Lord!” (Jonah 2:10).
“And I, am I not going to be moved by Nineveh, the great city, where more than one hundred and twenty thousand human beings live who do not know how to distinguish good from evil, and where there are also a large number of animals?” (Jonah 4:11)
Discover the richness of the Bible with
offers you various prayer communities to pray and meditate on the sacred texts. For example, you can:
- Join the community “the reflection of the day” and receive every day a good dose of spiritual food through the Holy Scriptures
- Be part of the community “the Gospel of the day” so that every morning you receive a meditation taken from a spiritual leader, so that you can better assimilate the Word of God in your heart.
- Discover how God comes to meet you through the Bible through lectio divina, which allows you to start a conversation with God and promotes spiritual growth.
Come and discover the Word of God with !