2. Disclaimer
The insights of this presentation is prepared by the
author after detailed research of Biblical Scriptures (The
Holy Bible) as well as that of
Hebrew texts
Rabbinic Literature
Pseudo Ephiphanius writings
Book of Tobias (Apocrypha/ Orthodox Biblical Canon)
Third book of Machabees (Apocrypha)
The Presentation will help the viewer
To have a better understanding on Biblical History
To have a clear idea about the book of Jonah
3. The story of Jonah
Jonah was a Prophet in a little town of Joppa ( present
day Jaffa) in Philistine.
God called him and asked him to go to a place called
Nineveh, capital of Assyria and prophecy against them.
But Jonah disobeyed God and boarded a ship sailing
through the Mediterranean sea and headed to a place
called Tarshish (Tarsus) [Spain]
4. The story of Jonah
Raging storms broke loose and the sailors found that it
was God’s anger that has caused the storm. Jonah was
thrown into the sea.
He was gulped by a sea fish [Whale]. Jonah repented and
prayed inside the tummy of the fish. The fish vomited
Jonah upon the dry land
Jonah went and prophesied to Nineveh and the people of
Nineveh repented of their sins
To have a better understanding of the places mentioned
here, please take a look at the map in the next slide
5.
6. Historical Setting
Jonah becomes a prophet during the reign of Jeroboam II
(Israel’s most powerful King) 793 BC
Jonah Prophesied between 793 BC – 753 BC
Jonah Preceded Amos
Jonah was a little boy during the time of the two miracle
working prophets -Elijah and Elisha
Shalmaneser III was the King of Assyria when Jonah
prophesied to Nineveh
Joppa was an Israeli Territory during that time
7. Who is this Jonah?
Jonah (Yunus in Arabic) means Dove [peace]
He is the son of Amittai who is from Gath-Hepher (Few miles north
of Nazareth) Amittai means Truth in Hebrew ( (אמת [emet]
Jonah is the 5th
minor prophet in the Old testament order
He is mentioned twice in the Old testament
2 Kings 14:25 – Jonah’s prophecy on Israel’s territory restoration is
fulfilled
Book of Jonah
In New Testament , he is again referred twice by Jesus himself
Mt 12:38-41 , Luke 11:29-32 (When the Pharisees tried to corner Jesus by
asking him to show a sign, He made a reference to Jonah. Jonah's
restoration after three days inside the great whale prefigured
the Resurrection of Jesus Christ after three days.
8. Jonah – Additional Information
According to Judaism, Jonah was the boy who was brought back to
life by Elijah (The son of the widow from Zarepath) [1Kings
17:17-24]
This Young boy became one of the disciples of Elijah and was
trained by Elijah
Jonah was one among the 50 prophets who stood at the banks of
River Jordan when Elijah was taken up into the heavens (2 Kings
2:7)
Later Jonah became a disciple of Elisha and he was asked by Elisha
to anoint King Jehu (2 Kings 9 :1-13) . He was a shy prophet and
Jehu’s friends called him a mad fellow/false prophet.( This could be
one of the factors for Jonah’s disobedience in going to Nineveh)
10. Jonah – Book Formation
The book of Jonah was written by an unknown author
There are four chapters in the book of Jonah
Each chapter in the book of Jonah conveys a definite
message
There is a relationship between the even chapters and
the odd chapters ( we will explore that after
understanding the four chapters)
11. Jonah - 1
God gives an Instruction to Jonah (Go to Nineveh)
Jonah disobeys God ( Travels to Tarshish)
God creates a storm and makes the sailors to understand
that the storm was a result of Jonah’s disobedience.
Jonah is thrown inside the sea.
To make matters worse, a big fish swallows Jonah
Moral : If we disobey God, God will Punish us.
12. Jonah - 2
Jonah understands his mistake and prays inside the
tummy of the fish
He submits himself to God and asks for repentance
God forgives him and makes he fish to vomit Jonah
upon the dry land
Moral : If we accept our mistakes and repent, God will
forgive us and save us.
In Jonah’s case, God used the fish as a submarine.
13. Jonah - 3
Jonah goes to Nineveh and preaches to the people of
Nineveh.
The people of Nineveh repent (From King to Livestock)
God forgives them
Moral : God is a Gracious God. He will forgive and forget
our past sins if we really repent and submit ourselves to
him
14. Jonah - 4
When God showed mercy to Nineveh, Jonah gets angry because his
prophesy was not fulfilled
Jonah became grumpy and waited to see the destruction of
Nineveh. Moreover the burns in his body (acidic burns because of
staying inside the fish’s belly) irritated him
God made a gourd to grow and cover up Jonah. Jonah was glad.
Then God made a worm to eat the gourd. Now when Jonah felt the
heat of the sun, he fainted and wished to die. God did this to make
Jonah understand that he was a merciful God.
Moral : God’s plans, thoughts and ways are not ours. If we hold on to
him, we would understand his plans.
15. Relationship between chapters
1 and 3
The same verses in the two chapters have
similarities
Verse 1 – God’s command to Jonah
Verse 3 – Jonah’s response to God’s command
Verse 5 – Reaction of people around Jonah
16. Relationship between chapters
2 and 4
The 2nd
chapter and 4th
chapter shows Jonah’s
contrasting behavioral response
Verse 1 – Jonah’s prayer/ Jonah’s anger
Verse 7,8 – Jonah’s soul fainted / Physically
fainted
17. End note
The book of Jonah ends with a question posed by God.
We never know whether Jonah became calm or whether
he continued to be grumpy
But we know one thing from the book of Jonah – God is
a merciful God and he gives us one more chance to
repent and ask for forgiveness. Are we ready to submit
ourselves?
18. About the author
The author[ Prason] comes from a very small town in the southern
most part of India.
He had a good education and he was brought up in Christian faith.
But he went with the ways of the world in his late teens and fell for
all the vices.
Still God chose him; broke him and molded him and has made him
to be a steward for his sheep.
Now the Lord is imparting him with his wisdom and is training
him to be an Apostle with a Prophetic Calling .
Praise God! for his Yoke is easy and his burden is light
If you want to share anything regarding this presentation, please
write to the author [Prason] at prason@chronicwriter.com