BIBLICAL PRIMARY SOURCES

Read the Scripture.

The biblical text is the primary reference for the accounts discussed here. Read the complete chapters before comparing the guide's interpretation.

Jonah 1:1-8

1 Now the LORD’s word came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.”

3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.

4 But the LORD sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty storm on the sea, so that the ship was likely to break up.

5 Then the mariners were afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship and he was laying down, and was fast asleep.

6 So the ship master came to him, and said to him, “What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God! Maybe your God will notice us, so that we won’t perish.”

7 They all said to each other, “Come! Let’s cast lots, that we may know who is responsible for this evil that is on us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.

8 Then they asked him, “Tell us, please, for whose cause this evil is on us. What is your occupation? Where do you come from? What is your country? Of what people are you?”

World English Bible British Edition. Continue in the complete local chapter.

Explore Assyria in the Bible · Search the verse index

Called to Nineveh

Jonah 1:1-2 introduces the call to go to Nineveh because its wickedness has come before the LORD. The opening flight, storm and rescue lead to a renewed commission in chapter 3. The narrative's focus is the prophet's response as well as the city's.

The response of the city

Jonah 3 records the proclamation of impending overthrow, the people's belief, fasting and the king's decree. The king is called the king of Nineveh; the text does not supply his personal name. God sees their turning from evil and relents from the threatened disaster.

Compassion and the prophet

Chapter 4 records Jonah's anger and God's question concerning the city, its people and its animals. Read this chapter with chapter 3 so that Nineveh is encountered through the book's account of mercy as well as judgement. Matthew 12:41 and Luke 11:32 later refer to the Ninevites' repentance. Second Kings 14:25 separately names Jonah son of Amittai in an account of Israel's restored border.

The city and the prophet respond differently

Jonah initially moves away from his commission. Storm, descent and rescue precede a renewed call and proclamation. Nineveh responds through belief, fasting and a decree joining outward action with turning from violence. God sees the change and relents.

The account then returns to Jonah's anger. The plant, its loss and the final question expose a tension between receiving mercy and resenting its extension to others. The prophet's own concern and distress make the issue concrete.

Nineveh is therefore more than a mission location. Its people and animals belong to the final appeal concerning compassion. The New Testament recalls the Ninevites' repentance, while Jonah also challenges its readers through the prophet's unresolved response.

Evidence trail

This introduction draws on the following sources: [1]. Section reading trails highlight selected references where a more precise relationship has been recorded. Unmapped passages and other references remain at article level; these trails are not a sentence-by-sentence verification. Editorial guidance is identified in the text.

Go to the evidence

Sources & further reading

A foundation to build on

This introduction was compiled from the linked sources and has not received specialist peer review. It is intended as a route into further research. Read how corrections and reviews are handled.

Prepare a correction or contribution