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Bible Book Summaries›Jonah

Old Testament · Minor Prophets

Jonah

A clear overview of the book’s story, message, and place in the Bible.

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WHOLE-BOOK SUMMARY

Understanding Jonah

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Hear the summary only. Explore related verses below.

Jonah flees God’s call to preach in Nineveh, is rescued from the sea, and finally delivers the warning. Nineveh repents, exposing Jonah’s resentment and displaying God’s compassion for outsiders.

God sends Jonah to warn Nineveh, capital of Israel’s feared Assyrian enemy. Jonah flees in the opposite direction, but a storm, the sailors, and the great fish expose the impossibility of escaping God’s call.

After being rescued, Jonah preaches in Nineveh, and the people respond with repentance from the king downward. God withholds the announced destruction, displaying mercy toward a violent foreign city.

Jonah becomes angry because God is compassionate to his enemies. Through a plant and a final question, the book turns toward its readers and asks whether they share God’s concern for people beyond their preferred boundaries.

Jonah invites readers to consider mercy, mission, repentance and to respond to God with thoughtful faith and faithful action. Its message contributes to the Bible’s larger story of creation, covenant, redemption, and the hope ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

See Related Verses

KJV verses connected to each summary paragraph. These verses are not included in the summary audio.

PARAGRAPH 1 · KJV

“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.”

Jonah 1:3
PARAGRAPH 2 · KJV

“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.”

Jonah 1:17
PARAGRAPH 3 · KJV

“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 2:9
PARAGRAPH 4 · KJV

“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.”

Jonah 3:10
PARAGRAPH 5 · KJV

“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.”

Jonah 4:2

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV).

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Jonah Quiz

3 questions

Answer every question correctly to complete this book. You can retry any answers you miss.

1Where did God send Jonah to preach?
2How did Nineveh respond to Jonah’s warning?
3What does Jonah’s anger expose?