Background and Author Introduction to the Book of Jonah

The Hebrew name for the Book of Jonah is “Jonah” (יונה / Yonah), and it is the fifth book among the Book of the Twelve Prophets (תרי עשר / Trei Asar). Tradition holds that the author of the Book of Jonah is the prophet Jonah from the Northern Kingdom, whose name means “dove.” Jonah was from Gath Hepher in Zebulun, a region of the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 14:25), which was located in what later became Galilee, very close to Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. Jonah likely prophesied before or in the early part of Jeroboam II’s reign. Contemporary prophets serving alongside Jonah included Hosea in the Northern Kingdom and Amos in the Southern Kingdom; Joel from the Southern Kingdom may also have ministered concurrently. During the reign of Jeroboam II, God caused the Neo-Assyrian Empire to enter a 39-year period of decline. Royal authority was restricted by the nobility, forcing Assyria to cease foreign expansion, which provided Israel with a secure international environment.

Assyria experienced plagues in 765 and 759 BC, and a total solar eclipse occurred in 763 BC. These events caused great alarm within Assyria. It was against this backdrop that Jonah went to Nineveh to declare judgment, and the people of Nineveh humbled themselves, repented, and believed God. Because the Assyrian nobility held great power at the time, the king and his officials would typically issue joint decrees. In the Book of Jonah, the Assyrian king is referred to only as “the king of Nineveh.” These details all corroborate the historical accuracy of the book’s background.

The Book of Jonah is the only prophetic book in the Old Testament that tells a story from beginning to end. Jonah does not directly deliver any messages to God’s people, but his experience itself is a message—not a prophet rebuking others, but exposing his own weakness and failure.

Besides narrating Jonah’s mission to Nineveh, this book also records many signs and wonders:

1 God caused a great storm on the sea.

2 The sailors cast lots and identified Jonah as the cause of the storm.

3 God calmed the storm after Jonah was thrown into the sea.

4 A great fish swallowed Jonah.

5 After three days and three nights, the great fish spat Jonah out, a miracle of resurrection from death.

6 God caused a castor bean plant to grow overnight, providing shade for Jonah.

7 God commanded a worm to attack the castor bean plant, causing it to die.

8 God arranged a scorching east wind, and the sun beat down on Jonah’s head, causing him to faint.

The main characters of this book are not the great fish or Nineveh, but God Himself, revealing that “salvation belongs to the LORD.” To accomplish His redemptive plan, God orchestrates all things. He not only calls the wicked and undeserving people of Nineveh to repentance but also works to bring the disobedient flesh of Jonah to submission, so that His people may understand God’s will and willingly obey Him.

Edited and compiled from David Pawson’s Old Testament Survey series recordings.