Jonah (Hebrew origin: Dove)
(2 Kings 14:25). 8th century b.c.e.
Jonah was a prophet who lived during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel and prophesied
that the king would be successful in his military campaigns. Jonah was ordered by God to go to Nineveh to warn its inhabitants that it would be destroyed unless they repented. Jonah did not want to follow God's order and tried to flee by ship from Jaffa to Tarshish. God sent a great wind and a storm that threatened to sink the ship. The sailors found out that Jonah was to blame for the storm. They confronted the prophet, who suggested that they should throw him overboard. Jonah was then swallowed by a great fish.
From inside the fish, the prophet prayed to God. After three days and nights, the fish spewed Jonah out on dry land. God called Jonah a second time and instructed him to deliver a message of doom to Nineveh. Jonah went there and proclaimed that in forty days the city would be overthrown. The people of Nineveh believed the word of God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth. God saw Nineveh's repentance and decided not to carry out the punishment. Jonah, displeased by God's mercy, complained and said to God that he preferred to die. He sat outside Nineveh in the shade of a booth, which provided shade over his head. On the following day, God sent a worm, which destroyed the plant; and after this, He sent a hot wind, so that Jonah became faint and again asked for death. God castigated Jonah for caring more about himself and his comfort than for the people of Nineveh.
Read more biographies from Who's Who in the Jewish Bible.
| ||||||||||
Your shopping cart is empty. |