Jonah 3 new international version niv jonah goes to nineveh. Jonahs flat refusal to preach the word of the lord to the people of the wicked city of nineveh leads to his upsetting an entire boat full. Jonah is commanded to go east to nineveh but flees toward the westernmost possible point, only to be swallowed by a great fish and dumped back at this starting point 2. The sailors, captain, king, nobles, citizens of nineveh responded to gods mercy. Aug 11, 2015 jonah s flat refusal to preach the word of the lord to the people of the wicked city of nineveh leads to his upsetting an entire boat full of sailors, and being unceremoniously heaved overboard to. Conservative scholars maintain that the book of jonah was. God saw into the hearts of the people and responded to their positive volition by sending his messenger, jonah to offer them salvation. The book of jonah is narrative history and a prophetic oracle. The purpose of this book is to show that god is a merciful and gracious god. The book of jonah is a subversive story about a rebellious prophet who. This could explain the fact that the book of jonah says the city was a three day walk 3.
Survey of jonah jonah is an unusual book because of its message and messenger. The king of nineveh in the book of jonah has been identified as tiglath pileser iii tf false the primary message of the book of jonah is directed toward israel, encouraging her to move beyond her borders to evangelize other nations and to love and forgive her enemies tf. Biblical jonah visits nineveh the evil city ancient pages. Jonah obeyed the word of the lord and went to nineveh. Jonah was called again chapter 3 and finally obeyed gods command and went to preach repentance to the ninevites. While there was a king of assyria, there was no king of nineveh, as suggested in the book. Key personalities include jonah, the captain and the ships crew and the people of nineveh.
Intro to jonah biblica the international bible society. The book is replete with irony, wherein much of its humor lies. It is interesting that nineveh responded better to the preaching of jonah than israel and judah ever responded to any of their prophets. Jonah or jonas, in the hebrew bible tanakhold testament, is a prophet of the northern kingdom of israel in about the 8th century bce. Jonah began by going a days journey into the city, proclaiming, forty more days and nineveh will be. The descriptive that nineveh was a city of three days journey is erroneous. Apr 12, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of jonah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.
The audience of the book of jonah was the people of israel and all future readers of the bible and, typically, prophets issued warnings or gave instructions to the people of israel. Go to the great city of nineveh and proclaim to it the message i give you. Jonah briefly calls out, forty days more and nineveh will be overthrown jonah 3. The other surprising reaction to jonah comes from the city and king of nineveh. Jonah didnt want those idolaters to be saved, so he ran away. He was a prophet to the northern kingdom of israel during the reign of king jeroboam ii of israel c. Mar 16, 2019 the audience of the book of jonah was the people of israel and all future readers of the bible and, typically, prophets issued warnings or gave instructions to the people of israel. Sep 20, 2018 the other surprising reaction to jonah comes from the city and king of nineveh. There, nineveh is described as hugetaking three days to walk acrossand thoroughly evil. Instead, god told jonah to evangelize in the city of nineveh, home of israels cruelest enemy. The hebrew phrase melek nineveh king of nineveh is found in. He is the central figure of the book of jonah, in which he is called upon by god to travel to nineveh and warn its residents of impending divine wrath.
However, since the people, including the king, repented, jehovah spared the city. The name jonah means dove in hebrew, but jonahs character is anything but dovelike. As a result, the king ordered repentance from his people, including their animals, and god was refrained from unleashing his wrath upon them. Historians consider the biblical account about jonah s warning against nineveh as a pious fiction, however, the gospels refer to it as a real story lk 11. In the final chapter chapter 4 of the book, nineveh is spared and jonah is still. The king of nineveh in the book of jonah has been identified as tiglath pileser iii tf false.
The prophetic significance of this book not only lies in the short message in nineveh but also in the entire history of jonah described in his book. The primary message of the book of jonah is directed toward israel, encouraging her to move beyond her borders to evangelize other nations and to love and forgive her enemies tf. Due to jonah shirking his divine mission, god sends. While, in the book of jonah, the city is spared the wrath of god, other references to nineveh in the bible the books of nahum and zephania, among them predict the destruction of the city. King james bible dictionary reference list nineveh. The king of nineveh the hebrew phrase melek nineveh king of nineveh is found in the old testament only in jonah 3.
His preaching was a success and probably greater than the two great awakenings that took place in american history. The description of nineveh in jonah likely was a reference to greater nineveh, including the surrounding cities of rehoboth, calah and resen the book of jonah depicts nineveh as a wicked city worthy of destruction. Jonah is commanded to go east to nineveh but flees toward the westernmost possible point 1. Jonah the book of jonah the king james version old. The assyrians ruthless military tactics are also pictured in reliefs from the kings palace in nineveh, now in the british museum. An overview of the book of jonah leads one to determine two prominent sections, namely, jonahs abortive voyage to tarshish jon 12 and jonahs journey to nineveh.
Jonahs experiences form the main contents and purpose of the book. One of the greatest prophets during the time of jeroboam ii was jonah the son of amitai, who, as a prophet disciple, had anointed jehu and who, therefore, enjoyed the kings benevolence. Jonah s experiences form the main contents and purpose of the book. Jonah was fleeing because god had instructed him to go and preach in the assyrian city of nineveh. While we might expect them to laugh in jonahs face, instead they take him seriously. As we read through the book of jonah, no reason asserts itself for jonahs unwillingness to go to nineveh, especially as everyone jonah meets, on th. It is not again noticed till the days of jonah, when it is described jonah 3. The citys king, sennacherib, laid siege to jerusalem in 701 b. Jonah 3 is the third chapter of the book of jonah in the hebrew bible or the old testament of. The challenge of the book of jonah for unbelievers is to trust god and believe the gospel. Ancient nineveh background bible study bible history online. In this book no mention is made of assyria or the assyrians, the king to whom the prophet was sent being termed the king of nineveh, and his subjects the people of nineveh.
Its one thing for the citizens of nineveh to receive gods message, but how is the king going to. God sent jonah to preach to the ninevites of their coming destruction, and they fasted and repented because of this. Assyria is first called a kingdom in the time of menahem, about b. Jonah then warns the people of nineveh that god plans to destroy them unless they repent. In the halfcentury during which the prophet jonah ministered 800750 b. While, in the book of jonah, the city is spared the wrath of god, other. Apr 04, 2020 an overview of the book of jonah leads one to determine two prominent sections, namely, jonahs abortive voyage to tarshish jon 12 and jonahs journey to nineveh. Esv 2 kings 14 tells us that jonah lived during the reign of jeroboam the son of joash, king of israel. Nov 09, 2018 jonah eventually was convinced to go, and he went and preached to the people of nineveh.
The book of jonah is concerned with telling the story of jonahs mission to nineveh, the capital of the assyrian empire. The other biblical depiction of nineveh is in the book of jonah. The king of nineveh descends his throne and declares a three day fast, decreeing that no human or beast will taste food or drink water. More than any other old testament book, jonah reveals the universal concern of yahweh for all men. King jeroboam ii 793753 restored her traditional borders, ending almost a century of sporadic seesaw conflict between israel and damascus. The book of jonah, despite its brevity, gives some verifiable information regarding nineveh, a very old city, which disappeared completely after its destruction in 612 bce.
Historians consider the biblical account about jonahs warning against nineveh as a pious fiction, however, the gospels refer to it as a real story lk 11. Jonah lived and ministered in israel during the 8th century bc, during the reign of king jeroboam ii 2 kings 14. King of nineveh vs king of assyria if this be the case, then one must consider why, if the author of the book lived centuries after the historical jonah of 2 kings 14. Neil indicates this term could hardly be used if the assyrian empire had been in existence.
He lived in the period of the divided kingdoms of israel and judah. Jonah 3 niv bible then the word of the lord came to jonah. Jonah 3 jonah goes to nineveh then the word bible gateway. The book of jonah, containing the wellknown story of jonah in the stomach of a fish for three days, is a narrative about as the story is related in the book of jonah, the prophet jonah is called by god to go to nineveh a great assyrian city and prophesy disaster because of the citys. Now nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days journey. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least. Ancient nineveh background bible study bible history. Common custom was to give provincial capitals the same name as the province. Jonah speaks of weeds wrapped about his head, which does not fit the description of being inside a fish. The book of jonah was written between 500400 bce depicting events from hundreds of years earlier in the reign of the hebrew king jeroboam ii 786746 bce. Jonah goes to nineveh then the word of the lord came to jonah a second time. The book of jonah is the fifth book in the christian canons and the.