King James Version
Jonah
Jonah in the King James Version (1769), public domain in the United States.
Background and History
The chapters above are the King James text. This essay is the setting of Jonah: who is said to have written it, when and where, what happens in it, and how the text has been copied.
At a Glance
| Author | Anonymous. The story is about Jonah son of Amittai, a prophet under Jeroboam II. Tradition has often credited Jonah himself. |
|---|---|
| Date | Traditional about 790–760 BC, the setting. One survey says probably written in the 500s BC. Critical scholars commonly date it about 500–300 BC. |
| Place written | Not stated. Israel is the setting of Jonah’s home, Gath-hepher in Galilee. |
| Genre | Prophetic narrative. |
| Chapters | 4 |
| Verses | 48 in the King James Version |
| Key verse | Jonah 4:11Jonah 4:11 · King James VersionAnd should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?Jonah 4:11 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
Who Wrote It
The book tells about Jonah in the third person. 2 Kings 14:252 Kings 14:25 · King James VersionHe restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gathhepher.
2 Kings 14:25 · King James VersionOpen the Source names Jonah son of Amittai of Gath-hepher as a prophet under Jeroboam II. Jonah 1:1Jonah 1:1 · King James VersionNow the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Jonah 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) names the same man. The Twelve were collected, per the Talmud, by the men of the Great Assembly. (2) Critical scholars date the book later and read it as a story with a message. Traditional scholars take it as history, citing Jesus’ treatment of it.
Who It Is Not
The sailors and the king of Nineveh are characters. The book does not claim Jonah wrote it.
When and Where
Bible Gateway says probably the 500s BC, though it takes place in 790–760 BC. (5)
Audience and Setting
Israel. The purpose is to show God’s compassion for the nations and to rebuke a narrow nationalism.
Rulers at the Time
The king of Nineveh is not named. This page does not assign him a reign.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Flight | Jonah 1 |
| Prayer in the fish | Jonah 2 |
| Nineveh repents | Jonah 3 |
| Jonah’s anger | Jonah 4 |
| Composition | Probably the 500s BC in one survey. (5) |
Places in This Book
| Ancient name | Modern-day location | References |
|---|---|---|
| Nineveh | Ruins at Mosul, Iraq. | Jonah 1:2Jonah 1:2 · King James VersionArise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.Jonah 1:2 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Joppa | Jaffa, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel. | Jonah 1:3Jonah 1:3 · King James VersionBut 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 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| Tarshish | Uncertain. Proposals include southern Spain. | Jonah 1:3Jonah 1:3 · King James VersionBut 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 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
What Is Happening
Jonah 1 tells of Jonah’s flight and the storm. Jonah 2 is his prayer. Jonah 3 is Nineveh’s repentance. Jonah 4 is God’s rebuke of Jonah’s anger.
Key Themes
God’s compassion for the nations in Jonah 4:11Jonah 4:11 · King James VersionAnd should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?
Jonah 4:11 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Salvation is of the Lord in Jonah 2:9Jonah 2:9 · King James VersionBut 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 · King James VersionOpen the Source.
Apologetics Questions
Skeptics question a man surviving inside a great fish. Christians answer that the account is a miracle and that Jesus treats it as a sign in Matthew 12:40Matthew 12:40 · King James VersionFor as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 12:40 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Some Christians read the book as a parable. This page does not choose.
How the Book Points to Christ
Jesus calls his three days in the heart of the earth the sign of Jonah in Matthew 12:39–41Matthew 12:39–41 · King James Version12:39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
12:40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.
Matthew 12:39–41 · King James VersionOpen the Source, and says one greater than Jonah is here. Jesus is God.
Text and Manuscripts
The Twelve are among the books found at Qumran. (6)
Canon Reception
Received with the Twelve. (4) (3)
Further Reading
References
- Book of Jonah, 1:1Jonah 1:1 · King James Version
Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Jonah 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 15a, 15a (The William Davidson English on Sefaria is copyrighted. This page paraphrases it and does not reprint it. The page continues the list of writers and the debate about it.)
- Against Apion, 1.8Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William Whiston
For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from, and contradicting one another: [as the Greeks have:] but only twenty two books: which contain the records of all the past times: which are justly believed to be divine. And of them five belong to Moses: which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind, till his death.
Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William WhistonOpen the Source (Flavius Josephus, Against Apion 1.8, translated by William Whiston. Josephus counts twenty-two books: five of Moses, thirteen of the prophets from Moses to Artaxerxes, and four of hymns and precepts.) - Festal Letter 39, 39.4–5 (Athanasius of Alexandria, AD 367, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 4, on New Advent. The letter lists twenty-two Old Testament books and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, and places Esther among books to be read rather than in the canon.)
- When Was Each Book of the Bible Written?, Jonah (Jacob Edson, Bible Gateway, 16 September 2024. The survey gives Jonah as probably the 500s BC, though it takes place much earlier (790–760 BC). It is one editor’s approximation, not a manuscript date.)
- Dead Sea Scrolls, introduction, Biblical manuscriptsDead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities Authority
Among the Scrolls are partial or complete copies of every book in the Hebrew Bible (except the book of Esther).
Dead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities AuthorityOpen the Source (Israel Antiquities Authority. Biblical manuscripts from the Qumran caves date from the third century BC into the first century AD, and every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther is represented.)
The King James Version (1769) is in the public domain in the United States.