What is the story of Jonah in the Bible about?

Answer 1

It's about keeping promises, and not getting intoxicated. Jonah had clearly taken a nazirite vow, and going by the incident in the boat, when the sailors found him sleeping through a violent storm, I would say he was drunk, or high on hash, or both. The mission to Nineveh was going to take place whether Jonah resisted or not. The oath to abstain from intoxicants is another matter entirely. Obedience is not the issue with an all-powerful being, but trust most certainly is. This issue comes up time and again in the bible, and Moses, Elijah, Jonah, Jeremiah, Jesus, Paul, and Peter all faced certain death, only be delivered repeatedly from it.
Jonah had temporarily broken that trust, and as soon as he reaffirms his vow, he is delivered from the fish, and spit onto dry land. Don't imagine for one second that Jonah saved Nineveh. Although the bible says God spared them, that was only until Jonah learned his lesson. Nineveh was attacked and destroyed not long after that. Read your history.

Answer 2

Jonah was a prophet of God.

Jonah was instructed to visit the people of the city of Ninevah to proclaim God's judgement against them because they were wicked.

However, Jonah was afraid of declaring such a message to the violent Ninevites, so he instead ran the other way and boarded a ship.

The ship got caught in a terrible storm, and Jonah, believing that this was due to his running from an instruction by God told the shipmates to throw him overboard to silence the storm.

They did. And it worked.

However, Jonah was swallowed whole by a big fish (some say a whale). He remained in the belly of the fish for 3 days. On the 3rd day he was vomited out on to dry land after praying to God for forgiveness.

He immediately went to Ninevah as instructed to proclaim God's message. And happily the people in that city repented and God did not have to destroy the city.

Answer 3

The story of Jonah is the incredible tale of a disobedient prophet who, upon being swallowed by a whale (or a “great fish” - see below) and vomited upon the shore, reluctantly led the reprobate city of Nineveh to repentance. The Biblical account is often criticized by skeptics because of its miraculous content. These miracles include:

A Mediterranean storm, both summoned and dissipated by God (Jonah 1:4-16).

A massive fish, appointed by God to swallow the prophet after he was thrown into the sea by his ship’s crew (1:17).

Jonah’s survival in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, or his resurrection from the dead after being vomited upon the shore, depending on how you interpret the text (1:17).

The fish vomiting Jonah upon shore at God’s command (2:10).

A gourd, appointed by God to grow rapidly in order to provide Jonah with shade (4:6).

A worm, appointed by God to attack and whither the shady gourd (4:7).

A scorching wind, summoned by God to discomfort Jonah (4:8).

Answer 4

It's about a flight that Jonah took to New York without a valid visa and so was deported back by British Airways at the Gulf of Mexico!!!

Answer 5

This exchange into no longer in straightforward terms any "fish"! The verse you reported mentioned, "The Lord had arranged a super fish..."! This exchange right into a creature that regulate into arranged by potential of God for this objective! considering God "arranged" this creature, He might have arranged a manner that Jonah might have survived, the two by potential of making waiting the creature in this variety of style, or by potential of offering for Jonah's secure practices. Jonah’s survival after being interior a sea creature is not greater spectacular than Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego surviving the “burning fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:27). certainly, the Hebrew word it somewhat is translated as "fish" must be any style of sea creature (fish, whale, "leviathan", and so on.). Jesus needless to say believed the account by way of fact He spoke approximately it in Matthew 12:38-40-one. in case you do not have faith it, then you certainly ought to have faith Jesus exchange into the two improper or mendacity. in case you do not have faith this, then why have faith any of the miracles or workings of God defined interior the Bible (Jesus growing to be from the ineffective, healing ill, the introduction account, the virgin delivery, and so on.)? in case you do not have faith God is useful sufficient to do any of those issues, do you particularly have faith in God? The God i've got faith in is in a position to coach a creature that should swallow a guy and function the guy stay to tell the story for 3 days! .

Answer 6

Jonah swallowed by a big fish, that's right. He sat in there two days, and he had to eat what the fish ate.

He got sick and vomited, and the fish vomited; and that's the end of that story.

Answer 7

Jonah’s course of action and its outcome should stand as a warning to us. He ran away from God-given work; he should have put his hand to the task and trusted in God to uphold him. (Jonah 1:3; Luke 9:62; Prov. 14:26; Isa. 6:8) When he got going in the wrong direction, he showed a negative attitude in failing to identify himself freely to the mariners as a worshiper of “Jehovah the God of the heavens.” He had lost his boldness. (Jonah 1:7-9; Eph. 6:19, 20) Jonah’s self-centeredness led him to regard Jehovah’s mercy toward Nineveh as a personal affront; he tried to save face by telling Jehovah that he had known all along that this would be the outcome—so why send him as prophet? He was reproved for this disrespectful, complaining attitude, so we should benefit from his experience and refrain from finding fault with Jehovah’s showing mercy or with his way of doing things.—Jonah 4:1-4, 7-9; Phil. 2:13, 14; 1 Cor. 10:10.

10 Overshadowing everything else in the book of Jonah is its portrayal of the magnificent qualities of Jehovah’s loving-kindness and mercy. Jehovah showed loving-kindness toward Nineveh in sending his prophet to warn of impending destruction, and he was ready to show mercy when the city repented—a mercy that permitted Nineveh to survive more than 200 years until its destruction by the Medes and Babylonians about 632 B.C.E. He showed mercy toward Jonah in delivering him from the storm-tossed sea and in providing the gourd to “deliver him from his calamitous state.” By providing the protecting gourd and then taking it away, Jehovah made known to Jonah that He will show mercy and loving-kindness according to His own good pleasure.—Jonah 1:2; 3:2-4, 10; 2:10; 4:6, 10, 11.

Answer 8

Story 70

Jonah and the Big Fish

LOOK there is a man in the water. He is in a lot of trouble. That fish is about to swallow him! his name is Jo´nah. Let's see how he got into so much trouble.

Jo´nah is a prophet of Jehovah. It is not long after the death of the prophet E·li´sha that Jehovah tells Jo´nah: 'Go to the great city of Nin´e·veh. The badness of the people there is very great, and I want you to speak to them about it.'

But Jo´nah does not want to go. So he gets on a boat that is going in the opposite direction from Nin´e·veh. Jehovah is not pleased with Jo´nah for running away. So He causes a big storm. It is so bad that the boat is in danger of sinking. The sailors are very much afraid, and they cry out to their gods for help.

Finally Jo´nah tells them: 'I worship Jehovah, the God who made the heaven and the earth. And I am running away from doing what Jehovah told me to do.' So the sailors ask: 'What should we do to you to stop the storm?'

'Throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm again,' Jo´nah says. The sailors don't want to do it, but as the storm gets worse they finally throw Jo´nah overboard. Right away the storm stops, and the sea is calm again.

As Jo´nah sinks down into the water, the big fish swallows him. But he doesn't die. For three days and three nights he is in the belly of that fish. Jo´nah is very sorry that he did not obey Jehovah and go to Nin´e·veh. So do you know what he does?

Jo´nah prays to Jehovah for help. Then Jehovah makes the fish vomit Jo´nah out onto dry land. After that Jo´nah goes to Nin´e·veh. Doesn't this teach us how important it is that we do whatever Jehovah says?

Answer 9

Actually, I think his objection to going was that he knew God was going to repent before he ever "boarded" the whale. btw He's not the only biblical personality to object to fulfilling a mission.

Answer 10

jonah was swallowed by a whale (or big fish) for not listening to god.