clear to the sea of the Arabah [the Salt Sea].” (2 Ki. 14:23-25; compare Deuteronomy 3:17.) So it appears that Jonah served as a prophet to the ten-tribe kingdom sometime during the reign of Jeroboam (II). He is evidently the same person Jehovah commissioned to proclaim judgment against Nineveh (Jonah 1:1, 2) and, therefore, also the writer of the book bearing his name.

Rather than following through on his assignment to preach to the Ninevites, Jonah decided to run away from it. At the seaport of Joppa he secured passage on a ship bound for Tarshish (generally associated with Spain) over 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) W of Nineveh.—Jonah 1:1-3; 4:2.

After boarding the decked vessel, Jonah fell fast asleep in its “innermost parts.” Meanwhile, the mariners, faced with a divinely sent tempestuous wind that threatened to wreck the ship, cried to their gods for aid and cast articles overboard to lighten the vessel. The ship captain awakened Jonah, urging him also to call on his “god.” Finally the mariners cast lots to determine on whose account the storm had arisen. Evidently Jehovah then caused the lot to single out Jonah. Upon being questioned, Jonah confessed to having been unfaithful to his commission. Not wanting others to perish on his account, he requested to be thrown into the sea. When all efforts to get back to land failed, the mariners did to Jonah according to his word and the sea stopped its raging.—Jonah 1:4-15.

As Jonah sank beneath the waters, sea weeds wound around his head. Finally his drowning sensation ceased and he found himself inside a large fish. Jonah prayed to Jehovah, glorifying him as Savior and promising to pay what he had vowed. On the third day the prophet was vomited out onto dry land.—Jonah 1:17–2:10.

Commissioned a second time to go to Nineveh, he undertook the long journey there. “Finally Jonah started to enter into the city the walking distance of one day, and he kept proclaiming and saying: ‘Only forty days more, and Nineveh will be overthrown.’” (Jonah 3:1-4) Whether Jonah knew Assyrian or was miraculously endowed with ability to speak that language is not revealed in the Bible. He may even have spoken Hebrew, his proclamation later being interpreted by one(s) knowing the language. If spoken in Hebrew, Jonah’s words could have aroused great curiosity, with many wondering just what this stranger was saying.

Some critics think it incredible that the Ninevites, including the king, responded to Jonah’s preaching. (Jonah 3:5-9) In this regard the remarks of commentator C. P. Keil are of interest: “The powerful impression made upon the Ninevites by Jonah’s preaching, so that the whole city repented in sackcloth and ashes, is quite intelligible, if we simply bear in mind the great susceptibility of Oriental races to emotion, the awe of one Supreme Being which is peculiar to all the heathen religions of Asia, and the great esteem in which soothsaying and oracles were held in Assyria from the very earliest times . . . ; and if we also take into calculation the circumstance that the appearance of a foreigner, who, without any conceivable personal interest, and with the most fearless boldness, disclosed to the great royal city its godless ways, and announced its destruction within a very short period with the confidence so characteristic of the God-sent prophets, could not fail to make a powerful impression upon the minds of the people, which would be all the stronger if the report of the miraculous working of the prophets of Israel had penetrated to Nineveh.”—Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, The Twelve Minor Prophets, Vol. I, pp. 407, 408.

After forty days had passed and still nothing had happened to Nineveh, Jonah was highly displeased that Jehovah had not brought calamity upon the city. He even prayed for God to take away his life. But Jehovah answered Jonah with the question: “Have you rightly become hot with anger?” (Jonah 3:10–4:4) The prophet subsequently left the city and, later, erected a booth for himself. There, to the E of Nineveh, Jonah watched to see what would befall the city.—Jonah 4:5.

When a bottle-gourd plant miraculously grew to provide shade for Jonah, the prophet was very pleased. But his rejoicing was short-lived. During the night a worm injured the plant, causing it to dry up. Deprived of its shade, Jonah was subjected to a parching E wind and the hot sun beating down upon his head. Again, he asked to die.—Jonah 4:6-8.

By means of this bottle-gourd plant Jonah was taught a lesson in mercy. He felt sorry for the bottle-gourd plant, probably wondering why it had to die. Yet Jonah had neither planted nor cared for it. On the other hand, being the Creator and Sustainer of life, Jehovah had much more reason to feel sorry for Nineveh. The value of its inhabitants and that of the cattle was far greater than that of one bottle-gourd plant. Therefore, Jehovah asked Jonah: “For my part, ought I not to feel sorry for Nineveh the great city, in which there exist more than one hundred and twenty thousand men who do not at all know the difference between their right hand and their left, besides many domestic animals?” (Jonah 4:9-11) That Jonah must have gotten the point is indicated by the candid portrayal of his own experiences.

It may be that sometime later Jonah met at least one of the persons who had been aboard the ship from Joppa, possibly at the temple in Jerusalem, and learned from him about the vows made by the mariners after the storm abated.—Jonah 1:16; compare Jonah 2:4, 9; see JONAH, BOOK OF; NINEVEH.

2. Father of the apostles Peter and Andrew (Matt. 16:17; John 1:40-42); also called John at John 1:42; 21:15-17 in certain manuscripts.

JONAH, BOOK OF

The only book in the Hebrew Scriptures dealing exclusively with the commission of a prophet of Jehovah to proclaim a message of doom in and for a non-Israelite city, and which resulted in that city’s repentance. The experiences related in this book were unique to its writer, Jonah the son of Amittai. Evidently being the same person as the Jonah of 2 Kings 14:25, he must have prophesied during the reign of Israel’s King Jeroboam II (c. 844-803 B.C.E.). It is therefore reasonable to place the events recorded in the book of Jonah in the ninth century B.C.E.—See JONAH No. 1.

AUTHENTICITY

Because of the supernatural character of many events mentioned in the book of Jonah it has often been attacked by Bible critics. The raising of the tempestuous wind and its quick cessation, the fish swallowing Jonah and three days later vomiting the prophet out unharmed, and the sudden growth and death of a gourd plant have all been labeled unhistorical because such things do not happen today. This contention might have a basis if the book of Jonah claimed that they were ordinary occurrences back then. But it does not do so. It relates events in the life of one who was specially commissioned by God. Therefore, those maintaining that these things simply could not have happened must deny either the existence of God or his ability to affect natural forces and plant, animal and human life in a special way for his purpose.—See Matthew 19:26.

A favorite contention in the past was that no sea creature could swallow a man. But this argument is not valid. The sperm whale, having a mammoth square-shaped head that constitutes about one-third of its length, is fully capable of swallowing a man whole. Interestingly, there is evidence that the seaport of Joppa anciently also was a headquarters for whalers. It should be noted, however, that the Bible simply states: “Jehovah appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah,” the kind of fish not being specified. (Jonah 1:17) So it cannot be determined just what “fish” might have been involved. In fact, man’s knowledge of the creatures inhabiting the seas and oceans is rather incomplete. Noted the magazine Scientific American (September 1969, p. 162): “As it has in the past, further exploration of the abyssal realm will undoubtedly reveal undescribed creatures including members of groups thought long extinct.”

Some feel that the authenticity of the book of Jonah is in question because there is no confirmation of this prophet’s activity in Assyrian records. Actually, though, the absence of such information should not be surprising. It was customary for nations of antiquity to extol their successes, not their failures and humiliations, and also to eradicate anything unfavorable to them. Moreover, since not all ancient records have been preserved or found, no one can say with certainty that an account of what happened in Jonah’s time never existed.

The lack of certain details (such as the name of the Assyrian king and the exact spot where Jonah was spewed onto dry land) has been cited as yet another proof that the book of Jonah is not true history. This objection, however, ignores the fact that all historical narratives are condensed accounts, the historian recording only such information as he deemed important or necessary for his purpose. As commentator C. P. Keil (Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament, The Twelve Minor Prophets, Vol. I, p. 381) fittingly observes: “There is not a single one of the ancient historians in whose works such completeness as this can be found: and still less do the biblical historians aim at communicating such things as have no close connection with the main object of their narrative, or with the religious significance of the facts themselves.”

Since archaeological evidence has been interpreted as indicating that the walls surrounding ancient Nineveh were only some eight miles (13 kilometers) in circumference, it is claimed that the book of Jonah exaggerates the size of the city when describing it as being a walking distance of three days. (Jonah 3:3) This, however, is not a valid reason for questioning the Scriptural reference. Both in Biblical and modern usage the name of a city can include its suburbs. In fact, Genesis 10:11, 12 shows that Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah and Resen constituted the “great city.”

The fact that Jonah did not write in the first person has been used to discredit the book. But this argument does not take into account that it was common for Bible writers to refer to themselves in the third person. (Ex. 24:1-18; Isa. 7:3; 20:2; 37:2, 5, 6, 21; Jer. 20:1, 2; 26:7, 8, 12; 37:2-6, 12-21; Dan. 1:6-13; Amos 7:12-14; Hag. 1:1, 3, 12, 13; 2:1, 10-14, 20; John 21:20) Even ancient secular historians, including Xenophon and Thucydides, did this. Yet it is noteworthy that the genuineness of their accounts has never been called into question on this basis.

By its opening statement, “the word of Jehovah began to occur,” the book of Jonah lays claim to being from God. (Jonah 1:1) The Jews have from earliest times accepted this and other prophetic books similarly introduced (Jer. 1:1, 2; Hos. 1:1; Mic. 1:1; Zeph. 1:1; Hag. 1:1; Zech. 1:1; Mal. 1:1) as genuine. This in itself provides a good case for its authenticity. As has been noted: “It is in fact inconceivable . . . that the Jewish authorities would have received such a book into the canon of Scripture without the most conclusive evidence of its genuineness and authenticity.”—The Imperial Bible-Dictionary, Vol. 1, p. 945.

Further, this book is in complete harmony with the rest of the Scriptures. It attributes salvation to Jehovah (Jonah 2:9; compare Psalm 3:8; Isaiah 12:2; Revelation 7:10), and the narrative illustrates Jehovah’s mercy, long-suffering, patience and undeserved kindness in dealing with sinful humans.—Jonah 3:10; 4:2, 11; compare Deuteronomy 4:29-31; Jeremiah 18:6-10; Romans 9:21-23; Ephesians 2:4-7; 2 Peter 3:9.

Another evidence testifying to the authenticity of this Bible book is its candor. Jonah’s improper attitude toward his commission and concerning God’s action in sparing the Ninevites is not covered over.

The most conclusive evidence, though, is provided by the Son of God himself. Said he: “No sign will be given [this generation] except the sign of Jonah the prophet. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. Men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and will condemn it; because they repented at what Jonah preached, but, look! something more than Jonah is here.” (Matt. 12:39-41; 16:4) The resurrection of Christ Jesus was to be just as real as Jonah’s deliverance from the belly of the fish. And the generation that heard Jonah’s preaching must have been just as literal as the generation that heard what Christ Jesus said. Mythical men of Nineveh could never rise up in the judgment and condemn an unresponsive generation of Jews.

OUTLINE OF CONTENTS

I. Jehovah commissions Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim message against city (1:1, 2)

II. Jonah runs away from assignment; at Joppa takes ship bound for Tarshish (1:3)

A. During voyage Jehovah brings about great tempest, endangering ship (1:4)

1. Mariners call to their gods for aid and cast articles overboard to lighten ship; Jonah sleeps (1:5)

2. Ship captain awakens Jonah (1:6)

3. Mariners cast lots to determine on whose account calamity occurred; lot falls on Jonah (1:7)

4. Questioned, Jonah relates what he has done and requests to be hurled into sea (1:8-12)

5. Unable to get back to land because of storm, mariners accede to Jonah’s request to be thrown overboard; tempest abates (1:13-15)

B. Mariners sacrifice to Jehovah and make vows (1:16)

III. Jehovah appoints great fish to swallow Jonah, who remains in its inward parts three days and three nights (1:17)

A. Inside fish, Jonah, in prayer, requests Jehovah’s help, describes experience and promises to pay what he has vowed (2:1-9)

B. Fish vomits Jonah out onto dry land (2:10)

IV. Jehovah again tells Jonah to go to Nineveh (3:1, 2)

A. Jonah obeys; proclaims Nineveh’s overthrow due in forty days (3:3, 4)

B. Ninevites repent; king puts on sackcloth and enjoins fasting on men and domestic animals (3:5-9)

V. Because Jehovah does not destroy Nineveh, Jonah displeased and requests death (3:10–4:3)

A. Jehovah asks Jonah whether anger justified (4:4)

B. Prophet leaves city and, later, erects booth, to observe what might befall Nineveh (4:5)

C. Jehovah teaches Jonah lesson of mercy by means of bottle-gourd plant (4:6-11)

See the book “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial,” pp. 153-155.

JONAM

(Joʹnam).

An ancestor of Jesus’ mother Mary. Jonam was a descendant of David through Nathan and perhaps lived around the time of King Asa.—Luke 3:23, 30, 31.

JONATHAN

(Jonʹa·than) [Jehovah has given].

An English rendering of two Hebrew names, Yoh·na·thanʹ and the longer form Y^ehoh·na·thanʹ.—See JEHONATHAN.

1. A Levite who served as priest in connection with false worship at the house of Micah in Ephraim and later with the Danites. The account in Judges chapters 17 and 18 repeatedly refers to a young Levite who, at Judges 18:30, is called “Jonathan the son of Gershom, Moses’ son.” That he was earlier described as “of the family of Judah” may refer simply to the fact that he resided in Bethlehem in the territory of Judah.

Wandering Jonathan eventually came to the home of Micah in the mountains of Ephraim. Micah had set up a carved image in his home. Jonathan agreed to serve as priest for the household even though he was not of the family of Aaron and an image was being used in worship. Later five Danites seeking a place for a section of the tribe to settle met Jonathan. They asked him to inquire of God as to whether they would be successful, and he gave them a favorable response in the name of Jehovah.

When the main body of six hundred Danite men, as well as their families and livestock, passed by Micah’s house on their way N, they took the objects of worship including the carved image. They also induced selfish Jonathan to throw in his lot with them, to become their priest and not just priest for a family. (Judg. 17:7–18:21) Jonathan “and his sons became priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the land’s being taken into exile.” (Judg. 18:30) Some commentators have applied this to a conquest of the district, such as by Tiglath-pileser III, or all of the northern tribes by Shalmaneser V. (2 Ki. 15:29; 17:6) However, since Samuel evidently wrote Judges, an earlier application must be intended. Judges 18:31 mentions that the Danites kept the carved image “set up for themselves all the days that the house of the true God continued in Shiloh.” This suggests a time period for the application of the preceding verse, and it strengthens the view that Jonathan’s family served as priests until the Ark was captured by the Philistines. It has been contended that verse thirty should read, ‘until the day of the ark’s being taken into exile.’ (1 Sam. 4:11, 22) But this conclusion about the duration of the priesthood of Jonathan’s family may be correct even without altering the reading, for verse thirty may be taking the view that the land, in a sense, was carried into exile when the Ark was captured.

2. Eldest and favorite son of Benjamite King Saul, evidently by Ahinoam the daughter of Ahimaaz. (1 Sam. 14:49, 50) Jonathan is chiefly noted for his unselfish friendship for and support of David as Jehovah’s king-designate.

Jonathan is first mentioned in the early years of Saul’s reign as a valiant commander of a thousand warriors. (1 Sam. 13:2) He thus would probably be at least twenty then and hence at least approaching sixty when he died in 1077 B.C.E. (Num. 1:3) David was thirty at the time of Jonathan’s death. (1 Sam. 31:2; 2 Sam. 5:4) Hence, during their friendship Jonathan was evidently some thirty years David’s senior. Jonathan’s being a grown young man when Saul became king might help to explain his temperament and outlook. During his formative years he well may have been influenced by his father who, up to the time of being chosen as king, displayed modesty, obedience and a respect for Jehovah and his arrangements.—1 Sam. 9:7, 21, 26; 10:21, 22.

In the opening notice of Jonathan, he courageously and successfully led a thousand poorly armed men against the Philistine garrison at Geba. In response the enemy collected at Michmash. Secretly Jonathan and his armor-bearer left Saul and his men and approached the enemy outpost. By this act alone Jonathan displayed his valor, ability to inspire confidence in others and yet his recognition of Jehovah’s leading, for his actions depended on a sign from God. The two bold fighters single-handedly struck down about twenty Philistines, which led to a full-scale battle and victory for Israel. (1 Sam. 13:3–14:23) As the fighting was proceeding Saul rashly swore a curse on anyone eating before the battle ended. Jonathan was unaware of this and he ate some wild honey. Later, when confronted by Saul, Jonathan did not shrink back from dying for having partaken of the honey. Yet he was redeemed by the people, who recognized that God was with him that day.—1 Sam. 14:24-45.

These exploits clearly prove that Jonathan was a courageous, capable and manly warrior. He and Saul well deserved being described as “swifter than the eagles” and “mightier than the lions.” (2 Sam. 1:23) He was skilled as an archer. (2 Sam. 1:22; 1 Sam. 20:20) His manly qualities may have especially endeared him to Saul. It is apparent that they were very close. (1 Sam. 20:2) This did not, though, overshadow Jonathan’s zeal for God and loyalty to his friend David.

David had been introduced into the king’s court to play music for Saul, since Jehovah’s spirit had departed from the king and been replaced by a bad spirit, something Jonathan may have noted. Though young, David was “a valiant, mighty man and a man of war,” and Saul “got to loving him very much, and he came to be his armor-bearer.”—1 Sam. 16:14-23.

Jonathan’s particular friendship with David dates from soon after he killed Goliath. That fearless act in defense of Jehovah’s people must have particularly moved Jonathan. Hearing David’s account of it, “Jonathan’s very soul became bound up with the soul of David, and Jonathan began to love him as his own soul.” (1 Sam. 18:1) The two courageous warriors and devoted servants of God “proceeded to conclude a covenant” of friendship. Jonathan could see that David had God’s spirit. (1 Sam. 18:3) He did not jealously view him as a rival, as did Saul. Instead, his respect for God’s way of handling matters was a fine example for his younger friend. He did not act on Saul’s desire to kill David, but, rather, warned him and tried to intercede. When David was forced to flee, Jonathan met him and made a covenant to the effect that David would protect him and his household.—1 Sam. 19:1–20:17.

Jonathan again spoke to Saul about David, which nearly cost him his life, for in a fit of rage Saul hurled a spear at his own son. According to arrangement