This article contain commentary covering all the verses in the Book of Jonah.
Here is a link to a related sermon: Lessons from the Book of Jonah.
The prophet Jonah looks to have been born in the 9th century BCE and died in the 8th century BCE.
The authorship is unclear.
The Jewish Encyclopedia of 1906 claims:
The book does not bear the least evidence of having been written by the prophet or even during his time; and its age must be gathered from different indications. It has long since been held that it is one of the latest books of the Hebrew canon. This is proved in the first place by the language, as considered lexically, grammatically, and stylistically (comp. on this point the commentaries, and books like S. R. Driver's "Introduction"). Only Esther, Chronicles, and Daniel are of later date. (JONAH, BOOK OF. By: Emil G. Hirsch, Karl Budde. In: Jewish Encyclopedia of 1906)
So, the Jews accept the book as part of the canon, but some doubt Jonah wrote it.
Whereas BibleHub has the following:
Who is the author of the Book of Jonah? ...
Evidence from both Scripture and historical tradition points consistently to Jonah, son of Amittai, as the author. ...
Jonah is explicitly identified as “the son of Amittai” in Jonah 1:1, aligning him with the same prophet mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 ...
Though direct external writings attributing authorship to Jonah outside Scripture are limited, Jewish tradition has long considered Jonah to be the author. Early commentaries and references by later Jewish historians (including discussions preserved in rabbinic writings) consistently treat the Book of Jonah as genuine prophecy originating from the prophet himself. ...
Existing Hebrew manuscripts of the Book of Jonah are remarkably stable and demonstrate uniformity in the text over centuries. Fragments bearing Jonah’s chapters are found among collections of the Twelve Minor Prophets, such as those cataloged in various manuscript traditions. The consistent transmission throughout Jewish history suggests a revered and recognized text from the time it was composed.
The Book of Jonah appears in the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures) with no sign of dispute in authorship, hinting that Jonah’s composition was accepted widely by the Jewish community well before the New Testament era. ...
Some scholars argue that the text’s use of the third person (“Jonah went…”; “the word of the LORD came to Jonah…”) indicates a later anonymous writer. Yet, biblical authors often use third-person narration when recounting experiences-Moses, for instance, regularly wrote about himself in the third person (e.g., Exodus, Numbers). This literary style does not exclude the possibility of authorship by Jonah, especially when considering ancient Near Eastern writing conventions. (https://biblehub.com/q/who_is_the_author_of_the_book_of_jonah.htm accessed 06/20/26)
Irrespective of who wrote it, the book shows that Jonah was a very reluctant prophet.
Book of Jonah
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, ..."
Ninevah was a great city of the world. At this time:
Nineveh[a] was an ancient Near Eastern city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern bank of the Tigris River and was the capital and largest city of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, and potentially the wealthiest city in the ancient world. Today, it is a common name for the half of Mosul that lies on the eastern bank of the Tigris, and the country's Nineveh Governorate takes its name from it. (Ninevah. Wikipedia, accessed 06/05/26)
Beginning with the accession of Adad-nirari II in 911 BCE,[17][c] the Neo-Assyrian Empire grew to dominate the ancient Near East and parts of the South Caucasus, North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean throughout much of the 9th to 7th centuries BCE, becoming the largest empire in history up to that point. (Neo-Assyrian Empire. Wikipedia, accessed 06/05/26)
Nineveh … It was the largest city in the world for approximately fifty years until the year 612 BC when, after a bitter period of civil war in Assyria, it was sacked by a coalition of its former subject peoples including the Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians. (Ninevah. Wikipedia, accessed 06/05/26)
1:2
2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”
So, despite being such a great city, it was also wicked. Jonah did not want to go there:
3 But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.
Jonah balked at the commission. You’ve heard the expression that you can run, but not hide. Well, no one can hide from God.
But a lot of people basically try to. Many people come up with excuses. Other than the city being wicked, later, we will look into what looks to have been Jonah’s excuse for not obeying God.
The Bible warns of those who “sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7) and we will how that actually happened to Jonah.
Jonah’s pride and arrogance got in the way of him obeying God. The Bible warns:
18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall. (Proverbs 16:18)
Notice what could be called Jonah’s fall and reaping the whirlwind:
1:4
4 But the Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.
5 Then the mariners were afraid; and every man cried out to his god, and threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea, to lighten the load. But Jonah had gone down into the lowest parts of the ship, had lain down, and was fast asleep.
There was a problem, Jonah had been unaware of its development. The same is basically true for most end time Laodicean Christians.
Physical efforts were attempted.
1:6
6 So the captain came to him, and said to him, "What do you mean, sleeper? Arise, call on your God; perhaps your God will consider us, so that we may not perish."
We see that the captain believed in some type prayer and deity.
1:7
7 And they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots, that we may know for whose cause this trouble has come upon us." So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.
The Bible teaches, “be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23). So, when this happened, Jonah probably remembered the concept, if not the words themselves.
But you might think that you get away with not doing what God wants you to do. You may have concluded that this means God accepts your excuses. You would be wrong.
Consider:
11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
So, not getting quick punishment is NOT proof that God approves.
Not doing what you should is evil!
Is that supported in the New Testament?
Yes.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:8-10)
17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:17)
1:8
8 Then they said to him, "Please tell us! For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?"
9 So he said to them, "I am a Hebrew; and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land."
10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid, and said to him, "Why have you done this?" For the men knew that he fled from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
Yes, Jonah arrogantly had admitted that he was running away from God. Notice some scriptures that seem to be applicable here:
"Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. (1 Samuel 2:3)
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. (Proverbs 8:13)
Jonah’s perverse arrogance and actions were weighed and God provided an actual storm.
The weather distress, Jonah being picked by lot, and Jonah’s comments made a strong impression on the men of the ship.
1:11
11 Then they said to him, "What shall we do to you that the sea may be calm for us?" — for the sea was growing more tempestuous.
They were unsure what to do, but Jonah told them:
12 And he said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you. For I know that this great tempest is because of me."
Jonah had thought he got away from his obligations, yet finally realized that he had not. So, instead of trying to save his life, he offered to give it up.
1:13
13 Nevertheless the men rowed hard to return to land, but they could not, for the sea continued to grow more tempestuous against them.
The men of the ship tried not to be selfish, but their combined efforts could not change what God decreed.
1:14 So, they decided they had to toss Jonah overboard:
14 Therefore they cried out to the Lord and said, "We pray, O Lord, please do not let us perish for this man's life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O Lord, have done as it pleased You."
Notice that they accepted that Joanh’s God was real and mentioned that they really did not want to hurt Jonah.
1:15
15 So they picked up Jonah and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging.
So, they saw that after they tossed Jonah out, the sea calmed down.
1:16
16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the Lord and took vows.
They realized that they saw a miracle from God.
Regarding vows, the Book of Ecclesiastes tells us:
5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
6 Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? (Ecclesiastes 5:5-7)
Whether the men of the sea kept their vows or not is not mentioned in the Bible. But YOU had better keep any promises you make to God.
That would also include the commitment you made at baptism to repent, believe, and obey.
If you have a task that you are supposed to do, and do not do it, yes, something may happen to you to get your attention. Do not wait to have to have negative things happen over and over again before you change.
Jesus warned:
14 … Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. (John 5:14)
Christians are to change and not repeat the same mistakes or sins each day. The Bible also teaches:
11 … God is angry with the wicked every day. (Psalm 7:11)
So, obviously, do not be wicked. Even if you do wrong, consider the following:
22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; (Lamentations 3:22-23a)
Yes, God is merciful every day.
Furthermore, Christians are not to worry, but are to take things one day at a time. As Jesus said:
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:31-34)
The Apostle Peter wrote:
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 11 for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:10-11)
The Apostle Paul also wrote:
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. (1 Corinthians 9:25-27)
Yes, even those who preach can be disqualified. Do not give up. Do not try to run away.
1:17
17 Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Now this is a great fish, not a whale.
Jesus also referred to this incident involving Jonah:
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from You."
39 But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:38-40)
Jesus’ referral to Jonah indicates, to many, that the story was literally true and not simply an allegory. It also teaches that Jesus would be in the grave for a full three days and three nights–hence blasting the Good Friday to Easter hypothesis.
Yet, Greco-Roman Catholics, Protestants, and the Protestant Seventh-Day Adventists disagree. Here is something from an SDA source:
Some say the crucifixion had to be on Wednesday, because Jesus said that He would be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights (Matt. 12:40). But many texts tell us that Jesus said He would rise again on the third day (see Matt. 16: 21; 17:23; 20:19; Mark 9:31; 10:34; Luke 9:22; 18:33; 24:7, 46; 1 Cor. 15:4). Now, it must be clear that He couldn't possibly stay in the grave the whole day that third day, and also rise on the same third day. (The Time of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. Ministry: International Journal for Pastors. April 1966)
First, since Jesus was out of the grace while it was still dark per John 20:1, if, like the SDAs you count part of Friday, Friday night, Saturday daylight, and Saturday night you find that they do not constitute 3 days AND three nights. That is only part of two days and two nights. Day does not start until sunrise.
If you use the biblical definition of days—evening to evening—there would be part of Friday, Sabbath night, Sabbath day, and Saturday night, that also does not constitute three days and three nights. It is part of two days and two nights.
The same SDA article then brings Jonah into it:
We refer to Matthew 12:40, and it reads as follows: "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."
Actually this doesn't say anything about the grave. "In the heart of the earth" is obviously figurative language. To take it literally and at the same time apply it to the grave of Jesus would be to say that Jesus' grave was in the "heart" or center of the earth. And of course that is not true. Treating it as figurative language and applying "earth" to earthly powers, the enemies of Jesus, it makes sense. …
As to the time of His resurrection, we have already cited nearly a dozen texts that declare it was to be on the third day after His crucifixion. (The Time of the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. Ministry: International Journal for Pastors. April 1966)
Well, the resurrection was the third day after His crucifixion. Passover, the year He was killed, was on a Tuesday evening. Jesus died the afternoon on the daylight portion (Matthew 27:46-50) we now call Wednesday -- and that was at the ‘ninth hour’ (Mark 15:34) which in modern times would be about 3:00 pm.
Jesus was resurrected three full days and nights later, on Saturday afternoon. As He was put in the grave just before sunset (cf. John 19:31-40) on a high holy day (John 19:31), He would have been reusrrectd shortly before sunset on a Saturday afternoon.
The first day after He was killed would be Thursday, the second day after would be Friday afternoon, and the third day after would be Saturday afternoon. It was before sunset Saturday when Jesus was resurrected.
Furthermore, notice that Jesus said He would be like Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.
Does anyone seriously claim Jonah that was in the belly of the fish for part of two days and two nights?
Does anyone really claim that Jonah preached in ‘hades’ (called sheol in Hebrew) during that time? Some Roman Catholics teach that Jesus did. Well, it is certainly not recorded that Jonah did that in the Old Testament.
Related to those three days and three nights, the late Herbert W. Armstrong taught:
"Then certain of the scribes and the Pharisees answered him, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee [we would see a sign from thee]."
Now, a sign as I explained yesterday is an identifying miracle that is a badge of identity. A sign identifies. For instance, you see a sign hanging out on the corner; it says: "Drugs — Jones and Company" or "Smith and Company" or whatever it is. It tells you who owns it. It tells you what kind of a store it is. It identifies. It describes the identity.
Well, that wouldn't be a kind of a sign that you read of in the Bible because in the Bible a sign not only is an identifying sign but it is a miraculous one, it is identified with miracles. And so, you find, for instance, when the Devil is trying to perform such things by, well, by magic or by deceiving or something — "signs and lying wonders" and "miracles and signs" are spoken of in the Bible. A sign is a miracle which identifies.
Now, that's what they wanted. They wanted Him to perform a miracle that would prove He was the Messiah. They said, "This miracle of casting out a demon doesn't prove it to us because we think you did that by the power of the Devil and not by the Power of God. Now, you perform a miracle or give us a sign that'll prove you are the Messiah, unmistakably."
This happens today. Many of the religious do not accept God’s signs—this happens today in terms of those who discount dreams and prophesies.
Now back to HWA:
What did Jesus say?
"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 Jonah: for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the [great fish — and I explained yesterday the word is not whale at all but sea monster or great fish]; so shall the Son of man [that was He Himself Christ] be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
Now, some people try to say this (this is not true) but I have heard young Bible students who thought they were getting a little knowledge of the Greek say in the Greek it is an idiomatic expression and that it was customary in the Greek language to use portions of a day or a night to represent a whole day. And when Jesus was to be three days in the grave that any portion of three days... Now, if He were Crucified and buried Friday just before sunset; although, He was only in the grave, we will say, maybe two or three minutes before sunset, two or three minutes on that day meant that one day — Friday. They counted that a whole day. Then from Friday sunset because days ended at sunset and did for two or three hundred years after the Crucifixion of Christ as a matter of fact. It was only two or three hundred years this side of Christ that they began to try to end the days at midnight by a manmade watch. So, then, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset you'd have a whole day and they count that another day and then Sunday morning at sunrise you got a part of another day and they said, there, that's parts of three days but it isn't three days and three nights by any process of arithmetic or reasoning or anything else unless you are reluctant and unwilling to receive the Truth of God and want to twist it around to have your own way.
Now, even if it were true, which it isn't, that that is the meaning of the Greek language, it is not the meaning in the Hebrew language. And I remember one time I was preaching on this very thing in a country schoolhouse and there was a student of a Bible college there that was trying to trap me just like the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus and trying to show how wrong I was and he was going to show his smartness, he was going to Bible school.
And so he challenged me and made this very statement. I said, "Well, you claim that that is an idiomatic expression that in the Greek language that any parts of days and nights would be equivalent to the whole day."
He said, "Yes, sir."
I said, "But would that be true in the Hebrew language?"
"Well, no, not in the Hebrew in the language but this was in the Greek, Mr. Armstrong."
I said, "Yes, certainly. But did you notice that Jesus said the only sign He would give was the sign of Jonah. 'For as Jonah' was a certain duration of time. Now, you say it's parts of days and nights, one day and two nights in the grave 'so shall the Son of man be [that long] in the heart of the earth.'"
"Now," I said, "Let's go back to Jonah which was written in the Hebrew language in the Old Testament." And here it is. Jonah the first chapter and the seventeenth verse: "Now the ETERNAL had prepared a great fish..."
Not a whale, had prepared a great fish. God prepared that fish for that purpose. It was God who created whales and elephants and every other kind of animal that there is anyway and He was able to do this.
He "prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." That was translated out of the Hebrew and that is three days and three nights.
Now, then how much time was in a day or night? Did Jesus know how much time? Jesus said, speaking of day and night that if man walks in the day or he stumbles in the night or something, there are twelve hours in day and twelve hours in the night as Jesus plainly said in one place. And then again, what is the Bible definition of a day or a night?
Back in the first chapter of Genesis here it is so plain a little child can understand it if we want to understand instead of if we want to reject the Bible, refute it and have our own way and make the Word of God of no effect; absolutely make it of no effect by our tradition. … Now, if it speaks of three days or ten days or thirty days or a thing of that kind, there it is speaking of twenty-four hour days. That is exactly what we mean today in the English language and it's spoken of that way in the Bible. But when it speaks of day and night then it is speaking of day of the light portion when it's sunlight and of night of the dark portion when it's dark. And in other words, the day is between sunrise and sunset and the night is between sunset and sunrise.
Now, let's see if that is the Bible definition. What does God say, what is God's definition? Turn back to the very first chapter of Genesis.
"God called [there's God's definition]..." "God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
Now, it took an evening, which is a dark period, and the morning which is a light period that God calls day, an evening, which is a dark period that God called night and it took those two periods, one of darkness, one of light, one called a day and another called a night to make that duration of time that is plainly called in the very first chapter of your Bible the first day.
Now, how much time elapsed before we got to the third day? A day and a night elapsed here to get us to the end of the first day according to Genesis one.
Now, you drop down just a little bit later and God had said a few more things here the next day and more beings had come into being and been created. And here we find in verse eight, "God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening [that's the night part that God called or the darkness that God called night] and the morning [the light part that God called day] were the second day." Now, there is another night and another day. There is two days and two nights and it's called the second day.
Now, verse thirteen: "And the evening [another dark part that God called night] and the morning [another light period that God called day, there's now three nights and three days] were the third day." So, the duration of time that makes up the third day is very plainly three days and three nights. Three night periods or dark periods and three light periods called day to make three days and three nights.
Now, as Jonah had been called as a human messenger to give a human warning to prevent a physical destruction to the city of Nineveh and as Jonah had been called to go over and warn the Ninevites, but being human he didn't want to do it and so God had him thrown... He tried to escape from a command of God by boarding a ship and trying to sail away from God. But God had him thrown overboard and He prepared this fish to swallow him up.
Now, as I read to you in the preceding broadcast, "Then Jonah prayed unto the ETERNAL his God out of the fish's belly..." Now, he was still alive and conscious in there and it is all a miracle of God and there's a great reason for it because, my friends, this is the type of Christ, this is the very thing that is the only sign, the only miracle, the only miraculous proof of identity that Jesus gave to prove that He is the Messiah, that He is your Savior and mine, the very Son of God that can...through whom we can approach God and through whom we can be reconciled to God that we may receive the Spirit of God, be begotten of God and later become born of God into the very Kingdom of God.
Now, Jonah prayed to the ETERNAL his God out of the great fish's belly and said, now, here's what he said, "I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the ETERNAL, and he heard me; out of the belly of [and in the King James Bible you find the word hell and that is translated from the Hebrew word which is sheol. And the Hebrew word sheol is the word that is elsewhere translated the grave and that's exactly what it is and what it means. Wherever you find the word grave in the Old Testament it comes from the Hebrew word sheol, this same identical word.]..."
So, he was in a grave. He was in a veritable grave. He was still alive in the grave. Now, he was buried alive. Now, he was in a grave in which he certainly would have died if he had remained buried.
"Out of the belly of [the grave] cried I, and thou heardest my voice." And then God had him cast out or resurrected from that veritable grave of death after which now Jonah was willing to obey.
And he went over to Nineveh and he warned the Ninevites of their sins and what would happen as a result and the Ninevites repented. And the Ninevites therefore averted the disaster. It did not happen because they repented at the preaching of Jonah.
Now, Jesus Christ came to warn this world of its sins. And if we will repent, He came to be the Savior of the world. He went down into the grave of death for three days and three nights. As Jonah was three days and three nights, so was the Son of man three days and three nights in His grave.
Now, the only sign He gave was that He would be three days and three nights in the grave. Was He? I wonder if He was in the grave exactly that duration.
(Armstrong HW. Jonah’s sign. The World Tomorrow Radio Broadcast. Broadcast Date: June 01, 1979 https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbroadcast&InfoID=1331998806)
Many do not accept the clear math that Jesus used. Instead, sadly, most rely on math from the personal opinions of a late fourth/early fifth century writer named Augustine of Hippo:
For “He spake this of the temple of His body,” as is declared by the most clear and solid testimony of the Gospel; where He said, “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.”
Scripture again witnesses that the space of those three days themselves was not whole and entire, but the first day is counted as a whole from its last part, and the third day is itself also counted as a whole from its first part; but the intervening day, i.e. the second day, was absolutely a whole with its twenty-four hours, twelve of the day and twelve of the night. For He was crucified first by the voices of the Jews in the third hour, when it was the sixth day of the week. Then He hung on the cross itself at the sixth hour, and yielded up His spirit at the ninth hour...But from the evening of the burial to the dawn of the resurrection are thirty-six hours which is six squared. And this is referred to that ratio of the single to the double wherein there is the greatest consonance of co-adaptation. For twelve added to twenty-four suits the ratio of single added to double and makes thirty-six: namely a whole night with a whole day and a whole night, and this not without the mystery which I have noticed above. For not unfitly do we liken the spirit to the day and the body to the night. For the body of the Lord in His death and resurrection was a figure of our spirit and a type of our body. In this way, then, also that ratio of the single to the double is apparent in the thirty-six hours, when twelve are added to twenty-four (Augustine. On the Trinity (Book IV), Chapters 5 & 6. Translated by Arthur West Haddan, B.D. Revised and annotated by the Professor W.G.T. Shedd, D.D. Excerpted from Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series One, Volume 3. Edited by Philip Schaff, D.D., LL.D. American Edition, 1887. Online Edition Copyright © 2004 by K. Knight).
Augustine admits that Jesus is to be in the grave for three days, yet decides that he can calculate using a non-accepted form of mathematics. Sadly, many have wrongly gone along with that.
That included Martin Luther, who had been a Roman Catholic, as he wrote:
How can we say that he rose on the third day, since he lay in the grave only one day and two nights? According to the Jewish calculation it was only a day and a half; how shall we then persist in believing there were three days? To this we reply that be was in the state of death for at least a part of all three days. For he died at about two o'clock on Friday and consequently was dead for about two hours on the first day. After that night he lay in the grave all day, which is the true Sabbath. On the third day, which we commemorate now, he rose from the dead and so remained in the state of death a part of this day, just as if we say that something occurred on Easter-day, although it happens in the evening, only a portion of the day. In this sense Paul and the Evangelists say that be rose on the third day (Luther M. Of Christ's Resurrection from volume II:238-247 of The Sermons of Martin Luther, published by Baker Book House (Grand Rapids, MI). It was originally published in 1906 in English by Lutherans in All Lands Press (Minneapolis, MN), as The Precious and Sacred Writings of Martin Luther, vol. 11).
Math is still math and parts of two days and two nights does not equal three days and three nights.
Now, getting back to Jonah, while some have had trouble with the literal veracity of the Jonah and the great fish incident, there have been humans swallowed by large marine creatures that have survived when the creature was later captured. And, more importantly, Jesus verified the story of Jonah–hence we know it happened.
But here are some comments that some might find of interest:
To the “progressive” thinkers, Bryan and other people who seriously believed the Jonah story were a bunch of morons. After all, everyone knows a man can’t survive inside a whale. Well, the truth is, a man can, and it has been proven…
James Bartley. In February 1891 he was a crew member on the whaling ship Star of the East…When the whale ‘s stomach was hoisted to the deck, the crew noticed it was moving slightly. The ship’s doctor cut the stomach open, and inside was James Bartley–curled up and unconscious, but still alive. He had been inside the whale for fifteen hours. (Lang JS. Talking Donkeys and Wheels of Fire: Bible Stories That Are Truly Bizarre! 2003 by J. Stephen Lang)
So, survival after being swallowed by a sea creature is possible.
Yet, whether God allowed him to survive naturally or somehow brought him out alive –like he died and was resurrected (I suspect more of the latter), the Jonah incident happened.
Jesus was resurrected and Jonah may have been was as well.
Chapter 2
2:1
1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly.
It must have smelled pretty bad in there.
2:2
2 And he said:
"I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction,A nd He answered me.
"Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice. 3 For You cast me into the deep, Into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, 'I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.' 5 The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; The deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. 6 I went down to the moorings of the mountains; The earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God.
Jonah’s prayer suggests humility and repentance, and that he may have been resurrected to life.
2:7
7 "When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; And my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple.
No matter where you are, God still can hear your prayers.
2:8 Continuing Jonah prayed
8 "Those who regard worthless idols Forsake their own Mercy. 9 But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord."
So, now Jonah said he would do what God wanted him to do.
2:10
10 So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.
By being in the fish for three days and nights, then being vomited up, it is likely that Jonah’s skin looked bleached or something, and surely Jonah smelled horribly.
Some believe that some of the Ninevites saw Jonah being vomited up. If that is the case, that may have helped his credibility once he started to preach the repentance warning.
Chapter 3
3:1
1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you." 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.
Jonah repented and God gave him a second chance and Jonah took it. You, too, can repent. The Apostle John wrote:
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10)
Not only did Jonah repent, he then did the good work he was supposed to do. So are all of us now:
27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
28 Do not say to your neighbor, "Go, and come back, And tomorrow I will give it," When you have it with you. (Proverbs 3:27-28)
This is part of why we in the CCOG support the poor. But aother reason is that we support the proclamation message to reach our neighbors all over the world.
Do not withhold doing good and supporting the work of God.
Do not delay.
God was not pleased when Jonah delayed.
God is not pleased if you delay.
3:3b
3:3b Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three-day journey in extent. 4 And Jonah began to enter the city on the first day's walk. Then he cried out and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"
This was a big job.
Jonah did not say, “Well Ninevah is too big for me to reach. This is too hard. God will understand if I do not do it.”
Do not think that the world is too large, there are too many hungry, and the CCOG is too small to do what God wants done now.
Jesus said that the Philadelphian church had a “little strength” (Revelation 3:7-8). Plus, non-Philadelphians fail to properly understood the following:
6 … "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel:
'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,'
Says the Lord of hosts.
7 'Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain! And he shall bring forth the capstone With shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"
8 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
9 "The hands of Zerubbabel Have laid the foundation of this temple; His hands shall also finish it.
Then you will know That the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.
10 For who has despised the day of small things?
For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.
They are the eyes of the Lord, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth." (Zechariah 4:6-10)
Back to Jonah 3:5
5 So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. 6 Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes. 7 And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,
Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish?
The ancient prophet Jonah was sent to the seemingly doomed city of Nineveh to announce God's impending wrath in forty days! Surprisingly, the entire city repented of its evil and turned to God with fasting. Jonah's message struck fear into the hearts of the people of the city. Immediately they reacted by proclaiming a city-wide fast. Everyone from the "city fathers" to the "average Joe" fasted and wore sackcloth, a traditional sign of mourning. The anger of the Eternal was abated.
Yes, the heathen Gentiles repented from Jonah’s preaching. Maybe some of them saw him vomited out of the mouth of the great fish. The Bible does not say, yet they repented.
And what did God do?
3:10
10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.
Jesus was disappointed that the children of Israel did not repent when He preached as He said:
29 "This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. (Luke 11:29-32)
Jonah did no miracles. He was not even a Ninevite. He probably did not have a track record as a prophet, yet the Ninevites repented.
Sadly, like the people Jesus spoke of, the vast majority of end time Christians will not repent, but will instead be lukewarm.
The Laodiceans boast that they are fine as they are, but Jesus condemned them for it. All Christians should consider also something that James was inspired to write:
16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:16-17)
Jonah boasted he was fleeing because he did not want to support the work. The same kind of thing affects most end time Christians. But they can change.
The prophet Zephaniah was inspired to write the following:
1 Gather yourselves together, yes,
gather together, O undesirable nation, 2 Before the
decree is issued, Or the day passes like chaff, Before the Lord's fierce anger
comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you!
3 Seek the Lord, all you meek of the earth, Who have upheld His justice. Seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be that you will be hidden In the day of the Lord's anger. (Zephaniah 2:1-3)
This prophecy in Zephaniah is an end time command to all of us.
While God had a specific task for Jonah himself, the message in Zephaniah is to gather together and be part of the Philadelphian remnant of the Church of God.
I am NOT reading something into it does not say. It specifically is saying to gather together before a decree is issued and you might be hidden. Jesus told the Philadelphian Christians, “I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Revelation 3:10). They are the ONLY Christians Jesus made that promise to and that ties in with this portion of Zephaniah.
Do not be like Jonah and ignore the gather together commands in Zephaniah. Those who do will NOT be subject to Philadelphian protection—while Jonah fled from doing his job, the non-Philadelphians will NOT flee when they should, which is when the decree of Zephaniah 2 is given (it will be through the hierarchically governed Philadelphian remnant of the true Christian Church of God). The Bible is clear that only the most faithful Christians will flee when they should (Revelation 12:14-16), whereas the rest will be persecuted by Satan and his supporters (vs. 17).
The Bible teaches, “be sure your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23)—and Jonah learned that.
In the New Testament, we read:
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:7-10)
We are to sow spiritually and NOT put off what we know we should do.
You can change. Your tests and trials hopefully motivate you to do so.
Consider the following:
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:8)
Laodiceans still have time to repent, but most won’t. But we are happy when they do.
Chapter 4
Jonah was not happy that his proclamation of repentance was heeded, however as we read in chapter 4:
1 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry.
Now you'd think Jonah would have rejoiced at this overwhelming positive response to his preaching. After all, the lives of more than 120,000 people had been saved! But not Jonah. Instead of rejoicing he sulked and raged. Incredible! Jonah was angry at the repentance of the people! He was actually displeased because they turned to God and repented! What kind of an attitude was this?
Jesus said, “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).
We should rejoice when people repent as well.
But Jonah’s attitude was bad:
2 So he prayed to the Lord, and said, "Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. 3 Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!"
Jonah knew that God was merciful so that is why he did not want to do the work of God?
Well, first of all, he walked by sight and not faith, which is wrong (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Based on the text itself, the strongest explanation is that Jonah did not want God to spare Nineveh. Jonah's own words in Jonah 4:2 indicate that he fled because he knew God was merciful and feared the Ninevites might repent and receive forgiveness.
In other words, Jonah appears not to have doubted God's power; rather, he objected to the possibility that God's mercy would triumph over the judgment Jonah believed Nineveh deserved.
Many commentators therefore combine reasons 1 and 2: Jonah disliked the Assyrians and did not want Israel's enemy to receive divine mercy. This interpretation fits both the narrative and the historical setting.
Unlike Job, who repented of his self-righteousness when he directly encountered God (Job 38-40), Jonah did not.
The following from Isaiah seems applicable here:
15 Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord,
And their works are in the dark;
They say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?"
16 Surely you have things turned around!
Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay;
For shall the thing made say of him who made it,
"He did not make me"?
Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it,
"He has no understanding"? (Isaiah 29:15-16)
None of us can hide from God, though we often convince ourselves that God does not see or He will not judge us for various things which are wrong. Jonah, of course, tried to hide from God. And even when he encountered God, he did not want to accept what God had to say as he sought to justify himself.
Yet, Jonah should have realized that just like those of Ninevah, he needed God's mercy.
Notice something that the prophet Jeremiah was inspired to write:
21 This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. 22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. 24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" (Lamentations 3:21-24)
We all need God’s mercy.
That said, the old WCG taught:
Jonah was typical of many religious people in all ages. He believed he had the inside track to God (1:9). He was a devout person and that made him feel "one up" on those who were not. So long as he could preach death and destruction upon these Gentile peoples, Jonah could feel superior. But like all similar prophecies, this prophecy was conditional. When the people of Nineveh repented … Jonah had lost his "one-up" position in relation to the people of this Gentile city. That's why he sat down and sulked. (Knowles B. Are You in the Spirit of Jonah? Plain Truth, January 1980)
4:4
4 Then the Lord said, "Is it right for you to be angry?"
No, he did not. But Jonah clearly though otherwise. We often think that we are right for our reactions to various matters. But God may not see it that way.
Jonah hoped that the Ninevites would not repent and that God would destroy them.
4:5
5 So Jonah went out of the city and sat on the east side of the city. There he made himself a shelter and sat under it in the shade, till he might see what would become of the city.
God then did something.
4:6
6 And the Lord God prepared a plant and made it come up over Jonah, that it might be shade for his head to deliver him from his misery. So Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
Although Jonah was happy about having the plant, God had provided it to actually teach Jonah another lesson.
4:7
7 But as morning dawned the next day God prepared a worm, and it so damaged the plant that it withered.
God does things for us that we do not always understand.
And Jonah was not happy about this:
4:8
8 And it happened, when the sun arose, that God prepared a vehement east wind; and the sun beat on Jonah's head, so that he grew faint. Then he wished death for himself, and said, "It is better for me to die than to live."
Many have wondered at times if it is better to die that live. More have wondered why God does certain things, but because God is love (1 John 4:8), we can be assured that everything God does is because of love—love of us.
Anyway, God would not accept Jonah’s feelings about that as being right.
4:9a
9 Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?"
We often wonder if it is right for us to face various tests and trials.
Instead of repenting, Jonah tried to justify himself before God.
4:9b
9b And he said, "It is right for me to be angry, even to death!"
God then decided to point out some of Jonah’s error here.
4:10
10 But the Lord said, "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. 11 And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left — and much livestock?"
God pointed out to Jonah that there were a lot of lives Jonah did not care about, but should. We, as Christians, need to care about others as well.
The old WCG taught:
"I'm OK, You're Not"
God Himself was the ultimate source of the people of Nineveh. They, like all humans, were created in His very image (Genesis 1:27). They, as much as the Israelites, were "His people." God cared for these Assyrian Gentiles too. His mercy was extended to them as much as to anyone, including the haughty Israelites - God's "chosen people." Even the popular Jewish Soncino commentary acknowledges this: "The essential teaching is that the Gentiles should not be grudged God's love, care and forgiveness" (Soncino commentary on The Twelve Prophets, by A. Cohen, p. 137).
"God is not a respecter of
persons. God delights in and rewards the repentance of all peoples who turn to
him."
God is not a
respecter of persons. The gospel is to be preached to "all the world"
(Mark 16:15). The message of God is universal in its
appeal and application. God is unchanging in His mercy (Malachi 3:6-7). He will always extend mercy to those
who repent and turn to Him, no matter whether they be "Jew or Greek"
(Romans 1:16). Jonah apparently didn't realize this.
Like many modern self-righteous Christians, he wanted to retain his one-up
position in relation to these Gentile "sinners," He was in the
position of "I'm okay, you're not."
There is a very important lesson in all of this for today's
Christian. In fact, there are several lessons.
Lessons for Today
First, God has
never smiled benignly upon self-righteousness. It was for the sin of
self-righteousness that Christ excoriated the Pharisees (see Matthew
23 and other passages in the four Gospels). In Christ's own teaching it
was a self-righteous Pharisee who failed to receive justification from God
because he trusted in his own works instead of in God's mercy. But it was the
despised publican, (tax collector) who received justification from God because
he claimed no works of righteousness, only the need for mercy. He acknowledged
his sinfulness as did the people of Nineveh (Luke 18:9-14; Jonah 3:10).
A second lesson we may derive from the book of Jonah is that
God's true people should delight in the repentance of others, no matter who
they may be. We are told that when one sinner repents there is "joy in
heaven" (Luke 15:7).
But there may be sorrow - and even anger - on earth over the repentance of one
sinner if those who see themselves as righteous lose their "superior"
position when others repent!.
A third lesson we can learn is the one earlier mentioned -
that God is not a respecter of persons. God delights in and rewards the
repentance of any and all peoples who turn to Him. God is not a "racist."
The apostle Paul clearly stated and taught: "There is neither Jew nor
Greek... for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you
are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise" (Galatians 3:28-29).
God's Attitude
All who turn to
God, no matter what their racial or ethnic heritage, can be considered
"spiritual Israelites." God loves all nations equally, even though
Israel was once called "the apple of God's eye." We are told in that oftquoted passage, "For God so loved the world that he
gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have
eternal life" (John 3:16).
We are told further that "God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn
the world, but that the world might be saved through him" (verse 17). Of
course, God is not trying to save the entire world at this time - but that is
the ultimate and final purpose for which Christ came into the world.
You will notice that God and Christ do not have a
condemnatory attitude toward human society! God is "not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Jonah was willing that the whole city
of Nineveh should perish. And some modern Christians would like nothing better
than to see the fulfillment of some of the most dire
of biblical prophecies. If such prophecies came to pass, this would place these
people, like the ancient prophet, in the position of being one up on those
about to perish.
Longtime readers of The Plain Truth magazine, and especially
those who have read Mr. Herbert Armstrong's material on The United States and
Britain in Prophecy, are aware, for instance, that the Church of God has always
taught the following: There are certain prophecies found in Leviticus
26 and Deuteronomy 28 which apply to the peoples of modern Britain and
the United States, and these prophecies have a "dual" application -
that is, an original fulfillment in historical times, and a modern fulfillment
in contemporary times. The peoples of modern America and Britain are the
descendants of ancient Israel's northern house which went captive to the
Assyrians in 721-718 B.C.
It has long been central to the message of this Church that
God will soon step in to punish the peoples of modern Britain and America
unless they repent and turn to God.
Unfortunately, many have ruled out any possibility of these
nations repenting. Like Jonah, they are anxiously awaiting the fulfillment of
these prophecies. They want to see literally millions of people "get their
just deserts"!
But what if these nations "pulled a Nineveh" on us?
What if the next few years saw a massive return to God and to biblical values?
What if God averted the punishment of our peoples? … The prophetic message of
the Church must include hope. It must be presented in the spirit of optimism
and faith that God's words will not "return unto [him] void" (Isaiah 55:11). True Christians should sincerely hope
and pray for the repentance of all peoples. God has made us free moral agents.
He has given us the opportunity to help make these dire prophecies fail as did
the prophecy on Nineveh.
Can any truly converted person wish illness, plagues, crop
diseases, hordes of insects, droughts, floods, earthquakes, famines,
pestilences and hideous destructive wars on anyone? Is it Christian to wallow
in the potential misery and death of millions? Surely not. The spirit of Jonah
has no place in modern prophetic Christianity. It has no place in the Church of
God.
Even the prophetic book of Amos warns us: "Woe to you
who desire the day of the Lord! Why would you have the day of the Lord? It is
darkness, and not light; as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or
went into the house and leaned with his hand against the wall, and a serpent
bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light, and gloom with no
brightness in it?" (Amos 5:18-20.)
Many who desire the destruction of our modern Western
civilization don't, in fact, realize what they are asking. Can any of us really
conceive of how catastrophic it would be if all of these prophecies were
literally fulfilled? Let us instead wish and pray for the national, and
international, repentance of all peoples everywhere.
Let us desire a massive, global turning to the living Creator
God in deep and sincere worship. Let us rejoice in the possibility that man can
repent and that a new era of peace and plenty could burst upon the world if
only men will adopt the spirit of Nineveh. (Knowles B. Are You in the Spirit of
Jonah? Plain Truth, January 1980)
So, what do we learn from the Book of Jonah?
God has work He wants humans to do.
We will reap what we sow.
Religious people do have faults.
God will work with us despite our faults.
God did prepare a great fish as Jesus confirmed it.
Jesus and Jonah were inside for 3 days and 3 nights.
Many religious people do not accept that.
Yet, Jonah’s experience was THE sign that Jesus said was related to His proof of who He was.
Many of the religious do not accept God’s signs—this happens today in terms of those who discount dreams and prophesies.
God does not just love those who are ‘His people’ in this age.
God does not accept excuses.
God does not accept our self-righteous arguments.
People need to change to do what God says to do.
God does things for us that we do not always understand.
But God loves us.
We all should be glad that God is merciful.
That is part of the lesson of Jonah.
Here is a link to a related sermon: Lessons from the Book of Jonah.
Thiel B. Commentary on the Book of Jonah COGwriter (c) 2026 https://www.cogwriter.com/jonah.htm 2026 0620