The story, about a prophet named jonah, was written to criticize and rebuke the narrow spirit of nationalism that jonah observed among so many of the jewish people. While jonah eventually did what he was asked to do, the book closes with showing jonah as a bitter man. A book for jonah alvin independent school district. Bkd jonah overview page 1 of 2 the book of jonah overview jonah 4. Jonah is traditionally credited as the author of the book named after him. Summary of the book of jonah quick overview of jonah.
To calm a storm, the crew throws jonah into the sea, where he is swallowed by a great fish god provided. And the lord appointed a great fish to swallow jonah, and jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights 1. Back to the home page back to the bible outlines catholic doors ministry presents an outline of the book of jonah. It differs from them in that while they for the most part contain prophetic discourses, with a minimum of narrative material, the book of jonah is mainly occupied with a narrative, and the prophetic message in it is almost incidental. Go, enquire of the lord for me, and for them that are left in israel and in judah, concerning the words of the book that is found. The book of jonah preface those of you who are familiar with the story of jonah and the whale know that jonah hopped a ship heading in the opposite direction when god commanded him to go preach to the ninevites. They were the great tyrants of the middle east, the persecutors of israel, an ungodly mob fully deserving of his gods wrath. Concern for the salvation of all people, including ones enemies, is the proper attitude for people of god.
Most prophetic books record the messages of the prophet, but in jonah the only prophetic message is five words in 3. Jonah bible study outline contents by chapter and verse. This is the only mention of the prophet outside of the book of jonah. Every book of the bible outlined in section headings. The book of jonah stands as an important link in the prophetic chain, giving readers a glimpse of christs death and resurrection hundreds of years before they actually occurred. It is claimed that jonah was picked up after the storm and shipwreck by a boat that had a fish for a figurehead which gave support for the record in the book of jonah. The mariners in the book of jonah the gentile heathen mariners of jonah 1 were men who shared only in flesh and blood with jonah see heb. The foundational source for the book was likely jonahs own telling of the story after his return from nineveh. Though jonah was a rebellious, resistant, and believer, god was not finished with him yet so the lord preserved his life. Jonah is assumed to have been a genuine sign to the people of ninevah.
Bible blender november 10, 2010 detailed outline of the book of jonah 20171014t10. Although often classified with the prophets, the book of jonah is not a prophetic book. So he prayed to the lord, and said, ah, lord, was not this what i said when i was still in my country. Many critics however want to lower the book of jonah to an allegory, a parable or a legend because of the miracles described in it especially the appearing of the great fish devouring jonah. In that prayer he finally got things right with god. In fact, such a structure may actually confuse the plotline, thereby obscuring the message of the book of jonah. It is possible that jonah, like job, was written andor expanded by a sage to teach a theological truth i. May 14, 2016 jonah is traditionally credited as the author of the book named after him. Summary of the book of jonah the story of the bible. Jonah summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of jonah for bible study or sunday school lessons.
The book of jonah, written primarily in the third person, does not explicitly name the prophet as the author of his own account, but we have no reason to doubt either the inspiration or the historical veracity of the book. In more recent years it has come to be believed that the book is about jonah rather than by him. Dylan told his parents that he wanted to raise money to help pay for research. Unlike other old testament prophetic books, jonah is not a collection of the prophets oracles but primarily a narrative about the man. Jeroboam fulfilled god prophecy given through jonah 2 kings 14. The people of ninevah are assumed to have repented, and to be among those who will judge jesus generation in the future. Full text in english of the book of jonah my jewish learning. The message of the book of jonah christian articles. The foundational source for the book was likely jonah s own telling of. The prophetic significance of this book not only lies in the short message in nineveh but also in the entire history of jonah described in his book. The book of jonah is also the only one that isnt a compilation of prophecies condemning the wicked and rewarding the righteous. Jonah being the prime example of someone who did not love the people but god used him anyway.
Although some consider this book to be an allegory, according to 2 kings 14. These words begin the bible book of obadiahthe prophet reveals nothing about himself except his name in the book that he composed in 607 b. It is, if we are to accept the ridiculous explanations of the critics. First is gods grace shown to his prophet, jonah, by extending him a second chance after his flagrant rebellion in chapter 1. In this final study of the book of jonah, you will learn what the book of jonah is all about. Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. Watch our overview video on the book of jonah, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. Outline for the purposes of this study, we will divide jonah into seven scenes. We hope that this outline of jonah will assist you as you investigate the pages of gods letter to you. Jonah obeyed god and went to nineveh to fulfill his mission. Jan 21, 2014 a major literary debut, an epic tale of love, failure, and unexpected faith set in new york, amsterdam, and las vegas the modernday jonah at the center of joshua max feldmans brilliantly conceived retelling of the book of jonah is a young manhattan lawyer named jonah jacobstein. Jonah, ruth, and esther cliffsnotes study guides book. The book of jonah recounts real events in the life and ministry of the prophet himself. Since the book of jonah is a model of literary artistryrefcontentblock id5 imghtml.
He was gods instrument to carry out gods will on earth. Outline of the book of jonah one popular outline of jonah, which could be used in a sermon series, is. Unfortunately, many christians thoughtlessly cast aspersions upon this important book in the canon of scripture without realizing that they are playing into the hands of the critics and innocently becoming the dupes of the skeptics. Book of jonah overview insight for living ministries. There are those who relate the book of jonah to the phoenician myth of hercules and the sea monster. The audience of the book of jonah was the people of israel and all future readers of the bible and, typically, prophets issued warnings or gave instructions to the people of israel. Prepare your messages on gods word in jonah with sermon outlines or an entire sermon series. Identified in verse 1 as the son of amittai, jonah came from a town called gathhepher. Jonah is the one minor prophet that is also mentioned in the historical books 2 kings 14. The book is anonymous, and there are no indicators elsewhere in scripture to identify the author. Sep 01, 2004 a jonah, son of amittai, is also mentioned in ii kings 14. God could have rescued jonah in any number of ways.
Perhaps the third quarter of the eighth century is the most likely date for the book, after the public ministries of amos and hosea and before the fall of samaria to assyria in 722721. The supposed legendary character of some of the events e. Firstly, jonah had every good reason he thought to wish gods judgment on the ninevites. Many have questioned whether the book of jonah is historical. The book of jonah focuses on gods mercy toward a foreign people and the reluctant prophet he sent to them. It is chiefly a book about a prophet instead of being a collection of oracles of the prophet. A peculiar difference between the mariners and jonah was their value of life. The book is the best account in the old testament, perhaps in scripture, about how the will of god and the will of man interact. It is a mistake to assume that events and actions of the book are not historical in nature. Unlike many of the minor prophets, the book of jonah is mostly written in historicalstory form. Prophet jonah runs away, jonah in the belly of the fish, prays, obeys god, nineveh, bottlegourd. Chapter 23, after god had the fish cough him up, three days later. Through some supernatural events, god convinced him to obey and carry out the lords plan. Introduction jonah is the book of the bible which perhaps has been criticized more than any other.
Dec 19, 2015 the book of jonah includes the famous story of the great fish often erroneously thought of as a whale has led many to dismiss this book as merely a biblical fish story. T he book of jonah is an old testament story which tells about how the prophet jonah refused to follow the lord. The book is about a prophet, some sailors and the inhabitants of the city of nineveh who are about to be destroyed because of their sin. Although the book is written in the third person, the traditional view is that jonah is the author of the book, and there is no persuasive reason to theorize about an unknown author. The book of jonah is unique among the books of the prophets. Jonah bible study outlinecontents by chapter and verse. A threepart series examining the book of jonah, its genre, and implications for evangelical apologists who view the story as history. We will reap the evil we sow this is our choice but its gods disapline so we will come to our senses like the prodical son did and what a wonderful welcome home. Fifth in the canonical order of the minor prophets. Although the author of jonah is never identified in the book itself, jonah himself has traditionally been identified as the author. Scientists are doing research to find a cure for the disease. Exegetical notes on jonah outline of the book of jonah one popular outline of jonah, which could be used in a sermon series, is.
Jonah prophesied that jeroboam iis kingdom would expand to the former extent of israel during the united kingdom excluding the southern portion of judah and benjamin. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. The book is also written as a historical narrative. Highlights from the books of obadiah, jonah, and micah the vision of obadiah. A major literary debut, an epic tale of love, failure, and unexpected faith set in new york, amsterdam, and las vegas. Preach on topics including obedience, running from the call of god, and gods propensity to forgive the unforgivable. The book of jonah is a subversive story about a rebellious prophet who. Book of jonah, the fifth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, embraced in a single book, the twelve, in the jewish canon.
Jonah has only four chapters, which makes it easy to outline the book chapterbychapter. The main theme of the book of jonah is gods sovereignty over all people and his divine plan to extend his gift of mercy and salvation beyond israel to include the gentile nations. The issue is complicated somewhat by the use of the. Within its four chapters is perhaps one of the better known childrens bible stories jonah and the big fish. Jonahs disease is so uncommon that only one in every million people have it. The people of ninevah are included among another historical figure the queen of the south. Jonah trying to run god this outline has a nice repetition of words and names, but it does little to explain the plotline of the story. Book of jonah encyclopedia of the bible bible gateway. Jonah was a messanger of god to the northern kingdom during the rule of jeroboam ii in the 7th century bc. The book of jonah a brief outline of the book sermons by.
It tells of a hebrew prophet named jonah son of amittai who is sent by god to prophesy the destruction of nineveh but tries to escape the divine mission. This outline has a nice repetition of words and names, but it does little to explain the plotline of the story. Are we truly sold out to gods sovereign will or trying to push our own agenda. Jonah author and title the title of the book is the name of the main character, jonah. The modernday jonah at the center of joshua max feldmans brilliantly conceived retelling of the book of jonah is a young manhattan lawyer named jonah jacobstein.
When the call of god came to him, jonah could not see beyond his own selfish desire for god to punish the assyrians. Prophet jonah runs away, jonah in the belly of the fish, prays, obeys god, nineveh, bottlegourd, mercy. Our sermon ideas on jonah will help you preach a powerful message on the difficult commission of god. Furthermore, jesus validated jonah s experience in the belly of the fish as factual matt. The ii kings passage leaves us with the impression that jonahs work was at the beginning of jeroboams reign and the middle of amaziahs i. In writing the book, jonah was honest about his reluctant and even disobedient response to gods commands to go ninevah to warn them of. It contains its own story of penitence and divine forgiveness, and as a result, the book of jonah is read in the synagogue on the climactic day of yom kippur at the afternoon minchah service. Book of jonah read, study bible verses online bible study tools. The book of jonah calls us to examine the motivation of our hearts in serving god. Intro to jonah biblica the international bible society.
A teaching outline for the book of jonah expository. If thats the case, he must have had a moment of clarity after the events took place. According to legend, jonah was the son of the widow at zarephath. Jonah chapter 1 kjv king james version jonah knew he had done wrong and told them to throw him overboard but god sent the whale to rescue him. Written by the prophet jonah, son of amittai, around 785760 b. The book is written in the 3rd person, and no author is identified any where in the bible. Highlights from the books of obadiah, jonah, and micah. In the new testament, no other old testament prophet is named by jesus more than the prophet jonah. While the seas churned by gods wrath for jonahs sake they feared for their life yet jonah slept cf.
Outline of jonah free bible outlines bible study start. Technically, the book of jonah is anonymous, however jewish tradition holds that the author is jonah himself. Running from god chapter 1 running to god chapter 2 running with god chapter 3 running ahead of god chapter 4 about jon. Detailed outline of the book of jonah bible blender. Jonah with book summary versebyverse bible commentary.
Since the book of jonah is a model of literary artistryrefcontentblock id5 img html. It concerns a disobedient prophet who rejected his divine commission, was cast overboard in a storm and swallowed by a great fish, rescued in a marvelous manner, and returned to his starting point. Book of jonah, also spelled jonas, the fifth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, embraced in a single book, the twelve, in the jewish canon. Jonah is identified as a prophet and servant of god during the reign of king jeroboam ii of israel 2 kings 14.
Is the book of jonah the achilles heel of the bible. My jewish learning is a notforprofit and relies on your help. Jonah was a prophet of israel during the days of jeroboam ii ii kings 14. This book of jonah, though it be placed here in the midst of the prophetical books of scripture, is yet rather a history than a prophecy. A book for jonah 1 a sixyearold boy named dylan siegel wanted to help his friend jonah, who has a rare liver disease. The book of jonah is a book of the neviim prophets in the hebrew bible. But god told jonah that god cares about the people from every nation. As the rest of the book describes, god ruined jonah s plan of escape, rescued him from drowning using a large fish the hebrew word is generic for fish, rather than whale, recommissioned him for the task, and rebuked him for being disappointed when those in the city of ninevah ended up repenting of their sins.