[Jō'nah,Jō'nă, Jō'nas] – a dove.

The son of Amittai, and the first Hebrew prophet, or missionary, sent to a heathen nation

The Man Who Ran Away
The meaning of the prophet’s name is suggestive. When first chosen, it doubtless meant to Jonah’s mother gentleness and love. This son of Amittai was a citizen of Gath-hepher in Zebulun of Galilee and a subject of the Northern Kingdom. He is thus a proof of the false statement of the Pharisees about no prophet coming out of Galilee (John 7:52: – ⁵² They replied, “Are you from Galilee, too? Look into it, and you will find that a prophet does not come out of Galilee.”)

Jonah lived in the early part of the reign of Jeroboam II, and in a period when the kingdom was in a divided and abject condition. He is without doubt one of the earliest, if not the first, of the prophets whose writings are preserved to us. He is the first of a new order of prophets, appearing that he might declare God’s love claims the whole world. By friend and foe Jonah has been ridiculed and tortured and treated as a myth or parable. Our Lord, however, believed him to be a historic person; so do we! For proof in this direction compare

Jonah 1:7: – (⁷ Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.) with Matthew 12:39-40: – (³⁹ He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.)

and Luke 11:29-30: – (²⁹ As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.
³⁰ For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation.)

Jonah 3:5: - (⁵ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.) with Matthew 12:41: – (⁴¹ The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.)

Jonah’s mission was to Nineveh and therefore beyond the bounds of Israel, which is in perfect harmony; for whenever God brought His people into any relation with other peoples, He made Himself known to them as was the case in Egypt through Joseph and Moses; to the Philistines through the capture of the Ark; to the Assyrians by Elisha; to Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzer by Daniel.

Within the Book of Jonah we have the most beautiful story ever told in so small a compass. In 1,328 words we are given a wealth of incident and all the dialogue needed to carry on the grand and varied action. Jonah was an isolationist, believing that salvation was for the Jews, and the Jews only. Through affliction he came to know of God’s embracing love John 3:16: – (¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.)

Dealing with Jonah as a servant, Dr. C. I. Scofield gives us these helpful points:

disobedient Jonah 1:1-11: – (¹ The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:
² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”
³ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
⁴ Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
⁵ All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
⁶ The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
⁷ Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
⁸ So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
⁹ He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
¹⁰ This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
¹¹ The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”;)

afflicted – Jonah 1:12-17: – (¹² “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
¹³ Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.
¹⁴ Then they cried out to the LORD, “Please, LORD, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, LORD, have done as you pleased.”
¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
¹⁶ At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.
¹⁷ Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights);

praying – Jonah 2:1-9: – (¹From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
² He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
³ You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
⁴ I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
⁵ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
⁶ To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.
⁷ “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.
⁸ “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.
⁹ But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’”);

Delivered – Jonah 2:10 – (¹⁰ And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.);

Recommissioned – Jonah 3:1-3: – (¹ Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
³ Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.);

Powerful - Jonah 3:4-10 – (⁴ Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
⁵ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
⁶ When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.
⁷ This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.
⁸ But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
⁹ Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
¹⁰ When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.);

Perplexed, fainting but not forsaken – Jonah 4:1-11: - (¹ But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.
² He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.
³ Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”
⁴ But the LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
⁵ Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.
⁶ Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.
⁷ But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.
⁸When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
⁹ But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
¹⁰ But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.
¹¹ And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”)

Another serviceable outline for the worker can be developed around these thoughts:

Chapter one: A disobedient prophet running from God and punished.

Chapter two: A praying prophet running back to God and delivered.

Chapter three: A faithful prophet running with God and rewarded.

Chapter four: An angry prophet running ahead of God and rebuked.

Here are other aspects to deal with: Jonah was sent to a foreign field (Jonah 1:2: - ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”);

sought to flee from his unwelcome task (Jonah 1:3: – ³ But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD);

was overtaken in his flight (Jonah 1:4-17: – ⁴ Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
⁵ All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep.
⁶ The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”
⁷ Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah.
⁸ So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”
⁹ He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
¹⁰ This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
¹¹ The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”
¹² “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”
¹³ Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before.
¹⁴ Then they cried out to the LORD, “Please, LORD, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, LORD, have done as you pleased.”
¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
¹⁶ At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.
¹⁷ Now the LORD provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights); found God in the depth of the sea

Ps. 139:10: – ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Jonah 2: - ¹From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the LORD his God.
² He said: “In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry.
³ You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me.
⁴ I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
⁵ The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head.
⁶ To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever.  But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.
⁷ “When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.
⁸ “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them.
⁹ But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the LORD.’”
¹⁰ And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land,

became a revivalist – Jonah 3: – (¹ Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.”
³ Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh. Now Nineveh was a very large city; it took three days to go through it.
⁴ Jonah began by going a day’s journey into the city, proclaiming, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”
⁵ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
⁶ When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.
⁷ This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.
⁸ But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
⁹ Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
¹⁰ When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened);

was disappointed with his own work – Jonah 3:5-10: – (⁵ The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.
⁶ When Jonah’s warning reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust.
⁷ This is the proclamation he issued in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let people or animals, herds or flocks, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink.
⁸ But let people and animals be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.
⁹ Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.”
¹⁰ When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened).

Jonah 4:1: – (¹ But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.)

reveals bigotry – Jonah 4:1-3: – (¹ But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry.  
² He prayed to the LORD, “Isn’t this what I said, LORD, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.
³ Now, LORD, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”)

was taught the breadth of divine mercy – Jonah 4:4-11: – (⁴ But the LORD replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”
⁵ Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city.
⁶ Then the LORD God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.
⁷ But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered.
⁸When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.”
⁹ But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”
¹⁰ But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight.
¹¹ And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”).

Jona is given as the name of the father of Peter
Matt. 16:17: – (¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.)

John 1:42: – (⁴² And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas”(which, when translated, is Peter.)

John 21:15: – (¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter,  “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”  “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”)