Let me present the 12 MINOR PROPHETS: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah (see below), Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi  via cartoons

JONAH cartoons - NINEVAH, AND 3 DAYS IN A BIG FISH

Jonah is one of the most colorful and memorable figures in the Hebrew Bible, known for his reluctant prophecy and a wild adventure involving a big fish. His story is told in the Book of Jonah, a short, four-chapter narrative that’s more about his journey than a collection of oracles, setting him apart from prophets like Jeremiah, Ezekiel, or Daniel. He’s a minor prophet with a major reputation, active around the 8th century BCE during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel (circa 786–746 BCE), though the book’s exact dating is debated.

Jonah, son of Amittai, hailed from Gath-hepher, a small town in the northern kingdom of Israel near Nazareth. He’s briefly mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25 as a prophet who predicted Jeroboam II’s success in restoring Israel’s borders, suggesting he had some standing before his famous tale. But the Book of Jonah focuses on a divine mission he desperately tried to dodge. God told him to go to Nineveh, the sprawling, wicked capital of Assyria—Israel’s archenemy—and warn them to repent or face destruction. Jonah, instead, booked a ship to Tarshish, often thought to be in the opposite direction.

Why run? The text hints suggest Jonah hated the idea of Nineveh repenting and being spared—Assyria was brutal, and he might’ve wanted them judged, not redeemed (Jonah 4:2). His escape attempt didn’t last long. A storm hit, and the pagan sailors, after praying to their gods, cast lots, fingering Jonah as the cause. He admitted his flight from God and told them to toss him overboard. They did, reluctantly, and the sea calmed. Then comes the iconic moment: a “great fish” (often called a whale in tradition, though the Hebrew just says “big fish”) swallowed Jonah, keeping him alive in its belly for three days and nights (Jonah 1:17). There, he prayed a poetic plea for deliverance, and God had the fish vomit him onto dry land.

Round two: God repeated the command, and this time Jonah went to Nineveh. His message was blunt—“Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4)—and shockingly effective. The Ninevites, from the king down, repented in sackcloth and ashes, fasting and turning from evil. God relented, sparing the city, which infuriated Jonah. He sulked outside Nineveh, complaining that God’s mercy made him look foolish and spared a people he despised. God responded with a lesson via a plant that shaded Jonah, then withered—showing Jonah cared more for his comfort than for 120,000 Ninevites and their animals (Jonah 4:10-11). The book ends abruptly, leaving Jonah’s reaction hanging, a deliberate nudge to reflect on compassion.

Jonah’s story is unique among prophetic books for its narrative style and humor—his stubbornness, the fish, the sulking—yet it’s deep with meaning. It’s about obedience, God’s mercy extending beyond Israel, and human reluctance to embrace that mercy. Historically, Nineveh’s repentance lacks external corroboration, leading some to see the book as a parable or satire, possibly written later (post-exile) to challenge Jewish exclusivity. Others take it as a historical core with theological embellishment.

His legacy pops up elsewhere. In Judaism, Jonah’s read on Yom Kippur, emphasizing repentance. In Christianity, Jesus likened his three days in the fish to his own death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40). In Islam, he’s Yunus, a prophet who learned patience through trial. No clear end to his life is recorded—tradition guesses he returned to Israel and died there, with a tomb claimed in Gath-hepher, but it’s speculative.

What about Jonah hooks you? The fish tale, his attitude, or the bigger message?