Jonah

Jonah, book of

Jonah, book of One of the Minor Prophets in the OT; the ‘hero’ of the book lived in the 8th cent. BCE (2 Kgs. 14: 25) but the book is an extended parable probably written in the 4th cent. BCE. It describes how Jonah was sent to warn Nineveh, capital of Assyria, of its great evil and of the consequences. Jonah embarked on a ship to avoid this uncongenial mission, but in a storm he was suspected by the crew of causing divine anger and was cast overboard. The sea at once calmed; but Jonah was saved by a great fish (Jonah 2), after which Jonah accomplished his mission with success: but the prophet deplored the success; he thought the people of Nineveh deserved to suffer. For this curmudgeonly attitude, he was soundly rebuked. As a parable the book therefore seems to imply God's universal mercy on all mankind, Gentiles equally with Jews, and is a tract repudiating the narrow nationalism associated with Ezra after the Exile.

In Matt. 12: 38–42 the Pharisees who demanded a sign from Jesus are told that they are to have only the sign of Jonah—the necessity of repentance. However an editorial addition, which looks like a piece of early Christian reflection, regards Jonah as a type in the OT of Jesus' resurrection (12: 40).

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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Jonah, book of." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Jonah, book of." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Jonahbookof.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Jonah, book of." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Jonahbookof.html

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Jonah

Jonah, one of the minor prophets of the Old Testament who, after being instructed by Jehovah to go to Nineveh to preach repentance of sins, attempted to avoid his task by running away by sea to Tarshish. During the voyage a great storm arose and the sailors, suspecting Jonah to be the cause of it, threw him overboard. He was swallowed by a whale, but was spewed up three days later, and, chastened by his experience, he proceeded to carry out his original orders. His name has survived in maritime circles as the description of a man who brings ill fortune to a ship, and has spread from its original maritime use to become a part of the English language as a person who brings ill fortune to all with whom he comes into contact.

The development of zoological science showed that whales have throats too small to swallow a man, and it is now regarded as legendary or allegorical, especially as a mythical sea monster like a kraken, not a whale, is implied in the original Hebrew.

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"Jonah." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Jonah." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-Jonah.html

"Jonah." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-Jonah.html

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Jonah

Jonah

The book of Jonah in the Bible tells the story of a prophet who was commanded by the Hebrew god Yahweh to go to the city of Nineveh and preach so that the people there might be saved. Jonah, however, did not feel they deserved salvation and boarded a ship going in the other direction. When a huge storm came up, he admitted it was caused by his disobedience to Yahweh. The crew threw Jonah into the sea, where a great fish swallowed him. The fish spat him onto land three days later, and Jonah went to Nineveh.

prophet one who claims to have received divine messages or insights

After hearing Jonah preach, the king of Nineveh ordered his subjects to repent, causing Yahweh to spare them. Because Jonah was angry that Yahweh had saved so many wicked people, he left the city, hoping it would be destroyed. Yahweh decided to teach Jonah a lesson. First he caused a plant to grow to shade Jonah from the sun during the day; later he sent a worm to eat it. When Jonah expressed regret at losing the plant, Yahweh scolded him for taking pity on a plant that he did not make grow, while feeling no sorrow for thousands of people in Nineveh. Jonah is usually portrayed in art with the great fish or resting in the shade of the plant.

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"Jonah." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Jonah." Myths and Legends of the World. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3490900283.html

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Jonah

Jonah , prophetic book of the Bible. It tells the story of a prophet called by God to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh. According to the Second Book of Kings, Jonah lived during the reign (c.786 BC-c.746 BC) of Jeroboam II. In the story, Jonah flees because he does not want Nineveh to be spared and knows that God is likely to forgive its people if they repent. The book summons post-exilic Israel not to forget God's intention to bless the world through God's people. Allusions to the story occur in the New Testament, where it serves to prefigure the resurrection of Jesus.

Bibliography: See studies by L. C. Allen (1978), D. Stuart (1987), and J. M. Sasson (1990). See also bibliography under Old Testament.

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"Jonah." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Jonah." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Jonah.html

"Jonah." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-Jonah.html

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Jonah

Jonah ♂ Biblical name meaning ‘dove’ in Hebrew; it is borne by a prophet whose adventures are the subject of one of the shorter books of the Bible. God appeared to Jonah and ordered him to go and preach in Nineveh. When Jonah disobeyed, God caused a storm to threaten the ship in which Jonah was travelling. His shipmates, realizing that Jonah was the cause of their peril, threw him overboard, whereupon the storm subsided. A ‘great fish’ swallowed Jonah and delivered him, willy-nilly, to the coasts of Nineveh. This story was immensely popular in the Middle Ages, and a favourite subject of miracle plays. There has been a recent modest revival in the name's popularity.

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PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Jonah." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Jonah." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Jonah.html

PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Jonah." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Jonah.html

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Jonah

Jonah in the Bible, a Hebrew minor prophet, who was called by God to preach in Nineveh, but disobeyed and attempted to escape by sea; in a storm he was thrown overboard as a bringer of bad luck and swallowed by a great fish (traditionally, a whale), only to be saved and finally succeed in his mission.

The name Jonah is proverbially used for someone likely to bring bad luck, particularly at sea.
In the Authorized Version and other translations, a plant which grows quickly to shade the prophet is called a gourd; this may be referred to as Jonah's gourd.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Jonah." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Jonah." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Jonah.html

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Jonah." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Jonah.html

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Jonah, Book of

Jonah, Book of. One of the twelve books of the Minor Prophets of the Hebrew scriptures and Christian Old Testament. Although Jonah is classified as a prophetic book, it is mainly concerned with the narrative story of Jonah.

In Jewish liturgy, the book is read in the afternoon service for Yom Kippur. Jonah's stay in the fish's belly was taken in Christian tradition as a type of Jesusʾ death and resurrection (Matthew 12. 40). In Islamic tradition the prophet is known as Yunus.

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JOHN BOWKER. "Jonah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN BOWKER. "Jonah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-JonahBookof.html

JOHN BOWKER. "Jonah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-JonahBookof.html

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Jonah, Book of

Jonah, Book of. Minor Prophet. The Book relates the Divine call to Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach repentance, his attempt to escape by sea, his being thrown overboard and swallowed by a fish, his deliverance after three days, and the success of his mission. Most of the Book is assigned by critics to the post-Exilic period. The ‘sign of Jonah’ (Mt. 12: 39 etc.) is interpreted as a prophecy of Christ's resurrection.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Jonah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Jonah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-JonahBookof.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Jonah, Book of." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-JonahBookof.html

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Jonah

Jonah Fifth of the 12 minor prophets and central character in the Old Testament Book of Jonah. This book relates how Jonah disobeyed God's command to preach to the Gentiles in Nineveh. He attempted to flee from the Assyrian capital in a ship, but was thrown overboard in a storm and swallowed by a whale. Three days later, Jonah was regurgitated alive on shore. He repented and carried out God's commandment.

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"Jonah." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Jonah." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-Jonah.html

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Jonah

Jonahbelladonna, Connor, donna, goner, gonna, honour (US honor), Maradona, Mashona, O'Connor, Shona, wanna •corner, fauna, forewarner, Lorna, Morna, mourner, sauna, scorner, suborner, warner •softener • Faulkner •downer, uptowner •sundowner •Arizona, Barcelona, boner, condoner, corona, Cremona, Desdemona, donor, Fiona, groaner, Iona, Jonah, kroner, Leona, loaner, loner, moaner, Mona, owner, Pamplona, persona, postponer, Ramona, stoner, toner, Valona, Verona, Winona •landowner • homeowner • shipowner •coiner, joiner, purloiner •crooner, harpooner, lacuna, lacunar, lampooner, Luna, lunar, mizuna, Oona, oppugner, Poona, pruner, puna, schooner, spooner, Tristan da Cunha, tuna, tuner, Una, vicuña, yokozuna •honeymooner • Sunna • Brookner •koruna

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"Jonah." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Jonah." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Jonah.html

"Jonah." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Jonah.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Jonah, the miserable prophet.
Magazine article from: Midstream; 2/10/2012
Jonah's performance.(short story)
Magazine article from: Jack &amp; Jill; 7/1/1995
"Jonah Hex" Debuts as Eighth Warner Premiere Motion Comics Series.
News Wire article from: Business Wire; 4/29/2010

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Jonah. Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)