Who was Jonah in the Bible?
Jonah was the reluctant prophet who fled from God, was swallowed by a great fish for three days, and finally preached to Nineveh — whose repentance revealed a mercy wider than Jonah wanted.
Told to warn the great enemy city of Nineveh, Jonah ran the opposite way by ship. A storm arose, and Jonah was thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish, where he prayed from its belly for three days.
Vomited onto dry land, Jonah finally went to Nineveh and preached. To his dismay, the city repented and God spared it.
The book ends with God gently rebuking Jonah’s anger, revealing a mercy wider than the prophet wanted. Jesus later pointed to "the sign of Jonah" as a picture of his own three days in the grave.
Original BibleDawn answer · reviewed 2026-06. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.