Place · Bible dictionary
Joppa
A Mediterranean port — Jonah sailed from here trying to flee God, and Peter received the vision opening the gospel to the Gentiles here.
Joppa was an ancient harbor town, modern Jaffa. Jonah boarded a ship there fleeing God's call to Nineveh — and ended up in the belly of a great fish.
Centuries later Peter stayed in Joppa, where he raised Tabitha from death and received a vision of unclean animals descending in a sheet, prompting him to go to Cornelius the Gentile centurion. Joppa, the place of flight from God's mission, became a doorway into it.
Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)
Jonah 1:3 “Jonah, however, got up to flee to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship bound for Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went aboard to sail for Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.” Acts 10:9 “The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.”
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Original BibleDawn entry. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.