Chapter summary
Jonah 1 Summary
Jonah 1 introduces a reluctant prophet who flees God's call to preach to Nineveh — and a God whose pursuit reaches him even at the bottom of the sea.
The word of the LORD comes to Jonah: go to the cruel city of Nineveh and preach against it. He runs the opposite direction, boards a ship for Tarshish, and tries to escape from the presence of the LORD.
A great storm tracks him down. The pagan sailors, terrified, eventually throw Jonah overboard at his own urging. The sea grows calm; the sailors fear the LORD and offer sacrifices. And the LORD appoints a great fish to swallow the runaway prophet.
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.” Jonah 1:17 “Now the LORD had appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah spent three days and three nights in the belly of the fish.”
Original BibleDawn summary. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.