Study questions, maps, charts, outlines, and links to help you study the Old Testament book of Jonah.
Jump to: Background; ** Maps; ** Key Words; ** Encyclopedias; ** Commentaries; ** Articles; ** GotQuestions ** Next **
Basics
- Jonah was a prophet from the village of Gath Hepher, located approximately 3 miles north of Nazareth.
- Jesus likened the prophet Jonah to himself (Matthew 12:39-41).
- The story of Jonah involves almost exclusively a Gentile nation.
- Nineveh was a world empire for about 300 years from 900-60 BC.
- Jonah was a contemporary of Jeroboam II, King of Israel 782-753 BC.
- Assyria’s willingness to repent may have been helped by a plague in 765 BC; a solar eclipse in 763 BC and another plague in 759 BC.
- The repentance of Nineveh probably took place during the reign of Ashurdan (773-755 BC).
- After repenting due to the preaching of Jonah, the city stood for another 150 years until the Babylonians rebelled against the Assyrians in 636 BC and conquered Nineveh in 612 BC.
Genre: Understanding Narrative
Background
- Introduction to the Prophets
- Chart: Bible History at a glance
- Blue Letter Bible: Old Testament Timeline
- Biblehub: Jeremiah Overview
- Biblehub: The Divided Kingdom
- Chart: Kings of Israel & Judah
- Bible Atlas: Nineveh
- Bible Atals: Tarshish
- Bible Atlas: Assyria
- Bible Atlas: Jerusalem
- Minor Prophets Quotes in the New Testament
- Jensen’s Survey of the Old Testament
- Hebrew Calendar
- Ray C Stedman: Overview of the Book
- John MacArthur: Author, Date, Background
- NIV: Introduction to the Minor Prophets
- NIV: Introduction to Jonah
- ESV: Introduction to Jonah
- ESV: The Global Message of Jonah
- James Van Dine: Analysis of Jonah
- JVernon McGee: Jonah – Introductory Notes, Outlines
- David Malick:An Introduction to the Book of Jonah
- David Malick: An Argument of the Book of Jonah
- Charles Swindoll: Book of Jonah Overview
Maps from Bible-History.com
Maps from Holman Bible Atlas
The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
- The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (1)
- The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (2)
- The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (3)
- The Campaign of Shishak
- Conflicts between Israel and Aram-Damascus
- The Omride Dynasty
- The Golden Ages of the 9th & 8th centuries BCE
- Phoenician Trade and Civilization
- Trade Routes throughout the Middle East
- Elijah and Elisha
- The Revolt of Jehu
- The Rise of Assyria
- Israel & Judah in the days of Jeroboam II and Uzziah
- The Assyrian Empire under Tiglath-Pileser III
- Fall of Samaria and Deportation of Israelites
- The Fall of the Kingdom of Israel
- Assyrian Districts after the Fall of Samaria
- Prophets of the 8th Century BCE
Judah Alone amid International Powers
- Hezekiah’s Preparation for Revolt
- Judah under King Hezekiah
- Hezekiah’s Jerusalem
- Sennacherib’s Campaign against Judah
- Assyria in the 7th century BCE
- The Rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire
- The Reign of Josiah
- The Districts of Judah under King Josiah
- The Golden Age of King Josiah
- Nebuchadnezzar’s Campaigns against Judah
The Persian Period
Key Words
- Compassion (compassionate), relent (s), turn (turned), pray (prayer, prayed), perish, Lord, called on the Lord (called out to the Lord).
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
- Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Jonah, Theology Of
- American Tract Society: Jonah
- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary: Jonah
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Jonah, Book Of ; Jonah
- Fausset Bible Dictionary: Jonah
- Holman Bible Dictionary: Jonah
- Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible: Jonah; Jonah
- Kitto’s Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature: Jonah
- Morrish Bible Dictionary: Jonah
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Jonah
- McClintock and Strong: Jonah
- The Jewish Encyclopedia: Jonah; Jonah, Book of
- 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: Jonah
- World Jewish Bible Society: The Book of Jonah
Commentaries & Study Bibles
- Ligionier.org Top 5 Commentaries: Jonah
- Tim Challies Best Commentaries:
- Commentary Reviews: Jonah
- Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible: Jonah
- Matthew Henry: Jonah
- Albert Barnes Notes: Jonah
- Reformation Study Bible Notes: Jonah
- Geneva Study Bible: Jonah
- Precept Austin Commentaries & Sermons: Jonah
- Don Anderson: Minor Prophets Study Guide
Articles
- Reading Jonah Again for the First Time by Robert Spender
- The Prophet Jonah and His Message Part 1 by Gerald B. Stanton
- The Prophet Jonah and His Message Part 2 by Gerald B. Stanton
- The Power of Biblical Preaching- An Expository Study of Jonah 3:1-10 by Steven J. Lawson
- Gregg Allen: The Lord of Storms
- Christian Friend: The Book of Jonah.
- Steven Cole: Jonah 1-3 God’s Reluctant Missionary
GotQuestions.org
- Book of Jonah – Bible Survey
- What are the Major Prophets and Minor Prophets?
- Who was Jonah in the Bible?
- Why did Jonah try to go to Tarshish instead of Nineveh?
- Was Jonah truly swallowed by a whale?
- Did Jonah die while he was in the belly of the fish (Jonah 2)?
- Why was Jonah angry that the Ninevites repented (Jonah 4:1-2)?
- What does Jonah 4:11 mean by people who cannot tell their right hand from their left?
- What is the sign of Jonah?
Next: Micah
Previous: Obadiah
Resources: by Book of the Bible
Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash
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