Who Was Jonah in the Bible — In Biblical Context
Jonah was a prophet of Israel whom God sent to preach repentance to Nineveh — and who famously fled, was swallowed by a great fish, and was delivered.
Jonah was a prophet of Israel whom God sent to preach repentance to Nineveh — and who famously fled, was swallowed by a great fish, and was delivered.
"Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." — Jonah 1:17 (KJV)
The Biblical Context
Jonah, son of Amittai, prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II of Israel (about 793–753 BC). When God commanded him to go to the great pagan city of Nineveh and warn it of impending judgment, Jonah fled in the opposite direction by ship toward Tarshish. A violent storm arose; the sailors cast Jonah overboard at his own word, and the LORD prepared a great fish to swallow him. From the belly of the fish Jonah prayed in repentance, and after three days and three nights he was vomited onto dry land. He went to Nineveh, preached, and the entire city — from king to commoner — repented and was spared. Jonah then sulked under a withered gourd, and God rebuked his lack of compassion. Jesus Himself pointed to Jonah's three days in the fish as a sign of His own death and resurrection (Matthew 12:40).
Where It Sits in Scripture
The core passage for this question, Jonah 1:17, sits inside Jonah 1. To grasp the full meaning, read the surrounding paragraph — the verses before set up the thought, the verses after carry it forward.
"Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights."
Supporting Passages
"And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not."
"For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
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