Go to the great city of nineveh and preach against it, because its. The book of jonah is one of the prophets in the bible. While second kings calls him yonah benamittai hanavi, yonah son of amittai, the prophet and sefer yonah is counted among the prophetic books, the book of. The name amittai belongs to only one man in the bible, although he is mentioned twice, and plays no real role in the story. In english, it is sometimes referred to as the twelve minor prophets, a moniker that describes only their relatively short messages, but not their importance. How to pronounce say amittai by bible speak pronunciation. It is chiefly a book about a prophet instead of being a collection of oracles of the prophet. As the story is related in the book of jonah, the prophet jonah is called by god to go to nineveh a. Jonah was the son of amittai, of gathhepher in zebulun called gittahhepher in joshua 19. Jonah is the only prophet on biblical record to have run away from god. The bible journey introduction to the book of jonah. The title of the book is the name of the main character, jonah. The book is based upon the early years of the prophet jonah and addresses his calling from god and his journey to carry gods message to king jeroboam ii. In more recent years it has come to be believed that the book is about jonah rather than by him.
Another tradition holds that he was the son of the woman of shunem brought back to life by elisha in 2 kings 4 and that he is called the son of amittai truth due to his mothers recognition of. Jonah was a disobedient prophet, who ran away rather than perform gods mission. Prophet in the days of jeroboam ii son of amittai of gathhepher. Identified in verse 1 as the son of amittai, jonah came from a town called. He restored the coast of israel from the entering of hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the lord god of israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant jonah, the son of amittai, the prophet, which was of gathhepher.
He is the eponymous central figure of the book of jonah, in which he is called upon by god to travel to nineveh and warn its residents of impending divine wrath. Jonah, son of amittai then the men feared the lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the lord and made vows jonah 1. The name of jonahs father, amittai, means truthful. The second book of kings mentions yonah the son of amittai parenthetically as having prophesied the restoration of israels borders that took. It is extremely unlikely that there were two prophets with the same name. Parents, rivka, amittai feast, september 21 roman catholicism. While second kings calls him yonah benamittai hanavi, yonah son of amittai, the prophet and sefer yonah is counted among the prophetic. When muhammad was returning from preaching in taif and decided to take shelter. Written by the prophet jonah, son of amittai, around 785760 b. First, unlike other prophetic books, jonah is primarily a narrative. Mar 16, 2019 written by the prophet jonah, son of amittai, around 785760 b. He is the central figure of the book of jonah, in which he is called upon by god to travel to nineveh and warn its residents of impending divine wrath. Chapter 1 jonah rebels from gods mission 1 now the word of the lord came unto jonah the son of amittai, saying, 2 arise, go to nineveh, that great city, and cry against it. Amittai is only mentioned twice in the bible, in 2 kings 14.
The prophet jonah, when he complained to god that nineveh was like esau. Jonah or jonas, in the hebrew bible tanakhold testament, is a prophet of the northern kingdom of israel in about the 8th century bce. He restored the coast of israel from the entering of hamath to the sea of the plain, according to the word of the lord god of israel, which he spoke by the hand of his servant jonah, the son of amittai, the prophet, which was of gathhepher. The book of jonah, written primarily in the third person, does not explicitly name the prophet as the author of his own account, but we have no reason to doubt either the inspiration or the historical veracity of the book. Amittai his father was a prophet from gathhepher during the reign of king jeroboam ii 786746 bc. To some bible lovers, the book of jonah is a great embarrassment. King jeroboam ii the rule of king of israel jeroboam ii is usually dated 786746 bc contemporary with the kings of judea amaziah 2 kings 14. According to the word of the lord god of israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant jonah, the son of amittai the prophet, which was of gathhepher. The audience of the book of jonah was the people of israel and all future readers of the bible and, typically, prophets issued warnings or gave instructions to the people of israel. Now the rest of the acts of jehoshaphat, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of jehu the son of hanani, who is mentioned in the book of the kings of israel. This is the only reference in tanakh to prophet jonah ben amittai beyond the book of jonah and it gives some important historical and archaeological references. The last book of the prophets contains the prophecies of twelve distinct prophets, and is known as trei asar, meaning twelve in aramaic. God used amittai immensely and the same would have been expected of his son jonah.
Second, jonah is the most unprophetlike prophet in the prophetic writings. Learn how to pronounce hundreds of bible words with the click of a button all for free. Instead, the book tells the story of the reluctant prophet who resists gods call, but. Moreover, the sailors prove themselves to be more righteous than the prophet throughout the narrative. The book is named after its principal character, whose name means dove. Its a tale of power, intrigue, rivalry, jealousy, politics, faith and human emotions told in a wonderfully novelistic style. The book, however, doubtless refers to the same prophet jonah as is mentioned in ii kings xiv. The book of malachi, where god proclaims his love to his people. Thus jonah witnessed firsthand the restorative compassion of god extended to his wayward people. Though the book does not identify its author, tradition has ascribed it to the prophet himself, jonah son of amittai. Listen to chuck swindolls overview of jonah in his audio message from the classic series gods masterwork. He is the central figure of the book of jonah, in which he is called upon by.
He was the son of amittai and is most known for being assigned by god to go to the notorious metropolis of nineveh, the assyrian capital, and forewarn the people of coming judgement. Go to the great city of nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me. According to one tradition, jonah was the boy brought back to life by elijah the prophet in 1 kings 17. When muhammad was returning from preaching in taif and decided to take shelter in the garden of two leaders. His name was jonah son of amittai from gathhepher near nazareth. Nov 17, 2019 the book of jonah is one of the prophets in the bible. The author of the book is jonah, the son of amittai, a prophet from galilee in the northern kingdom of israel. Aug 10, 2010 while second kings calls him yonah ben amittai hanavi, yonah son of amittai, the prophet and sefer yonah is counted among the prophetic books, the book of jonah itself never refers to yonah as. Jonah is portrayed as a recalcitrant prophet who flees from gods summons to prophesy against the wickedness of the city of nineveh. Israel, which he spoke by his servant jonah the son of amittai, the prophet. Jonah refused in fear and hatred of the citys immorality so he tried to sail to a city far from. Your answers quiz on the minor prophets netty enterprises. Nothing is known about him, other than that he was jonahs father.
Jonah was the son of amittai, of gathhepher in zebulun called. Book of jonah overview insight for living ministries. The one and only amittai of scriptures is the father of the prophet jonah 2 kings 14. Though the book does not identify its author, tradition has ascribed it to the prophet himself, jonah son of amittai 1. You will also remember how god provided jonah with a living submarine to get him back where he belonged.
Rebekah, isaacs wife, as referenced in the book of habakkuk. Biblespeak offers the most comprehensive resource on the web for bible name pronunciation. This identity has recently been denied by hugo winckler altorientalische forschungen, 1900, ii. Book of jonah, the fifth of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets, embraced in a single book, the twelve, in the jewish canon.
Just as the lord previously ordered jonah to arise, so too does the captain call the prophet to arise v. It tells of a hebrew prophet named jonah son of amittai who is sent by god to prophesy the destruction of nineveh but tries to escape the. He is disobedient and wholly uninterested in serving as a prophet. There is a tradition that the widow who sustained the prophet elijah there i kings, xvii. The book of nahum, where it is recorded that abraham said this of his twin grandsons. He did not depart from all the sins of jeroboam the son of nebat, which he made israel to sin. Jonah or jonas a is the name given in the hebrew bible tanakhold testament to a prophet of the northern kingdom of israel in about the 8th century bce. The prophet nahum called nineveh the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims. The identity of the prophet with the prophet of the book of jonah cannot reasonably be doubted. From the dead sea scrolls and the work of ben sirach, we know that these. While the book of jonah itself is considered fiction, jonah himself may have been a historical prophet. True, the father of jonah the prophet, a native of gathhepher 2 kings 14. After the prophet is a remarkable telling of the story of islamparticularly the ongoing rivalry between the sunni and shia branches of islam.
Some translations of matthew quote jesus as saying whale, and popular stories and songs often speak of jonah and the whale the biblical book 2 kings briefly mentions jonah as a prophet, son of amittai, from gathhepher, who delivers an oracle to king jeroboam ruler of israel, 786 to 746 b. The book of jonah preface those of you who are familiar with the story of jonah and the whale know that jonah hopped a ship heading in the opposite direction when god commanded him to go preach to the ninevites. Jonah was a prophet to israel in the 8th century b. Now the word of the lord came unto jonah the son of amittai, or, and the word of the lord was l. This month, an overview of the book of jonah, as well as two passages from the new testament, will comprise this portion of our study.
While the author of the book of jonah does not identify himself, the likelihood is that he is the same. The book of jonah intro to jonah biblica the international bible. Amittai matta in arabic is also mentioned in islam by the prophet muhammad. The book of jonah is interesting and unusual in several ways. It is possible that some of the traditional materials taken over by.
Intro to jonah biblica the international bible society. The superscription of the book provides the prophets full name, jonah son of amittai, who is the main protagonist in the narrative. Jonah biography birthday, trivia israeli biblical figure. The book is anonymous, and there are no indicators elsewhere in scripture to identify the author. Since his childhood jonah would have experienced the grace and power of god and gotten to know him personally. Jonah was a prophet, whose known life is recorded in the biblical books of jonah and very briefly in second kings. In the old testament, jonah, son of amittai is only elsewhere mentioned in 2. Technically, the book of jonah is anonymous, however jewish tradition holds that the author is jonah himself. Learn more about amittai from the eastons bible dictionary. Unlike other old testament prophetic books, jonah is not a collection of the prophets oracles but primarily a narrative about the man. Not too long after the ministry of elijah and elisha, another prophet came onto the scene in the northern kingdom of israel during the rule of jeroboam ii 2 kings 14. Jonah was a man of god and a second generation prophet.