What Happened To Jonah In The Bible? A Complete Summary

The story of Jonah and the whale is one of the most well-known tales in the Bible, but you may be fuzzy on the details. In a nutshell, Jonah was a prophet who tried to run away from God’s command to preach to the city of Nineveh.

As punishment, he was swallowed by a huge fish and spent three days inside its belly before being vomited up onto dry land. This frightening experience convinced Jonah to finally obey God’s orders. But what exactly happened to Jonah according to the Bible?

Let’s take a deep dive into this fascinating story.

Jonah Tries to Flee from God’s Mission

God Tells Jonah to Preach in Nineveh

The prophet Jonah received a command from God to go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against the people’s wickedness. However, instead of following God’s instructions, Jonah chose to flee in the opposite direction on a boat bound for Tarshish.

Per some biblical historians, Nineveh was the proud and brutal capital of the Assyrian empire in the 8th century BC. So it’s understandable why Jonah would be reluctant to go there.

Jonah Boards a Ship Bound for Tarshish

In an act of initial defiance against God’s call, Jonah fled to the seaport town of Joppa where he boarded a ship sailing to Tarshish. Tarshish was possibly located in present-day Spain, essentially as far away as Jonah could travel at the time.

While on board, Jonah ended up falling asleep down in the cargo area of the ship.

Meanwhile, God caused a powerful storm to come upon the vessel. The violent tempest put the ship at risk of breaking apart. Terrified, the sailors cried out to their gods and frantically threw cargo overboard to try to lighten the load.

A Storm Threatens the Ship

During this storm crisis, the ship’s captain found Jonah asleep below deck. He told Jonah to pray to his own god for help. The desperate crew then cast lots to determine who on board might have caused their life-threatening dilemma. When the lots indicated Jonah, they questioned him further.

Jonah confessed that he was running from God, and said that if the crew threw him into the sea, then the storm would cease. At first the men tried even harder to row back to land. But eventually the storm grew so severe they felt forced to toss Jonah overboard, and the sea immediately calmed.

The stunned sailors then offered sacrifices to God and made vows to Him.

As for what happened to Jonah after his plunge into the Mediterranean, a large fish appointed by God swallowed him whole. Jonah remained alive and conscious inside the fish’s stomach for three days and three nights. From this predicament, he finally repented and cried out to God for mercy.

Jonah Is Thrown Overboard and Swallowed by a Fish

The Sailors Throw Cargo Overboard

As the storm raged on, the terrified sailors began throwing cargo overboard to lighten the ship’s load, hoping to prevent it from breaking apart in the violent waves. They cried out in vain to their gods to make the tempest cease.

But the storm only intensified, tossing the boat to and fro like a toy. The seasoned sailors had never witnessed anything like it before in all their years at sea.

Jonah Admits His Guilt and Tells the Crew to Throw Him Into the Sea

Eventually, the sailors confronted Jonah, suspecting his guilt had brought this divine wrath upon them. Admitting his disobedience, Jonah declared that he worshipped the Lord, the God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land.

Sure enough, when Jonah told them to cast him into the raging sea, its fury would relent. With heavy reluctance and pleading to God for mercy, the sailors hurled Jonah overboard, as he requested. Immediately, the sea grew calm once again.

The Storm Calms After Jonah Is Thrown Overboard

The instant Jonah plunged into the watery abyss, the gale-force winds ceased howling. The towering waves no longer crashed over the deck. A peaceful silence descended on the sea as the clouds parted to reveal sunshine glistening on the now-tranquil waters.

Astonished by this miracle, the sailors were overcome with fear and awe of Jonah’s mighty God. They offered sacrifices and made solemn vows to worship Him alone.

Jonah Is Swallowed by a Huge Fish

Although Jonah sank rapidly beneath the waves like a stone, his life was spared from drowning. God in His mercy appointed a gigantic fish to swallow up His wayward prophet and transport him safely to shore.

There in the belly of this underwater beast Jonah remained, alive and praying to God in repentance for three days and nights until he was vomited onto dry land.

Jonah’s Prayer and Deliverance

Jonah Prays to God from Inside the Fish

After being swallowed by the great fish, Jonah found himself alive and conscious inside the creature’s belly. One can only imagine the fear, anxiety and claustrophobia Jonah must have experienced in that situation.

Yet, trapped in the darkness, Jonah turned to God in prayer and repented (Jonah 2:1-9).

Jonah acknowledged that the Lord had hurled him into the depths and banished him from His sight. Feeling abandoned and encompassed by trouble, Jonah cried out to God, who heard his voice. As the waters swirled about him and seaweed wrapped around his head, Jonah descended into despair, certain that he would never gaze upon the Lord’s temple again.

Yet in the depths of the sea, Jonah resolved to turn his eyes once more to God’s holy temple. He vowed to offer sacrifices again with songs of praise, for salvation comes from the Lord alone. Jonah had learned his lesson – when God commands, His servants must obey.

After 3 Days, the Fish Vomits Jonah Onto Dry Land

As he prayed to God from within the belly of the great fish, the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land (Jonah 2:10). Just as Jonah’s ordeal had lasted three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, Jesus later correlated his own burial period with Jonah’s experience (Matthew 12:40).

Jonah had cried out to God for help, and the Lord rescued him, giving him another chance to fulfill his mission and travel to Nineveh. God provided an improbable means of salvation by having Jonah swallowed by a fish and then transporting him to shore.

Throughout his ordeal, the Lord preserved Jonah’s life, using the fish as an instrument of deliverance.

As Jonah emerged onto dry land, he must have been a rather ghastly sight – bleached by the fish’s stomach acids and stinking of rot. But he had learned that disobedience only leads to doom. This time, Jonah set out for Nineveh in obedience to carry out God’s request.

Jonah Obeys and Preaches in Nineveh

God Again Commands Jonah to Go to Nineveh

After his encounter with the great fish, Jonah received a second chance from God to follow His command. Though initially reluctant, this time Jonah obeyed God’s call and traveled to the great city of Nineveh.

As one of the largest and most powerful cities in the ancient world, Nineveh was a center of crime and idolatry, making it a logical target for God’s judgment. Yet the Lord in His mercy saw fit to give the people there an opportunity to repent.

The People of Nineveh Repent After Hearing Jonah’s Message

When Jonah arrived in Nineveh, his message was brief but urgent – “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned.” Rather than dismissing the prophet as a madman, the people surprisingly believed God’s word through Jonah and called for a massive fast.

From the greatest to the least, the entire city earnestly turned from their evil ways, in the hope that the Lord would relent from destroying them. Even the king laid aside his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes as a sign of mourning over sin.

The response of Nineveh stands in stark contrast to many other pagan nations depicted in the Bible who rejected God’s warnings through His prophets. The fact that the Ninevites so readily repented, despite having no covenant relationship with Yahweh, puts to shame those who receives much greater light yet still stubbornly resist God’s call to turn from sin.

God Relents from Destroying the City

In keeping with His merciful and compassionate nature, God rescinded His plans to overthrow Nineveh after witnessing their radical change of heart. Rather than desiring to punish, the Lord eagerly accepts those who humble themselves and turn from wickedness.

The account of Jonah illustrates a profound theological truth – that our sovereign God can change His mind regarding judgment when people genuinely repent. This should give all hope that God desires to show mercy, if only we turn to Him.

Jonah’s time in Nineveh resulted in one of the greatest spiritual revivals ever depicted in the Old Testament. Through the faithfulness of one reluctant prophet, an entire city was transformed by the power of God.

And while Jonah had simply obeyed God rather than laboring out of a heart of compassion, the Lord still used him mightily. God’s purposes will stand, even through the most imperfect instruments.

Jonah Becomes Angry at God’s Compassion

Jonah Leaves the City and Waits for God’s Judgement

After Jonah had proclaimed God’s message to the people of Nineveh, he left the city and made himself a shelter east of it. He sat under the shelter, waiting to see what would happen to the city (Jonah 4:5).

Clearly, Jonah expected and even hoped that God would still destroy Nineveh for its wickedness, despite the people’s repentance.

Jonah Is Upset When Nineveh Is Spared

However, God had compassion on Nineveh when He saw that they turned from their evil ways (Jonah 3:10). When Jonah saw that God decided to spare the city, he became angry and complained to God (Jonah 4:1).

Jonah argued that this is why he had tried to flee from proclaiming God’s message in the first place. He knew that God is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2).

Jonah felt that God had wronged him by showing mercy to the wicked people of Nineveh.

God Teaches Jonah About Mercy

In response, God provided a vine to shade Jonah from the hot sun and give him comfort. But then God also sent a worm that attacked the vine so that it withered. When the hot sun blazed on Jonah’s head again, he became angry about the vine’s demise (Jonah 4: 6-9).

God asked Jonah if it was right for him to be angry about a vine that he did not labor for, to which Jonah insisted that his anger was justified (Jonah 4:9). Then God drew an important parallel – if Jonah could have compassion and be concerned about a vine, why could not God have compassion and spare the enormous city of Nineveh with its many helpless people and animals? (Jonah 4:10-11).

This was an important lesson for Jonah about mercy.

Conclusion

The story of Jonah teaches us important lessons about responsibility, repentance, and God’s boundless compassion. While Jonah tried to run from his duty, God ensured he delivered the message he was given.

The people of Nineveh turned from their evil ways, causing God to extend grace rather than wrath. And despite Jonah’s bitterness at their forgiveness, he came to recognize God’s patience and willingness to give second chances.

As you reflect on what happened to Jonah, remember that we serve a loving God who desires all people to turn toward Him.