A STUDY OF THE BOOK OF

JONAH

Bruce E. Leonard
29. When did the gourd come up?
30. When did the gourd perish?
31. Who did God ask Jonah that he should spare? (v. 11)
32. What kind of city was it?
33. What could many of the people in the city not discern?
34. How many of them were there?
35. What else was in the city?
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JONAH
NAME: Jonah means Dove
THEME: Gods universal love, sovereignty and redemption
for people of all nations.
AUTHOR: The author is not identified in the text, but it is
believed to have been originally told by Jonah, but others
may have written it down.
DATE: 2 Kings 14:25 mentions Jonah as living during the
time of Jeroboam II (c. 793-753 B.C.). The event took place
before Ninevehs destruction (612 B.C.) and Samarias fall
(722-721 B.C.). The date of the book is placed at 773 B.C.).
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
Israel had just restored her northern borders under King
Jeroboam II (793-753 B.C.), as Jonah had prophesied (2
Kings 14:25). At this time, Israel was politically secure,
spiritually smug, and morally corrupt. Nineveh, the city to
which Jonah was sent by God, was the capital of Assyria.
Assyria was a ruthless empire which threatened tiny Israel,
and eventually conquered it in 722 B.C. Nineveh was 500
miles east of Joppa, but Jonah boarded a ship heading 2000
miles to the west, revealing how far and fast Jonah wanted to
get away from a people he dreaded. Israelites had many
reasons to hate the proud Ninevites, as Nahum points out in a
prophecy likewise dedicated exclusively to the Ninevites.
Ninevehs repentance and revival under Jonah was short live.
The second tie around for proud, cruel Nineveh resulted in
her fall in 612 B.C. She was never heard from again.
CHARACTERISTICS:
The book of Jonah is different from the other Minor
Prophets. It gives an account of a single incident in the life
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of the prophet, rather than a transcription of the oracles he 11. What was he waiting to see?
delivered. The story is brief, told in 47 verses. The Jews
accepted the book as the reflecting the experience of the 12. What did the LORD God prepare? (v. 6)
actual prophet Jonah (2 Kings 14:25). Some have dismissed
the book as fiction because it tells of a fish swallowing a 13. Why did he do this?
man. Others view Jonah as an allegory or a parable that
teaches Gods universal love. Jesus referred to Jonah as a 14. What was Jonah glad about?
historical person (Matt. 12:3941; 16:4; Luke 11:29 -32).
The missionary message of Jonah finds later parallels in the 15. What did God prepare? (v. 7)
message of Peter (Acts 10:1 11:18) and Paul (Romans 9-
11). 16. When did he do this?

SUGGESTED OUTLINE: 17. What did it do?

Chapter 1 Disobedience running from God
1:1-3: Jonah Rejects His God -given Commission
1:4-10: The Dreadful Storm
1:11 -17: Jonah is Cast Overboard After Attempts Were
Made To Save Him
18. What happened to the gourd?
19. What did God prepare when the sun rose? (v. 8)
20. What beat down on Jonahs head?

21. What happened to Jonah?

Chapter 2 Prayer running to God
2:1- 9: Jonah Prays From Inside the Fish to God for
22. What did Jonah wish?
Deliverance
2:10: God Answers Jonahs Prayer
23. What did Jonah say?

Chapter 3 Preaching running w ith God 24. What did God ask Jonah? (v. 9)
3:1-4: Jonahs Second Opportunity
3:5-10: The Penitence of the Ninevites Keeps Them From 25. What did Jonah say to God?
Destruction
26. What did Jonah have pity on? (v. 10)
Chapter 4 Complaints running ahead of God
4:1-3: Jonahs Displeasure Over God Showing Mercy to 27. For what had Jonah not labored?
Nineveh
4:4- 8: Jonahs Experience With the Gourd 28. Did Jonah make the gourd grow?
4:8-11: God Rebukes Jonah

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25. What did god see? (v. 10)
Ten Miracles in Jonah
26. What did God do? 1. 1:4 the LORD hurled a great wind on the
sea
27. What did God not do? 2. 1:7 the lot fell on Jonah
3. 1:15 the sea stopped its raging
CHAPTER 4
4. 1:17 the LORD had appointed a great fish
1. How did Jonah feel about God sparing Nineveh? (v. 1) 5. 1:17 to swallow Jonah (alive)
6. 2:10 the LORD commanded the fishit
2. How did Jonah respond? (v. 2)
vomited Jonah up onto dry land
3. Where did Jonah try to flee? 7. 3:10 God saw their deedsthey turned
from their wicked way
4. What did Jonah know about God? 8. 4:6 the LORD God appointed a plant
9. 4:7 God appointed a worm
a.
10. 4:8 God appointed a scorching east
b. wind

c. LESSONS OF VALUE:
1. It is futile to resist the will of God!
d. 2. In every heart there is an inherent capacity for God.
3. God knows and loves and seeks the salvation of all
e. people.
4. One usually runs into a storm when he runs away from
5. What did Jonah ask God to take from him? (v. 3) God.
5. It is tragic to have to meet the storms of life without
6. What did Jonah say was better for him? Gods presence.
6. True repentance may avert the catastrophe that has been
7. What did the LORD ask Jonah? (v. 4) threatened.
7. It is impossible to escape from God.
8. Where did Jonah go? (v. 5) 8. God would have us love all men as He loves them and
give ourselves to the task of winning them.
9. Where did he sit? 9. There is a cost to serving God, but it is far more costly to
disobey God.
10. What did he make?
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 QUESTIONS JONAH 11. What did they do?
CHAPTER ONE
a.
1. The word of the LORD came unto
b.
________________________. (v. 1)
12. To whom did the word come? (v. 6)
2. Whose son was he?
13. From where did he arise?
3. Where was the prophet told to go? (v. 2)
14. What did he remove?
4. How is the city described?
15. What did he cover himself with?
5. What was he told to do in the city?
16. Where did he sit?
6. Why was he told to do this?
17. Where was the proclamation made? (v. 7)
7. What did Jonah do? (v. 3)
18. Who made the decree?
8. Where did he go?
19. What were the men and beasts not to do?
9. Why did Jonah do this?
20. What were they to be covered with? (v. 8)
10. What did the Lord send into the sea? (v. 4)
21. To whom were they to cry?
11. What did it cause in the sea?
22. What were they to turn from?
12. What was going to happen to the ship?
a.
13. Who was afraid? (v. 5)
b.
14. What did they do?
23. What did they hope God would do? (v. 9)
15. Why did they cast the wares into the sea?
24. What did they not want to happen to them?
16. Where was Jonah?

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19. What did they do when the observed this? 17. What was he doing?

20. With what would Jonah sacrifice? (v. 9) 18. Who cam to Jonah? (v. 6)

21. What would Jonah pay? 19. What did he say to Jonah?

22. Of whom is salvation? 20. What did he hope would happen?

23. To whom did the Lord speak? (v. 10) 21. What did everyone say to their fellows? (v. 7)

24. What did the fish do to Jonah? 22. Who did the lot fall on?

25. Where? 23. What did they ask Jonah? (v. 8)

a.
CHAPTER 3
b.
1. Whose word came to Jonah? (v. 1)
c.
2. How many times had this happened?
d.
3. Where was Jonah told to go? (v. 2)
e.
4. What kind of city was it?
24. How did Jonah respond? (v. 9)
5. What was Jonah told to do?
a.
6. Where did Jonah go? (v. 3)
b.
7. How bid was the city?
25. What was the reaction to Jonahs response? (v. 10)
8. How far did he go into the city? (v. 4)
26. What question did they ask Jonah?
9. What would happen in forty days?
27. What had Jonah told them?
10. What did the people of Nineveh believe? (v. 5)
28. What did they ask Jonah? (v. 11)
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 CHAPTER 2
29. What did the want the sea to do?
1. What did Jonah do? (v. 1)
30 How was the sea at this time?
2. Where was he when he did this?
31. What did Jonah tell them to do? (v. 12)
3. From where did God hear Jonahs voice? (v. 2)
32. What would happen to the sea if they did this?
4. Where had God cast him? (v. 3)
33. Why was the tempest upon them?
5. What compassed about him?
34. What did the men do? (v. 13)
6. What passed over him?
35. Why were they doing this?
7. What did Jonah say? (v. 4)
36. Why were they not able to accomplish this?
8. How far had the waters compassed about him? (v. 5)
37. Who did they cry to? (v. 14)
9. What closed round about him?
38. What did they say?
10. What wrapped around his head?
39. What did they do with Jonah at this time? (v. 15)
11. Where did Jonah go down to? (v. 6)
40. What happened to the sea?
12. What bars were around him?
41. What was their reaction when this happened? (v. 16)
13. Where did God bring his life up from?
42. What did the LORD prepare? (v. 17)
14. What happened to his soul? (v. 7)
43. What happened to Jonah?
15. What did Jonah remember when this happened?
44. How long was he there?
16. What came to God?

17. Where?

18. What did some observe? (v. 8)

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