Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks
Through His Servants the Prophets

Volume II: Restoration & Redemption

Lesson 13 Jonah: An Old Testament Parable
the Book of Jonah 1:1—4:11

Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
cross references in Thus Says the LORD—Volume II
next lesson: Trito-Isaiah & the Return

This online supplemental material coordinates with the lesson on pages 92–96 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

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“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
—the Book of Isaiah 55:10–11 (RSVCE)**

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welcome to Volume II of our in-depth study of the biblical prophets
We invite you to check out the sample first lesson and video from Volume II of this Turning to God’s Word two-part Catholic Bible study. Our online pages link to the free related lesson videos, a glossary, and cross references in the biblical text, and include maps, additional commentary, and prayers based on the primary Scripture in each lesson. Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption contains 23 lessons and has been granted an imprimatur. It may be purchased from our website shop. The companion 28-lesson Volume I: A Kingdom Divided also is available for purchase. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” button on any study page.

open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:

Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.

let’s review—the Book of Ezra 7:1–26, the Book of Nehemiah 8:1–3, the Book of Nehemiah 8:6, the Book of Nehemiah 8:13–17, the Book of Ezra 9:1–3, the Book of Ezra 9:5–6, the Book of Ezra 9:13–15, the Book of Ezra 10:1–5, the Book of Nehemiah 4:7–9, the Book of Nehemiah 4:15–18a, and the Book of Nehemiah 6:15–16
Lesson 12 Ezra Combines Legal & Religious Authority is based on the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah, which contain historical narrative rather than prophecy. Much the way the narrative works of the First and Second Books of the Kings form a foundation for the earlier prophets in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, these narrative books in Volume II provide important historical information about the time between the end of the Babylonian Exile and the world of Jesus. A significant development is the rise of the scribes as a dominant class, which begins when the Persian king Artaxerxes give Ezra, both a priest and a scribe, broad legal and administrative authority over the returning captives.

problems dating the Book of Jonah
The Second Book of the Kings 14:25 mentions Jonah’s prophecies in connection with the reign of Jeroboam II, who ruled the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8th century B.C., suggesting that the prophet lived during that time. The Book of Jonah describes the prophet being sent to the Ninevites in Assyria, an empire that fell to the Babylonians in the early 7th century B.C. Most scholars view the Book of Jonah as a work of fiction with a spiritual message, and they believe that it probably was written during the 6th century B.C. or later. Similarities can be seen between Jonah and other legendary folklore figures (Gilgamesh and the Greek hero Jason in particular). The first volume of this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided, includes information about the reign of Jeroboam II and the prophets active before the fall of both kingdoms.

map notes—God is active outside the boundaries of Israel
Although Hebrew tradition identifies Jonah as being from the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of Jeroboam II in the 8th century B.C., there’s no historical evidence from that time to support that the Assyrians were visited by a prophet who urged them to repent—let alone that they actually did so. One of the key points of the Book of Jonah, however, and one that gets little attention, is that the LORD is present throughout the world and not just in the kingdoms where the descendants of Jacob dwell. This is apparent in the reaction of the Ninevites to God’s message, which is described in the Book of Jonah, but also in the description of Jonah at sea on his way to Tarshish, a seaport that was located in present-day Spain. Tarshish would have been on the southwestern coastline of Spain in a section of the Mediterranean (Great) Sea that extends farther west than is shown on the map. Around 500 B.C., Tarshish was destroyed by forces from Carthage, a prominent Phoenician seaport in north Africa. Click on the map (right) to enlarge it. The original map is on page 95 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

a very unusual Old Testament type of Jesus (01:08:59)
In the video overview for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses what makes the Book of Jonah valuable for Christians. While it’s not impossible that the events described in the book actually happened, it’s highly unlikely. The prophetic message that Jonah delivered to the Assyrians—”Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown”—also is not super-useful in the present day. When we view the Book of Jonah as a parable, we can begin to see that it’s truly relevant prophecy creating a picture telling us explicit things about Jesus. The character of Jonah presents a strong foreshadowing of Jesus, one that Jesus himself acknowledges in the twelfth chapter in the Gospel According to Matthew. A primary difference between Jonah and Jesus is that the Book of Jonah doesn’t invite us to think of Jesus as reluctant, hell-bent on self-sabotage, or running away from God’s will. Jonah, however, is deeply conflicted about his role, even appearing petulant at times. All of this makes the prophet relatable.

The Scripture ranges for the videos that accompany this Catholic Bible study match the ranges for the sets of questions in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can follow along as Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps discusses Lesson 13, “Jonah: An Old Testament Parable,” on pages 92–96 in the study book.

a study leader comments about the video
A study leader in a group tackling Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption shares her thoughts about the video with this lesson. If you haven’t been watching the videos related to our Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies, the one that accompanies Lesson 13 about the Book of Jonah makes a great place to start.

comment: I love Matthew’s comparison of Jonah and Jesus, which is apt since even Jesus makes the same comparison, and we cover that Gospel passage in the lesson. I also love how Matthew explains what’s going on with Jonah in a big fish. I never read that interpretation anywhere. There’s lots of talk about Jesus being in a tomb for three days and Jonah being in a fish for that length of time. As far as I know, nobody’s ever cut to the chase in the Jonah story and saw the fish as being a way for God to save Jonah from death, represented by the waters. Matthew does a great job explaining what’s going on with Jonah’s prayer in the fish, and I’m pleased that Matthew talks about how that prayer is in the past tense.

read the Catechism—what makes the Book of Jonah a parable?
Although the Book of Jonah is classified as prophecy, in it Jonah delivers only one prophetic utterance: “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” On top of that, this prophecy, found in the Book of Jonah 3:4, is aimed at the Assyrians, dreaded enemies of the descendants of Jacob. In addition, a large portion of the work is devoted to a rather fantastic description of the prophet spending three days and nights in the belly of a large fish. Readers may well wonder what such a book is doing in the canon of sacred Scripture.

The answer is that the Book of Jonah functions as an Old Testament parable, a classic teaching device frequently used by Jesus, who even makes reference to the story of Jonah in the Gospel According to Matthew 12:38–41. We’re used to thinking about Jesus’ parables as fictional stories with a spiritual message—if we get that far in our thinking. It certainly seems that applying the definition of a parable to the Book of Jonah gets around a lot of the questions people usually bring up in connection with the Book of Jonah. The purpose of Jesus’ parables is explained in paragraph 546 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In what ways do you think that the Book of Jonah exemplifies a similar purpose in the Old Testament?

546     Jesus’ invitation to enter his kingdom comes in the form of parables, a characteristic feature of his teaching. Through his parables he invites people to the feast of the kingdom, but he also asks for a radical choice: To gain the kingdom, one must give everything. Words are not enough, deeds are required. The parables are like mirrors for man: Will he be hard soil or good earth for the word? What use has he made of the talents he has received? Jesus and the presence of the kingdom in this world are secretly at the heart of the parables. One must enter the kingdom, that is, become a disciple of Christ, in order to “know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.” For those who stay “outside,” everything remains enigmatic.

the Book of Jonah flips the Passion story on its head
In the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ Passion, the people in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus were eager to kill him. The Gospel According to John 11:50 records the high priest Caiaphas saying it is expedient that one man should die for the people, but there’s no other suggestion that anyone at that time was aware that Jesus was dying for them, and even Caiaphas didn’t understand that he was speaking about Jesus as the Messiah who would bring the possibility of salvation to all men and women in all times. In the Gospel accounts, Jesus is crucified. In contrast, in the Book of Jonah, the sailors on the ship with the prophet Jonah aren’t at all eager to kill him, though they’re well aware that his death will save their lives.

Both Jesus and Jonah propose the solution for others to avoid death, but there the similarity ends. Jonah represents humanity, which can be understood as running away from God from the time of Adam until the time of Jesus. Jesus becomes one guy running toward God. In the Old Testament, there’s no salvation offered to everyone. In the New Testament, Jesus is able to bring about the possibility of eternal life for everyone because he’s completely without sin. The Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth and The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation focus on how Jesus’ willingness to die for humanity brings about the opportunity for our salvation.

water can symbolize either life or death
People who’ve been with us for other Bible studies probably already are aware that water has two key meanings in Scripture. Fresh water is seen as life-giving—think about the river flowing from the new temple in the forty-seventh chapter in the Book of Ezekiel. The salt water of the sea, however, is seen as a symbol of death—think of the face of the deep (some translations refer to the face of the waters) present before Creation in the first chapter in the book of Genesis. When the prophet is tossed overboard into the sea in the Book of Jonah 1:15, the sea represents death. What’s rarely discussed is that the great fish functions as a way for Jonah to be in the sea (in death) but not dead. Although the prophet is in the midst of death and completely surrounded by death, he’s protected from it. He can be in the sea—the waters of death—and remain untouched by death. In the Gospel According to Matthew 12:40, Jesus brings up this Old Testament parable and relates it to himself. Most Christians are aware that the three days and three nights Jesus spends in the tomb match the time that Jonah spends in the belly of the fish. What’s rarely mentioned is that because Jonah is unable to die although surrounded by death, his protection is the fish, which has been provided for him by God.

biblical vocabulary—Sheol
In his prayer in the second chapter in the Book of Jonah, the prophet thanks the LORD for delivering him from Sheol, by which Jonah means that God has rescued him from death. Sheol is what the Hebrews called the abode of the dead. The Greek equivalent is Hades, named after the mythological god who was thought to rule the domain of the dead. Sheol was understood by the ancients to be the place where all souls were sent after death, regardless of whether they had lived righteous lives or not. A major difference between the Old Testament and the New is that heaven was inaccessible to all souls in the Old Testament. Through his Passion, death, and Resurrection, Jesus has made eternal life a possibility for his followers. Learn more about Sheolin our online glossary, which lists all of the proper nouns in the biblical text for each lesson in this study.

Jonah’s prayer in the fish
When the prophet is trapped in the fish, he equates where he is with Sheol. Jonah understands that while he’s incapable of saving himself, God has the power to do so. His prayer indicates that he’s completely aware of his situation and has to repent and rely on God’s mercy. In this respect, Jonah represents all of humanity. In the Gospels, Jesus acts entirely on his own agency. As God, he has in himself the power to pull himself out of death.

the fish isn’t the trap for Jonah
The prayer in the second chapter in the Book of Jonah is composed in the past tense. In the video overview for this lesson, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps explains that looking at Jonah as a type of Jesus reveals some profound insights. It isn’t normal for men and women in threatening situations to pray in the same way that Jonah does. Jonah expresses confidence that God clearly has decided to save him instead of leaving him to die in the sea. The fish isn’t the trap; the water (death) is the trap. The fish is the way out. This reflects the Church’s understanding that heaven and hell are qualitatively different things. Death is seen as a separation from the presence of God, and heaven is seen as union with God. The land or abode of the dead—Sheol in Jonah’s prayer—is seen as a prison. God has the ability to free humanity from death.

pray with the Psalms—similarity to Jonah’s prayer
Jonah’s prayer in the belly of the fish, recorded in the second chapter in the Book of Jonah, strongly resembles Psalm 30, considered a hymn of thanksgiving ascribed to David after he completed building his palace in Jerusalem. This would date the composition of Psalm 30 between 200 to 500 years earlier than the Book of Jonah is believed to have been written. Although the prayer in the Book of Jonah and the translation of Psalm 30 in The Abbey Psalms and Canticles both refer to “Sheol,” some translations substitute “the grave.” Psalm 30 is prayed at Tuesday Lauds (Week I), and  is included as part of Lesson 6 A Soul Athirst for the Living God in the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers.

are we really supposed to think that Jonah was swallowed by a fish?
Many present-day readers find it difficult to accept this account of Jonah being swallowed by a great fish as factual, but the problem isn’t new. In 409 A.D., St. Augustine of Hippo taught that if a person questions this particular miracle, then all of the other miracles in the Bible also must be questioned. That said, St. Augustine himself viewed the character of Jonah in this biblical story as an Old Testament figure of Christ. The saint’s argument for an allegorical interpretation of the story is based on Jesus’ own words in the Gospel According to Matthew 12:38–41.

miracles & signs—you could look these up in our archives
“Miracles” and “signs” are important in understanding the message that the prophets are attempting to deliver. In Lost in Translation, an online column that can help readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures, Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps looks at the linguistic roots behind the words “miracles” and “signs.” New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.

Q&A—so if it’s a great fish, why does Jesus call it a whale?
One observant participant notes that although the RSV translations of the Book of Jonah 1:17 describe the prophet Jonah being swallowed by a great fish based on the original Hebrew, the same translations of the Gospel According to Matthew 12:40 record Jesus referring to Jonah spending three days and three nights in the belly of a whale.

Q: The vocabulary box “Great Fish” on page 94 in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption points out that the Book of Jonah was written in Hebrew, and in that original language Jonah isn’t swallowed by a whale but by a great fish. In the Gospel According to Matthew, Jesus says Jonah was swallowed by a whale. Who made a mistake about that—the author of the Book of Jonah, the author of the Gospel According to Matthew, or the authors at Turning to God’s Word?

interesting Hebrew tradition (that may or may not be true)
“Jonah’s Connection with Life & Death,” the commentary on page 96 of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption, describes Jewish tradition connecting Jonah with the Old Testament prophets Elijah and Elisha. Although this isn’t part of Christian tradition, the idea nevertheless is thought-provoking. Whether it’s historically factual or not is highly debatable. Scripture clearly states that Elijah (in the seventeenth chapter in the First Book of the Kings) and Elisha (in the fourth chapter in the Second Book of the Kings) each raised someone from the dead. If that’s so, then that someone or those two someones would be real. Whether they’re the same person or not, and whether the person who’d been raised went on to be swallowed by a big fish is up for grabs—as is whether the person’s name was Jonah, whether he was a prophet, and if he was a prophet, whether he was the same prophet described in the Book of Jonah. You can learn more about Elijah and Elisha in Lesson 6 Elijah & the Widow of Zarephath and Lesson 11 Elisha Performs Miracles in the first volume of this Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study, Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided.

the Book of Jonah 1:3—paragraph 29
the Book of Jonah 2:1—paragraph 627
the Book of Jonah 2:3–10—paragraph 2585

ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out persons and places mentioned in the biblical text under multiple names or spellings. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

to learn more, read more Scripture
It can help to check out the cross references listed in Scripture, but looking them up is time-consuming. To make that part easier, we’ve compiled the cross references from the Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE)—the translation that we reprint in our study books. That list can be found at the top of every online study page accompanying this study, and it includes links to each of the cross references in the primary biblical text for Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption.

don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a specific Scripture passage, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book or sample lesson. If you want to find a particular commentary, you can look up its title in the topics index. To learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, visit the online study directories to read the commentaries and watch any accompanying videos. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.

ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
Link to magisterial documents referred to in our Bible studies at ex libris—magisterial documents. This listing includes significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.

wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following link is to a reading from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open the link and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV reading provides an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical text. A close online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current month can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

the Book of Jonah 1:1—4:11 (NIV)

close with Bible-based prayer related to this lesson
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson, and some participants include Scripture-specific prayer in their individual study. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers you can follow our four easy steps, or you can use the following  prayer based on this lesson’s biblical texts.

Lord, God of heaven, who made the sea and dry land,
you called the reluctant prophet Jonah
to preach repentance to the Ninevites.
Have pity on us, and be slow to anger
when we selfishly flee your call and deny mercy toward others.
We pray this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,
the model of compassion and love for all humanity,
whom you created in your image and likeness. Amen.

Lesson 14 Trito-Isaiah & the Return—the Book of Isaiah 56:1–7, the Book of Isaiah 58:4–9, the Book of Isaiah 58:13–14, the Book of Isaiah 59:19–21, the Book of Isaiah 60:1–5, the Book of Isaiah 60:19, the Book of Isaiah 61:1–3, the Book of Isaiah 61:10–11, the Book of Isaiah 62:1–7, the Book of Isaiah 64:1–2, the Book of Isaiah 65:17–25, the Book of Isaiah 66:1–2, and the Book of Isaiah 66:22
Lesson 12 Ezra Combines Legal & Religious Authority—the Book of Ezra 7:1–26, the Book of Nehemiah 8:1–3, the Book of Nehemiah 8:6, the Book of Nehemiah 8:13–17, the Book of Ezra 9:1–3, the Book of Ezra 9:5–6, the Book of Ezra 9:13–15, the Book of Ezra 10:1–5, the Book of Nehemiah 4:7–9, the Book of Nehemiah 4:15–18a, and the Book of Nehemiah 6:15–16

you also may like our study of the Gospel According to John
The Gospel According to John: An Encounter with Grace & Truth, a 25-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, examines the Fourth Gospel’s view of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, with special emphasis on the institution of the sacraments of the Church as the means by which Christians are purified and made holy. This recently revised study includes maps and additional commentary, and takes a closer look at the way in which Jesus relates to individual men and women. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

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start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption. You can find information on this website about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer your questions and address any of your concerns. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer

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*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—the Books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, and First and Second Maccabees, as well as some passages in the Books of Esther and Daniel. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. The word “deuterocanonical” means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?

Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the Psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages of Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume II: Restoration & Redemption are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.

The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” “didst” in the Psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. A handful of more significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.

Numbering varies for some passages in this Bible study. Turning to God’s Word studies follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSVCE and RSV2CE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book and the online sample.

You can learn more about the Psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume I: Lauds & Vespers. The second part of that study, Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, is scheduled for publication in 2025. Some verse numbers may vary in different translations of the Psalms.

**The Book of Isaiah 55:10-11 (RSV2CE) reads: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I intend, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”