The Curious Book of Jonah

Not really a story about a whale...

In 1966, J.R.R. Tolkien translated the Book of Jonah for the Jerusalem Bible. In doing so, he also provided what is arguably the most succinct summary of the book to date:

“[The whale] is quite unimportant. The real point is that God is much more merciful than ‘prophets’, is easily moved by penitence, and won’t be dictated to even by high ecclesiastics whom he himself has appointed.”

Now, if you grew up with the Sunday school version of this story, Tolkien’s summary of the Book of Jonah might sound quite odd — and even more so when you consider that, if people know anything about Jonah, it’s that he was swallowed by a whale!

But Tolkien’s analysis, as so often, is spot on. Today, we explore the Book of Jonah — what it’s really about, why it's hilarious, and how it challenges you to turn your conception of God on its head…

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Nineveh: The Hated Foe

Reconstruction of ancient Nineveh (modern-day Mosul, Iraq)

To understand Jonah’s story, you first need to understand Nineveh. In Jonah’s time, Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, a superpower infamous for its violence and cruelty. Assyrian artwork itself brags of their brutal methods, which included impaling and skinning their enemies alive.

For the Israelites, the Assyrians weren’t just enemies — they were an existential threat. In 722 BC, Assyria sacked the northern kingdom of Israel, scattering its population and leaving destruction in its wake. Even after this conquest, the southern kingdom of Judah faced constant harassment until the Assyrians were finally overthrown by the Babylonians in 612 BC.

This background makes God’s command to Jonah all the more shocking:

“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me” (Jonah 1:2)

For Jonah, Nineveh represented everything evil in the world — the ultimate enemy of God’s people. Why would God offer such a city the opportunity to repent? Surely, they deserved nothing but judgment and destruction. From Jonah’s perspective, God’s command wasn’t just distasteful, it was incomprehensible.

Jonah’s Reluctant Mission

Jonah immediately responded to God’s call, but with defiance, not obedience. Instead of heading to Nineveh, he boarded a ship bound for Tarshish, a city in the exact opposite direction. The reluctant prophet wasn’t just running away, but trying to escape God altogether.

But God, as the story shows, is not so easily avoided. When a violent storm threatens the ship, Jonah admits that it’s his fault. To save themselves, the sailors reluctantly toss Jonah overboard, where he’s swallowed by a giant fish (most children’s stories call it a whale, but in Hebrew it's technically just a fish).

Jonah and the Whale, Carlo Antonio Tavella (17th century)

Now at this point, it might appear as though Jonah finally behaved virtuously by offering himself up as sacrifice. But the author of Jonah makes it clear that the disobedient prophet isn’t just having a change of heart — rather, he’s attempting suicide!

This perspective is in line with Jonah’s character throughout the book. He hates the Assyrians so much, he’d rather kill himself than give them the chance to repent. But it’s also a perspective which is more harmonious with the character of God: the fish that swallows Jonah isn’t a source of punishment, but a source of salvation — not just for Jonah, but for the Assyrians whom God wishes to see reconciled to Him.

For three days, Jonah languishes in the fish’s belly, praying a prayer of repentance that’s equal parts thanksgiving and self-pity. While it might read as quite sincere, it’s actually just a pastiche of pre-existing Psalms — almost nothing about the prayer is original, which further compounds Jonah’s disingenuous character. Nevertheless, God has the fish carry Jonah to safety, and vomit him onto dry land.

The whale spits Jonah onto dry land, Pieter Lastman (1621)

Once ashore, Jonah begrudgingly goes to Nineveh, where his reluctance is on full display — and both the subtle humor and overt message of the story shine through.

For starters, the “sermon” Jonah preaches is just eight words in English: “Forty more days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (Jonah 3:4). It’s even less in the original Hebrew — five words are all that Jonah offers to the Assyrians.

But the real humor that’s lost in English is just how reluctantly these five words are pronounced. They’re not “called out” as most English translations render it. In fact, they’re barely muttered under Jonah’s breath. The image you get is one of Jonah reluctantly shuffling into the city, murmuring his words, then promptly making a beeline for the exit.

And yet, despite all of Jonah’s half-hearted efforts, something extraordinary then happens.