Jonah: A “Fish Story” or History?

Christian Courier ^ | Wayne Jackson

[SeekAndFind]

Several years ago, Edwin Settle wrote a syndicated news article titled “Jonah’s big fish story teaches important lesson.” Mr. Settle was a former college professor (COE College) and minister with a doctorate from Yale Divinity School.

In his article, he attacked the book of Jonah by stating: “The book of Jonah cannot be accepted as history” (Settle, B-4).

Professor Settle listed several alleged inaccuracies contained in the book.

• It is incredible that one could be alive for three days in a fish’s belly.
• It is unlikely that a city would so unanimously respond to the preaching of someone of a different language and religion.
• Jonah speaks of “weeds wrapped about [his] head,” which does not fit the description of being inside a fish.
• While there was a king of Assyria, there was no “king of Nineveh,” as suggested in the book.
• The descriptive that Nineveh was a city of “three days journey” is erroneous; the metropolis was not nearly so large.

In spite of these supposed blunders, Dr. Settle contends that there are valuable spiritual truths in the book of Jonah (e.g., nations ought to live peaceably with one another, etc.). He suggests that we should learn important lessons of this ancient document and allow them to motivate us toward a higher level of ethical existence.

Prior to giving some consideration to the accusations contained in Settle’s misguided diatribe, a couple of preliminary observations are in order.

First, it is certainly a curious twist of logic that contends one can be motivated toward a more mature level of spiritual responsibility by reflecting on a narrative filled with lies.

How does error support truth? That makes no sense whatsoever.

Second, if the book of Jonah is actually a fictitious account with no historical basis, what does this do to the credibility of Jesus of Nazareth? The Lord plainly declared that Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish (Mt. 12:40). He even argued this event was a typological preview of his confinement in the tomb for the same period of time.

If the episode regarding Jonah never happened, Christ reasoned falsely, and his divine status is clearly impeached.

But let us consider the professor’s charges. Is the book of Jonah filled with historical fiction as charged?

Incredible survival

Is it incredible that Jonah could have survived for three days in the fish’s belly? Only if divine intervention is incredible. The fact is, the record clearly states that “God prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah” (Jon. 1:17). The objection thus actually smacks of an atheistic mentality.

That aside, even from a strictly naturalistic viewpoint, survival after being swallowed by huge fish is not impossible. In the late 1920s, a seaman was swallowed by a large sperm whale in the vicinity of the Falkland Islands. After three days, he was recovered unconscious but alive, though he had some damage to his skin (Harrison, 907).

Unlikely mass conversion

Is it unlikely that such a mass conversion could have taken place? Perhaps, but unlikely is not impossible. The question is: are we dealing with a credible historical document?

If there is no logical reason to doubt the historicity of the book of Jonah, then its testimony about the moral reformation on the part of the Ninevites stands. There is no evidence against such a concept. We should also remind ourselves that Jesus Christ affirmed that the people of Nineveh did, in fact, repent (Mt. 12:41).

No see no seaweed?

Is Jonah’s description of weeds about his head inconsistent with his sojourn in the fish’s belly

It apparently never occurred to Dr. Settle that the prophet’s declaration regarding the weeds could have been descriptive of his descent into the murky waters prior to actually being swallowed by the sea creature. Or is it possible that Jonah could have been consumed along with a quantity of sea-weed?

This quibble is truly one of desperation.

No king of Ninevah

But what of the objection that there was no “king of Nineveh.”

First, it overlooks a common biblical usage by which a capital city sometimes stands for the nation itself. Hence the “king of Samaria” (1 Kgs. 21:1) is the equivalent of the king of Israel and the “king of Damascus” (2 Chron. 24:23) is the same as the king of Syria.

Moreover, Assyria sometimes wielded significant dominion. “[A]t this stage the Assyrian king exercised absolute control over a very limited region centered on Nineveh — hence the designation ‘king of Nineveh’” (Alexander, 60). This objection is not valid.

Three-day walk?

Was Nineveh a city “of three days’ journey” (Jon. 3:3)? Since archaeological excavations have shown that Nineveh was about eight miles in circumference, it is argued that it would not have taken “three days” to walk through, or around, the city.

The thing our critical friend fails to realize, however, is that the term “city” actually encompassed a larger region than the territory within the walls. In Genesis 10:10-11, we note:

Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and builded Nineveh, and Rehoboth-Ir, and Calah, and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same is the great city).

C. F. Keil notes that these four places composed a large composite city consisting of “a range of towns, to which the name of the (well-known) great city of Nineveh was applied” (Keil, 167).

When those who are consumed with modernistic presumptions assert that there are mistakes in the sacred volume, they reveal that the problem is with their own limited knowledge. The Bible is accurate.

[BereanBrain]

We bible believers were lectured for years for believing in the virgin birth.

then science “discovered” that many vertebrates larger in size then man, can, and do occasionally produce asexually. For example, sharks can when males are not available see https://www.nature.com/articles/srep40537

The only reason we know that several animals can do this is because they were held in zoos....Otherwise we would have to listen to them yammer on about how it’s not possible...

[G Larry]

Ya, Christ was just kidding when he cited Jonah....

Matthew 12:38-42

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”

39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.

41 The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!

42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than Solomon is here!

[D Rider]

It's sort of a moot point since they started excavating Nineveh a century ago. Also, apparently Jonah never left, as he was recorded as becoming a city elder in the records found. Jonahs tomb was found there, in fact it was blown up by ISIS a couple of years ago.

Also, the fish was prepared by god for the purpose of swallowing and transporting Jonah, as is written in the book.

[Fungi]

This happens again and again, “erudite” fools trying to burn faith, the Bible, and Christianity down. Remember the book “The Passover Plot?” Same fools, same idiocy, just another day suffering fools needing attention.

[Jamestown1630]

There’s lots of thought on this, out there - including thought from those who believe in both Creation and Science:

https://discourse.biologos.org/t/the-mysterious-symbolism-of-jonah-and-the-fish/5134

[Maudeen]

This poor man . . .the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Look at all the students/people he is influencing. I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes come his day of judgement.

[coaster123]

Now Jonah got along in the belly of the whale,
Daniel in the lion’s den,
But I know a guy that didn’t try to get along,
And he won’t get a chance again.

~Hank Williams

[BereanBrain]

I have a BS, MS and 30+ post MS hours in Science. I believe in Science. However, it’s like saying you believe in mathematics. That’s not the question - the question is did you get your sums right? Did you prove your theorem? Or did you make ASSumptions?

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

I remember years ago reading of a man who fell overboard from an 1800s whaling ship and was presumed lost.

They killed a whale, and upon cutting it apart found the sailor alive inside, but badly damaged by the digestive acids. He lived on for several years.

With Jonah it is written that “God prepared a great fish..”

[Jamestown1630]

I was just suggesting other viewpoints.

(In my experience, metaphor and symbology often intimate much more information than a simple, literal reading of words does.)

[BenghaziMemoriam]

"A good retort is always enjoyed by an audience. One of
the brilliant ones that I recall was that of the great Methodist
preacher John Wesley. In the sermon he quoted a word
of Greek and then of Hebrew to explain a text. Someone in
the audience shouted: 'God does not need your learning.' To
which Wesley retorted: 'He doesn't need your ignorance either.'
This reminds me of a lecture I was giving to a group
of university students in Minnesota. In the question period
that followed, one asked me how Jonah was in the belly of
the whale for three days. I answered: 'I have not the vaguest
idea, but when I get to Heaven, I will ask Jonah.' He shouted
back: 'Suppose Jonah isn't there.' I said: 'Then you ask him."
- From "Treasure in Clay: The Autobiography of Fulton J. Sheen"

[Jamestown1630]

LOL!

[Getready]

I am not sure parthenogenesis in a human female would result in a male. Females generally genetically have no y chromosome. If Mary was xxy...she would be a poorly functional male (klinefelters syndrome). 48,XXYY genotypes are males with many many physical problems
So it would stand that the virgin birth of Jesus was a divine interventional birth. IMHO
With God all things are possible, especially things that ain’t supposed to happen.

[backwoods-engineer]

Jesus said it was history, and therefore I believe it. Matthew 12:38-45.

[BuddhaBrown]

“40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.”

There is no reason for folks to dig up modern examples of nature kinda/sorta doing whatever they think God did with Jonah.

Jonah was perhaps NOT ‘alive’, in the physical sense, during those 3 days. Which would make Christ’s analogy more accurate.

Piece of cake for God/Jesus. Lazarus was 4 days dead.

[Smittie]

Jonah died in the belly of the whale and was resurrected (by God). This is why Jesus said that he would be Jonah and rise again on the third day.

[blackpacific]

A good friend of mine who succumbed to skin cancer once told me that Jonah’s preaching was enhanced by the fact that he had been bleached by the stomach acid of the whale. He was pale as a ghost and it got the Ninevites attention. God once more bringing a greater good out of evil, the evil in this case being the disobedience of Jonah.

[CptnObvious]

Edwin Settle... was a former college professor (COE College) and minister with a doctorate from Yale Divinity School.

Sounds like Professor Severus Snape, a professor from h*ll for all the believing students. It's like getting taught witchcraft for brain surgery.

God please help the poor believing theological students under heavy spiritual assault.

[BereanBrain]

Why does one wonder if the watchmaker repairs a watch (miracle)?

God does not have his hands tied.