Answer: Hopped the first boat outta there
Jonah ran, of course. It's kinda what he's known for (well, one of the things).
God asked Jonah to preach against Ninevah. Ninevah was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, the world power of Jonah's day. The Assyrians were known for their ruthless ways, and the idea of going to their capital to preach against them must have seemed incredibly dangerous to Jonah.
So he fled. Specifically, he hopped a boat at the port of Joppa, probably the closest place for him. The Bible says he was headed to Tarshish. It's unclear exactly where that was, but some Biblical scholars think it was a place on the southwest coast of Spain. In other words, Jonah (who knew nothing of the New World) was going to the furthest place away from Ninevah he knew!
Jonah 1:1-3
From Quiz: The Adventures of Jonah
Answer: Tarshish
You know where Tarshish was? Jonah started from Joppa and headed west (Jonah 1:3), along the entire length of the Mediterranean, towards the coast of Spain. But Nineveh lay across the desert to the east, in the opposite direction: on the Tigris river, north of the site of Babylon - in modern terms, it was in the northern part of Iraq, next door to Mosul. In short, Jonah could not have been any more disobedient if he tried - and he did!
From Quiz: BBB Bible Series: Jonah
Answer: Nothing--all we know about Jonah is that God talks to him.
Absolutely no personal details about the prophet are given in the Book of Jonah at all. Unlike other prophets whose occupation, families, and time period are described (the life story of Moses, for example, is told in great detail), Jonah is essentially a blank slate.
From a single verse in 2 Kings, however (14:25), we learn that Jonah lived and prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II (roughly 790-750 BCE)--much later than the reign of King Solomon! But even 2 Kings is silent about the other personal details of Jonah's life.
From Quiz: The Prophet Who Ran Away From God
Answer: Amittai
Jonah 1:1 "Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai..."
Not much is known about Amittai other than his name means "loyal" and the family was from Gathhepher (see 2 Kings 14:25).
From Quiz: Jonah Doesn't Want to Obey
Answer: Joppa
Joppa was a sea port along the coast of Judah, one of the areas belonging to the twelve tribes of Israel.
From Quiz: The Story of Jonah
Answer: sleeping
The Old Testament often uses the word "down" not only as a physical location but also a spiritual reference; people going "down" are said to be sinking spiritually away from God. The King James Version uses the word three times in referring to Jonah's escape: he went "down" to Joppa, "down" into the boat and "down" into the sides of the boat. (Jonah 1:3,5).
Here, Jonah has so deadened himself to God that he is sleeping through a storm. And bear in mind, this is obviously not just any storm. These are presumably experienced sailors aboard this ship, and scripture makes it clear they are frightened (Jonah 1:5), to the point where "each cried out to his own god". They were tossing cargo overboard in an effort to save themselves.
One can only imagine the captain's mood when he went below deck and found Jonah, sleeping away! The captain castigates Jonah (1:6), telling him to get up and go above deck. God frequently uses non-believers to chastise his people.
From Quiz: The Adventures of Jonah
Answer: the captain
The captain shook him awake and told Jonah to call on his God, as the others in the ship had all called upon theirs. Jonah's response to the captain is not stated, but he came up on deck.
From Quiz: BBB Bible Series: Jonah
Answer: Nineveh
Jonah 1:2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me."
Nineveh was the capital of Assyria and according to the "Holman Illustrated Pocket Bible Dictionary" it is considered the greatest of Assyria's capitals. It was established by Nimrod.
From Quiz: Jonah Doesn't Want to Obey
Answer: Tarshish
Tarshish was located on the far side of the Mediterranean sea.
From Quiz: The Story of Jonah
Answer: Jonah
This very prophet is where modern English gets the expression 'a Jonah' from: it means the particular person who has brought bad luck, or a curse, into the group. The lot fell on Jonah (Jonah 1:7), and the sailors asked him what they should do, since it was Jonah's God who was angry, and perhaps Jonah knew why.
From Quiz: BBB Bible Series: Jonah
