When was Jonah written?

The prophet Jonah ministered in the eighth century BC. He is known for the extraordinary story in which God caused a huge fish to swallow the prophet and “Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:17). God orchestrated this unusual event in consequence of the prophet’s initial refusal to preach a message of repentance to the Ninevites. Jonah was written shortly after the events it describes, around 760 BC.

Understanding the evidence that points to Jonah’s authorship helps determine the time of the book’s composition. To this end, the prophet identifies himself in the book’s first verse. It reads, “The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai.” Second Kings 14:25 is the only other verse in the Bible that refers to Amittai, and there, as in Jonah 1:1, he’s mentioned simply as the prophet’s father.

However, other books of the Bible shed light on Jonah’s background, which help date his ministry, including when he wrote the book named for him. Second Kings indicates that Jonah was born in Gath Hepher, a town in the region of Zebulun in the northern kingdom of Israel. He prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II, who ruled from about 793 to 753 BC. This suggests that Jonah was likely born around 800 BC (2 Kings 14:24–25). Though the Bible doesn’t record the date of Jonah’s death, historical context suggests he likely died around 750 BC. These dates help support the view that the book of Jonah was written around 760 BC.

Inside the book, Jonah refers to himself in the first person, such as in his prayer from within the large fish. He says, “In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and you listened to my cry” (Jonah 2:2). Moreover, first-person statements fill the chapter. These include statements such as, “You hurled me into the depths” (Jonah 2:3); “I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to you” (verse 7); and “I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you” (verse 9). These first-person references strongly support Jonah’s authorship of the book and suggest he wrote it during or shortly after the events it describes.

In addition, Jonah’s reluctance to preach to the Ninevites fits the geopolitical context of Israel and Assyria in the eighth century BC. God called Jonah to “go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it” because of its wickedness (Jonah 1:1). The prophet’s reaction was to run away from the Lord and go to Tarshish (Jonah 1:2). During this time, Jeroboam II sought to expand the northern kingdom of Israel, but Assyria posed a significant threat to that expansion. Nineveh was a major Assyrian city at the time and later its capital under Sennacherib. These ongoing tensions support the view that Jonah was written during the prophet’s lifetime, when hostility between Israel and Assyria was still active.

Jonah’s book shows that God extends mercy to both Jews like Jonah, and Gentiles like the Ninevites. Jonah himself reflected on God’s righteous and compassionate character in response to this mercy: “I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity” (Jonah 4:2). Thus, the time Jonah lived, served, and wrote looked forward to God’s universal invitation to all people to repent and believe in the good news of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:12).