Jonah, whose name means "dove," was from the town of Gath Hepher (2 Kings 14:25) in the tribe of Zebulun (Josh. 19:13). He lived and ministered when Jereboam II was king of Israel (2 Kings 14:23-25), roughly 793-753 B.C. Jonah has the distinction of being the only prophet to attempt to elude God's will, due to his patriotism as a good Jew (Jonah 3:10-4:3). God instructed him to go and preach in Nineveh, but he went another direction. After his encounter with a stormy sea and a great fish, Jonah reluctantly went, warning the people of Nineveh to repent. Much to his dismay, the Ninevites repented.
