Chapter 1

1:3 - Jonah escapes from the omnipresent god by fleeing to Tarshish.

* This verse simply stated that Jonah tried to escape the presence of the Lord.  It never says that he does or he can.

1:7 - The sailors determine that Jonah is the cause of the storm by casting lots.

* This is correct.  The pagan sailors played a game of chance to see who was responsible for the storm.

1:12-15 - Jonah believes that by throwing himself into the sea, the storm will die down. Even more absurd is that it worked.

* This is a correct account of what happened.

1:17 - God makes "a great fish" [Jesus said it was a whale (Mt.12:40)] to swallow Jonah. And Jonah stayed in the fish's belly for three days and three nights. Nevermind the fact that a human could not survive in the belly of a fish or whale for three days and nights.

* Miracles defy science.  This is simply a miracle.  God created the entire universe, so I'm sure He could sustain Jonah, in the belly of the fish, for three days and three nights.

* Jesus didn't use the word "whale."  This Greek word for "whale" is also translated "great fish."  Jonah was either in the belly of a whale or a great fish.

Chapter 2

2:1 - Jonah says a little prayer from the fish's belly.

* Jonah prays a prayer of devotion and repentance to God.  Therefore, God spares him.

2:10 - God talks to the fish, and it vomits out Jonah upon dry land.

* The Creator of all animals could easily have one throw up this man.

Chapter 3

3:3 - "Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey." That would make it about 60 miles in diameter -- larger than Los Angeles!

* This is correct. It was much larger than Babylon and the builder, Ninus didn't want it to simply be the biggest city in the world. He wanted it to be the biggest city ever to be built.

3:5 - Everyone in Nineveh (pop. 120,000) turned to God? Jonah must be one hell of a preacher!

* The people of Ninevah repented.  They knew that they had been sinning and they also knew the consequences for their sins.  Their repentance can't be simply attributed to Jonah's preaching.

3:4 - Jonah prophesies that in forty days Nineveh shall be overthrown. But it didn't happen because God repented (Jonah 3:10).

* This is correct.  Jonah told the Ninevites that they were going to suffer judgment from God.  God was going to judge them for their sins.  However, since the people repented, God elected to use His perfect mercy and grace and He spared them.

* This Hebrew word for "repented" doesn't mean that God repented from sin.  God simply elected to use His perfect mercy and grace and decided not to exercise His perfect judgment and wrath.

3:8 - God wants the "beasts" to cover themselves with sackcloth and "cry mightily unto God."

* This verse says "let man and beast be covered with sackcloth and cry mightily unto God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and the violence that is in his hands."  This verse never implies that beasts should "cover themselves" with sackcloth.

3:10 - God repents of the evil that he had planned to do, contrary to the Bible verses that claim that God does not repent. Plus, despite his repentance, God does destroy Nineveh a little over a century after Jonah, in Nahum 3:1-7.

* This is correct.  Jonah told the Ninevites that they were going to suffer judgment from God.  God was going to judge them for their sins.  However, since the people repented, God elected to use His perfect mercy and grace and He spared them.

* This Hebrew word for "repented" doesn't mean that God repented from sin.  God simply elected to use His perfect mercy and grace and decided not to exercise His perfect judgment and wrath.

Chapter 4

4:4 - God asks Jonah, "Do you have any reason to be angry?" What? Three days in a fish's belly isn't enough?

* This verse says, "Then the Lord said, 'Is it right for you to be angry?'"  Jonah was upset that God spared the Ninevites.

4:6-7 - God prepares a gourd to shade Jonah's head. Then he prepares a worm to destroy the gourd. What a clever guy!

* God does this to teach Jonah a lesson.  The lesson is explained in the verses that follow.

4:11 - God argues for the sparing of Nineveh by saying they "cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand." So, God spares them because they're stupid? Plus, God argues for Nineveh by saying he should be concerned for so many (120,000) people and animals. Even though there is no violence here, it bears mentioning that God has never had a problem destroying large numbers of people or animals before. Some of the biggest incidents would include the Flood in which everything on Earth was killed, then there's the "Twin Cities of Sin,"Sodom and Gomorrah, then all the firstborn of Egypt, ... I think I'll stop there, but you get the idea.

* God spared the Ninevites.  God simply heard their repentance and spared them.

* When the Earth was destroyed with the Great Flood, not one person repented in all the years Noah preached and built the ark.  See Genesis 6 and 7.

* There were not even ten godly people in the extremely wicked citied of Sodom and Gomorrah.  See Genesis 18.

* The Pharaoh and the Egyptians would not let their slaves (the Israelites) go.  They would not repent, either.  Even though God had sent mighty punishments on them, they did not care and they would not repent.  Finally, God judged them in a way that they would not forget; in a way that they would finally let His people go.  Note: God gave them a warning about this judgment, but they did not repent.  See Exodus 4.