Book of Jonah Quiz

1. To what city was Jonah commanded to go and preach?

1. Babylon
2. Damascus
3. Nineveh
4. Tyre

2. Instead of going to Nineveh, which direction did Jonah flee?

1. East across the desert toward Persia
2. North to Damascus
3. South to Egypt
4. West to Tarshish — in the opposite direction

3. While Jonah slept below deck, a violent storm threatened to destroy the ship. What did the sailors do first before throwing cargo overboard?

1. Each sailor cried out to his own god and they threw cargo into the sea to lighten the ship
2. They drew lots to determine who was responsible for the storm
3. They tried to row back to port but the seas were too rough
4. They went below deck to wake Jonah and demand he pray to his God

4. The ship's captain found Jonah sleeping and said something that is ironic given that Jonah was a prophet. What did the captain say?

1. 'Are you the one whose God is angry? Tell your God to stop this storm or we are all dead men'
2. 'Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish'
3. 'How can you sleep? We are all about to drown — do you not care about our lives?'
4. 'Wake up, Hebrew — your God is clearly the one causing this storm. Make your peace with him!'

5. The sailors cast lots to determine who was responsible for the storm. The lot fell on Jonah. What did they then ask him?

1. 'Are you the one who has brought this evil upon us? What is your name and where do you come from?'
2. 'Have you sinned against your God? Tell us what you have done so we know whether to throw you overboard'
3. 'Is there any way to appease your God? What does he require of us to stop this storm?'
4. 'Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?'

6. Jonah declared himself to the sailors. What did he say about himself and his God?

1. 'I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land'
2. 'I am a prophet of the Lord, the God of Israel — but I have disobeyed him and brought this storm upon you'
3. 'I am Jonah, son of Amittai, a prophet of the Lord who made the heavens and the earth'
4. 'I serve the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — and I am running from his command'

7. The sailors were reluctant to throw Jonah overboard and tried to row back to land first. Why did this fail?

1. A current seized the ship and they were carried further out to sea despite their rowing
2. The sea grew even rougher against them and they could not make any headway
3. The wind changed direction and drove them further from shore
4. Their oars broke in the violent waves and they lost the ability to steer

8. Before throwing Jonah overboard, the sailors prayed. What did they ask God?

1. 'Forgive us, Lord, for what we are about to do — we know he is your prophet'
2. 'Lord God of Israel, receive this man who has fled from your presence — and spare the rest of us from your wrath'
3. 'O Lord, do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased'
4. 'We do not know your ways, great God — but we beg you to stop the storm when we have done what your servant Jonah has told us to do'

9. What happened immediately when Jonah was thrown into the sea?

1. A mighty wind drove the ship safely to harbor
2. He began to sink but a wave carried him back toward the shore
3. The fish appeared and swallowed him, and the sailors did not notice the sea calming until later
4. The raging sea grew calm

10. The sailors' response to the calming of the sea is one of the remarkable conversions in the book. What did they do?

1. They constructed an altar on the ship's deck and prayed all night in thanksgiving
2. They divided their goods among themselves as thanksgiving and vowed to tell others about the God of Israel
3. They greatly feared the Lord, offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him
4. They sailed quickly for port, afraid to say more about what had happened

11. What prepared creature did God provide to swallow Jonah, and how long was Jonah inside it?

1. A giant sea creature — the text does not specify how long Jonah was inside it
2. A great fish — Jonah was inside it for three days and three nights
3. A great whale — Jonah was inside it for seven days and seven nights
4. A sea monster — Jonah was inside it for forty days

12. From inside the fish, Jonah prayed. Jonah 2:2 says he called out of what location and God answered him. What does he describe his situation as?

1. 'A place of utter darkness where your presence seemed far from me'
2. 'The belly of the fish where I am entombed like the dead'
3. 'The depths of the sea where there is no light and no hope'
4. 'The realm of the dead / Sheol — from the depths of the grave I called for help'

13. Jonah 2:3 describes God's action toward him in vivid imagery. What does he say God did?

1. 'The waters engulfed me but you were with me in the darkness — I knew you had not abandoned me'
2. 'You allowed the seas to take me but your hand was on me all along — even in the deep I was not beyond your reach'
3. 'You hurled me into the depths, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me'
4. 'You plucked me from the sea before I could drown — your hand reached into the waters for me'

14. In Jonah 2:4, Jonah says something that shows his faith amid the crisis. What does he declare?

1. 'Even in this place your steadfast love reaches me — your mercy will not let me go'
2. 'I will not despair, for the Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love'
3. 'Though you cast me out, I know you will receive me back — your love endures forever'
4. 'Yet I will look again toward your holy temple — I know you have not abandoned me'

15. Jonah 2:8 contains a theological statement about idolatry. What does he say about those who cling to worthless idols?

1. 'Their idols are silver and gold, made by human hands — they have mouths but cannot speak'
2. 'They forfeit the grace that could be theirs — they have exchanged the glory of God for images of created things'
3. 'They trust in what cannot save them — their gods are deaf and blind and cannot hear their cries'
4. 'Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God's love for them'

16. Jonah 2:9 contains Jonah's vow from within the fish. What does he promise?

1. 'I will offer sacrifices and fulfil my vows to the Lord — salvation comes from the Lord'
2. 'I will praise you for the rest of my days and tell of your salvation to all who will hear'
3. 'I will return to Nineveh and do what you have asked — your command is my command'
4. 'Whatever you require of me I will do — even to the death, if that is your will'

17. What caused the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land?

1. Jonah clung to the inside of the fish and was carried to a beach where the fish released him
2. Jonah fasted and prayed for three days until God commanded the fish to release him
3. The fish swam into shallow waters where Jonah was able to wade ashore
4. The Lord commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah onto dry land

18. Jesus used the sign of Jonah as a reference to his own death and resurrection. What did he say?

1. 'As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth'
2. 'Just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation'
3. 'The people of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah — the Son of Man is greater than Jonah'
4. All three statements are made by Jesus about Jonah in Matthew 12 and Luke 11

19. Jonah is the only prophet in the Old Testament who is described as a prophet from the tribe of what territory? (2 Kings 14:25 identifies him)

1. Benjamin
2. Ephraim
3. Galilee — he was from Gath-hepher in Zebulun's territory
4. Judah

20. The book of Jonah contains a surprise not in any other prophetic book — the prophet's message is never directly recorded. What is the irony of this absence?

1. Jonah's message is not recorded because the sailors' conversion was the real purpose of his mission — Nineveh was secondary
2. The absence shows that the message is irrelevant — what matters is the mercy of God, not the words of the prophet
3. The book focuses entirely on Jonah's internal journey, not his external ministry, showing that God is more interested in the prophet than the prophecy
4. The five-word summary of his preaching (in chapter 3) is the most successful sermon in the Old Testament — the entire city repented, yet it is barely recorded

21. After being vomited onto dry land, Jonah received God's call a second time. How was the second call worded differently from the first?

1. The first came with a threat of punishment; the second came with a promise of protection during the mission
2. The first gave no specific message; the second specified the exact words Jonah must say
3. The first said 'preach against Nineveh'; the second said 'proclaim to it the message I give you' — shifting from condemnation to proclamation
4. The wording was identical — God repeated himself exactly to underscore the command Jonah had already been given

22. How large was Nineveh, according to Jonah 3:3?

1. A city so vast that ten days were needed to cross it on horseback
2. A city with walls ten miles long and wide enough for three chariots abreast
3. A very large city — it took three days to go through it
4. The greatest city on earth with a population of five hundred thousand souls

23. What was the entirety of Jonah's recorded sermon to Nineveh?

1. 'Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown'
2. 'Hear the word of the Lord your God — forty days remain before your destruction comes upon you'
3. 'Repent and turn from your evil ways, or the Lord will destroy you as he destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah'
4. 'The God of Israel has seen your wickedness and his wrath will consume you — turn or be destroyed'

24. The Ninevites' response to Jonah's message was extraordinary. What did the people immediately do?

1. The Ninevites believed God. A fast was proclaimed and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth
2. They drove Jonah out of the city but declared a day of prayer among themselves afterward
3. They gathered in the city square and debated whether Jonah's God was real before deciding to repent
4. They threw Jonah in prison and sent messengers to the king to decide what to do

25. When the king of Nineveh heard Jonah's message, what did he do?

1. He declared a public holiday and invited all people to hear Jonah preach in the city square
2. He ordered his soldiers to test Jonah with a trial to see if he was a true prophet
3. He rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust
4. He summoned Jonah to his palace and questioned him at length about the God of Israel

26. The king of Nineveh issued a royal decree about the fast. What did it command, and what hope did it express?

1. All citizens must confess their sins publicly before an assembly of priests and then fast for forty days
2. All people and animals must fast and wear sackcloth — no person or animal is to eat or drink; everyone must call urgently on God and give up their evil ways — 'Who knows? God may yet relent and not destroy us'
3. The city must be silent for three days — no work, no speech, no food — then God will hear and forgive
4. The king decreed that all idols be torn down and their temples burned, and that the people worship the God of Israel from that day forward

27. How did God respond when he saw Nineveh's repentance?

1. He decided to give them forty more years before judging them, as a test of their sincerity
2. He relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened
3. He sent Jonah back to tell the city they had been forgiven permanently
4. He was pleased but told Jonah to return in forty years to check on their faithfulness

28. Jonah's reaction to God's mercy on Nineveh was deeply negative. What does Jonah 4:1 say?

1. 'But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry'
2. 'Jonah sat down outside the city, despairing that his prophecy had not been fulfilled'
3. 'Jonah was confused — he could not understand why God would spare such evil people'
4. 'Jonah wept and said: Lord, why have you made me preach mercy when I preached only judgment?'

29. Jonah prayed angrily in chapter 4. His prayer reveals the real reason he had fled to Tarshish. What was it?

1. 'Lord, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity'
2. He did not believe Nineveh could truly repent — he knew their hearts were too hard and corrupt
3. He was afraid the Ninevites would kill him before he finished preaching
4. He was concerned that if Nineveh repented, God would favour them over Israel his own people

30. After his prayer, Jonah asked God to take his life. What did he say?

1. 'It would have been better for me never to have been born than to see this day'
2. 'Lord, if you will not destroy Nineveh, then destroy me — I cannot live in a world where such evil goes unpunished'
3. 'Lord, take away my life — I am ashamed of what I have done and cannot face my people'
4. 'Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live'

31. God's response to Jonah's anger was a single question. What did God ask?

1. 'Do you have reason to be angry about Nineveh's repentance?'
2. 'Is it right for you to be angry?'
3. 'Jonah, why are you angry? Is my mercy not my own to give as I please?'
4. 'Who are you to judge my compassion, Jonah?'

32. Jonah built a shelter east of the city and waited. What was he hoping to see?

1. He hoped God would change his mind and still destroy Nineveh after all
2. He sat in the shade hoping God would speak to him again and explain his reasoning
3. He was resting after his exhausting mission and had no particular expectation
4. He was waiting to see if Nineveh's repentance was genuine or would fade away

33. God provided a plant to give Jonah shade. How did Jonah feel about the plant?

1. He took the plant as a sign that God approved of his waiting and would yet destroy Nineveh
2. He was relieved to have more shade than his small shelter provided but was still angry at God
3. He was surprised by the plant but suspected God was trying to comfort him to change his mind
4. Jonah was very happy about the plant — it gave him great comfort

34. The next morning God provided two more things — one to destroy the plant and one to add to Jonah's misery. What were they?

1. A frost that killed the plant overnight, and strong cold winds that made Jonah shiver in his shelter
2. A storm that uprooted the plant, and a drought that parched the land around the city
3. A worm that chewed the plant so it withered, and a scorching east wind — with blazing sun on Jonah's head
4. Locusts that consumed the plant's leaves, and a thick fog that brought no relief from the heat

35. Jonah again asked to die over the withered plant. What did God ask him this time?

1. 'Are you more concerned about a plant than about the souls of Nineveh?'
2. 'Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?'
3. 'What is more important to you, Jonah — your comfort or my glory?'
4. 'Would you rather have shade than see my mercy at work in the world?'

36. God's final speech to Jonah is the climax of the book. What was his argument?

1. 'If I show mercy to a plant that lasts a day, how much more will I show mercy to a great city full of human beings made in my image?'
2. 'Is your mercy for yourself greater than my mercy for the world?'
3. 'You are angry about a plant you did not tend or grow — how can I not be concerned about Nineveh where there are more than 120,000 people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and also many animals?'
4. 'Your concern is for your own comfort, Jonah. My concern is for all people everywhere — including those who are your enemies'

37. What does the phrase 'who cannot tell their right hand from their left' in Jonah 4:11 most likely refer to?

1. People who are morally confused and cannot distinguish right from wrong
2. People who are spiritually blind — stumbling in the darkness without God's revelation
3. Soldiers who do not know which direction to fight — the city is militarily helpless
4. Young children — perhaps indicating how many innocent children lived in the city

38. The book of Jonah ends abruptly with God's unanswered question. What is the literary effect of this open ending?

1. It demonstrates that God's grace always has the final word — even an angry prophet cannot silence it
2. It invites the reader to place themselves in Jonah's position and answer the question themselves — do we share Jonah's attitude or God's?
3. It shows that Jonah was condemned for his attitude and God withdrew his favour from the prophet
4. It suggests the story is incomplete and Jonah eventually repented — the ending was lost

39. Which of these is a key theme of the book of Jonah?

1. Prophetic accuracy — God's word always comes to pass exactly as spoken
2. The danger of false prophecy — Jonah's message did not come true and this tested his credibility
3. The importance of baptism — the water imagery of the sea, rain and the fish represent spiritual cleansing
4. The universal scope of God's compassion — extending even to Israel's enemies

40. What does the structure of the book reveal about Jonah as a character? He prays twice — once from inside the fish and once in anger outside the city. What contrast do the two prayers show?

1. The first prayer is full of gratitude and praise; the second is a complaint — yet both show Jonah engaging honestly with God rather than abandoning prayer altogether
2. The first prayer is long and elaborate; the second is brief — showing how suffering improves our communication with God
3. The first prayer is orthodox theology; the second is heresy — Jonah has regressed spiritually from his experience in the fish
4. The first prayer shows faith in God's power; the second shows ignorance of God's character