Jonah or Jesus? An Exposition of Jonah 1:1
Introduction
The following discussion focuses on just one verse in the Bible and is excerpted from a much longer exposition on the entire Book of Jonah. The key takeaway is that there is a lot more to any one verse in the Bible than meets the eye.
Jonah 1:1, “Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,“
A lot of very important information is packed into this little verse. At the start, it is clear that Jonah’s office or role was that of a prophet, for the word of God came specifically to the prophets to declare that Word unto the people (Hebrews 1:1, Jeremiah 29:19, Hosea 12:10, and many others).
But before proceeding with this exposition of Jonah 1:1, We should look to Matthew 12:38-41, where we find the account in which “certain of the scribes and Pharisees” asked Jesus to show them a sign to validate that He was indeed the Messiah (that great Prophet) to which Jesus’s only response was to refer them to the book of Jonah. They said, “Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas (Greek for “Jonah”): For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here.” Again, in Matthew 16:4, we hear Jesus say, “A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.“
In Luke 11:29&30, Jesus provides additional insights, “And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation.”
Jonah Is a True Historical Account Based Upon Jesus’ Own Statements!
The reader should take particular note of the importance of the above statements made by Jesus concerning Jonah, because Jesus validated that:
- Jonah was indeed a real person,
- Jonah was a real prophet,
- Jonah was really swallowed by a fish/whale
- Jonah suffered in that situation for 3 days and 3 nights, and
- Jonah served as a “sign” (which pointed to Jesus!) …hence anyone, who disbelieves the book of Jonah, is, in effect, calling Jesus, hence God, a liar!
But we also learn a lot of personal details from Jonah 1:1:
- The Word of the LORD (יְהֹוָה (Yᵊhōvâ))H3068 came to Jonah, hence Jonah was indeed a prophet of God
- Jonah (יוֹנָה (yônâ))H3124, which means “Dove” (or “Turtledove” of “Pigeon”) a sacrificial animal for the poor and leprous
- Jonah’s father was named Amittai (אֲמִתַּי (‘ămitay))H573, which means “Faithful”, “Trustworthy”, “True”, or “My Truth”.
The son of Amittai?
Who is this Amittai? When we “search the scriptures”, we find that the only information concerning him is found in 2 Kings 14:25, and there we find that God corroborates that information along with some new information. There we read, “He (Jeroboam II, king of Israel) restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which [was] of Gathhepher.”
So then, not only are we again told that Jonah was a prophet, just as Jesus had said, because he was indeed identified as a prophet in the Old Testament, as one who spoke “the word of the LORD God of Israel”, but again also that Jonah was the son of Amittai. However, we are also newly informed that Jonah lived during the time of king Jeroboam II in Israel, who reigned 41 years from ~793 BC to ~752). We also newly learn that Jonah was from a village called “Gathhepher”.
Who Does Amittai Typify?
When we search out the meaning of Jonah’s father, “Amittai” , we can begin to see more of what God has in view. In the original Hebrew, Amittai (אֲמִתַּי (‘ămitay))H573 means “Faithful”, “Trustworthy”, “True”, or “My Truth”. Who is it that is repeatedly declared to be “faithful” and “true” in the scriptures? God! and Jesus is God! John 14:6 tells us clearly, “¶Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.“
In Isaiah 25:1 we read, “O LORD, thou [art] my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful [things]; [thy] counsels of old are faithfulness [and] truth“. In Deuteronomy 7:9, we read, “Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he [is] God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;” In John 7:28 we read, “Then cried Jesus in the temple as he taught, saying, Ye both know me, and ye know whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.” We can see then that Amittai is a type or figure chosen by God to represent God the Father. So who does that suggest Jonah might spiritually represent? Remember how above in John 5:39 Jesus said the scriptures testified of Him, hence the title of this chapter heading, “Jonah (or Jesus?)”
But What About the Village of Gathhepher?
If we go back for a moment to 2 Kings 14:25, we are provided additional evidence to confirm that we are on the right track. There we learn that Jonah’s abode or home was in Gathhepher; “He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which [was] of Gathhepher.”
Gathhepher is a primary clue from at least two distinct vantage points. First, if we look in the back of our Bibles at the ancient map of National Israel, we will find, to our utter amazement, that the village of Gathhepher from the Old Testament is located no more than two miles north of Nazareth from the New Testament (Gathhepher is now known as the village of Mashhad, which can even be considered a suburb of the city of Nazareth today). To assure ourselves that this is indeed the case, we have only to search it out in God’s word. From Joshua 19:13, we learn that this town (also referred to as Gittahhepher) was within the borders of the land given to the tribe of Zebulun, “And from thence passeth on along on the east to Gittahhepher (in the original Hebrew this is the same as “Gath-hepher”, and, which translated, means either “well of the winepress” or “winepress of digging” or “winepress of shame” https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Gath-hepher.html), to Ittah-kazin, and goeth out to Remmon-methoar to Neah;” Joshua 19:16, assures us that this village is within Zebulun, “This [is] the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, these cities with their villages.“
From Matthew 4:12-15 (and Isaiah 9:1), we learn that the land of Zebulun (Zabulon in Greek) is identified as being within the region of Galilee, “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he (Jesus) departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias (“Isaiah” in Greek, see Isaiah 9:1) the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, [by] the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles (nations);”
Please also note that when we take a close look at Isaiah 8:11-22, and then Isaiah 9:1 (which Matthew 4:12-15 just pointed us to) and then the verse closely following (Isaiah 9:2), we can gain some additional insights to show us that Jesus is the Christ, and that “Great Prophet”, Whom the people in Jesus’s day were not expecting to have come from Galilee nor would see that Jesus would be the Means of Salvation to all the world (gentiles) and not just the Jews only (of which a remnant would still be saved).
Isaiah 8:11-22, “For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying,12 Say ye not, A confederacy, to all [them] to whom this people shall say, A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid.13 Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and [let] him [be] your fear, and [let] him [be] your dread.14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (See also Romans 9:30-33) 15 And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.16 Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.17 And I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.18 Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and for wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth in mount Zion.19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them.21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.22 And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.” Then Isaiah 9:1 reads, “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.” The dimness and darkness surrounded the nation of Israel (“both houses of Israel” and “the inhabitants of Jerusalem”). However, in the very next verse (Isaiah 9:2) we read, “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.” Those people are the Gentiles!
Which leads us to John 9:5, where Jesus announces, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” after which he immediately healed a blind man, “born blind”. Then we read later in John 9:39,”And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind.”
Getting back to the issue of Galilee…From this Bible study we can see that Jonah was the son of Amittai who was from Gath-Hepher, which is in the land that was given as part of the inheritance by Joshua to the tribe of Zebulun, which is in the region known as Galilee. Isn’t that astounding? Both Jonah and Jesus are Galileans! God raised up the great prophet, Jonah, from the exact same neighborhood as the ultimate “Prophet”, Jesus Christ (except that Jonah lived about 800 years earlier than Jesus). (NOTE: The reader should also be aware that another prophet of God, Nahum, was evidently, like both Jonah and Jesus, also from Galilee, as Capernaum (which is located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee) in Hebrew means “village of Nahum“… Please see the study on the book of Nahum: ). At a minimum, one has to seriously question why the chief priests and Pharisees would have so ardently declared, “Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet,” given that the prophet of God, Jonah (and likely also Nahum), could clearly be identified with the region known as Galilee. As we go on, we will see that these locational correlations between Jonah and Jesus are far more than just coincidence, but, for the moment, it might be profitable to take a slight detour to review another aspect of this geographical information.
The “Winepress of Shame”?
From our geographical study of Gath-hepher we have found the unequivocal similarity between Jonah and Jesus based on the fact that both were “prophets” from Galilee. However, there is one other aspect denoted by Gath-hepher that we must consider. Gath-Hepher is a compound word that is generally thought to mean, “well of the winepress.” In the Hebrew, Gath means “Winepress.” The word hepher, while sometimes translated dig, pit, or well, also means “shame” or “reproach” https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Gath-hepher.html” Amazingly, when we search the Bible, we can again see how this focuses our attention on Jesus. Let’s look at the winepress first.
“Winepress”
“Gath” (גַּת, gat or gittahH1660) is translated as “winepress” in Lamentations 1:15, “The Lord hath trodden under foot all my mighty [men] in the midst of me: he hath called an assembly against me to crush my young men: the Lord hath trodden the virgin, the daughter of Judah, [as] in a winepress H1660 (gath/gittah).”
For further insight on the spiritual role of the “winepress” in scripture let’s look at these Bible verses:
Isaiah 63:1-6, “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore [art thou] red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat (winepress, גַּת (gaṯ) H1660 )? I (Jesus) have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people [there was] none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance [is] in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and [there was] none to help; and I wondered that [there was] none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.“
In Joel 3:13, we read, “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press (גַּת (gaṯ)) H1660 is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness [is] great.” And in Revelation 14:19, “And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast [it] into the great winepress of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand [and] six hundred furlongs.”
Psalm 58:10, “The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.“
In Revelation 19:13, we see this picture of Jesus, “And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.“
Moreover, in Isaiah 34:6, “The sword of the LORD is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, [and] with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the LORD hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumea.“
Clearly the “winepress” refers to God’s wrath that must be brought to bear in judgment for sin. Jesus, as the believers’ atoning sacrifice, first had to endure that wrath and suffer the shame of God’s reproach for their sins. But for those who remain dead in trespasses and sins, they will be tread down in the winepress of God’s wrath by Jesus as their Judge.
“Shame”
It should be noted here that if we look closely at the word “hepher” (חָפַר (ḥāp̄ar) H2658) in the original Hebrew we find the following:
- The verb חפר (hapar) means to dig, both in order to unearth something and to bury something. Hence this verb may be used both to describe (1) a quest for something wanted, and (2) a quest to obscure or cover-up something unwanted.
- The latter usage appears to have evolved into its own verb, namely חפר (haper), to be ashamed, again both because (1) something secret was exposed or (2) something embarrassing is sought to be covered.
In both instances, we can clearly see that, from a Godly/Spiritual standpoint, the “something” that is to be both exposed or covered is SIN! Jesus bears the exposed sins of the believers, he bears our shame, He became “sin for us” as we read in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Also in Isaiah 53:5&6, “But he [was] wounded for our transgressions, [he was] bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace [was] upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” And our sin is covered in the robes of Jesus Christ’s righteousness as we read in Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.” Jesus is the Bridegroom, and the eternal Israel (the eternal Church), is the Bride adorned in the robes of Christ’s righteousness.
Psalms 69 gives us a glimpse of the shame and reproach Jesus had to suffer. However, we are also reminded how, on Judgment Day, Jesus will return as the Judge who pours out God’s judgment on the unsaved for whose sins He did not pay in the winepress of God’s wrath. We read of this in Isaiah 47:3&4, “Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet [thee as] a man, As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.” and in Daniel 12:2, “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame [and] everlasting contempt.“
But thank God Almighty that all believers can joyously proclaim what we read in Hebrews 12:2, “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of [our] faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.“!
Jonah: the “Dove” (a Sacrificial Animal Offering for the Poor and Leprous)
Did you know that Jonah’s name means “dove” or “pigeon” from the Hebrew word for יוֹנָה (yônâ)H3123? Do these terms relate to/prefigure Jesus? Indeed they do! Remember what the dove or pigeon was used for in the scriptures? The dove or pigeon was used as a sacrificial offering for the “poor” and “leprous“. We read this in Leviticus 5:7, “And if he be not able to bring a lamb, then he shall bring for his trespass, which he hath committed, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, unto the LORD; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.” Also in Leviticus 14:29, “And the rest of the oil that [is] in the priest’s hand he shall put upon the head of him that is to be cleansed, to make an atonement for him before the LORD. And he shall offer the one of the turtledoves, or of the young pigeons, such as he can get; [Even] such as he is able to get, the one [for] a sin offering, and the other [for] a burnt offering, with the meat offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for him that is to be cleansed before the LORD. This [is] the law [of him] in whom [is] the plague of leprosy, whose hand is not able to get [that which pertaineth] to his cleansing.“
We know that only Jesus is the valid atoning sacrifice which can satisfy God’s Levitical Law of Sacrifice for our spiritual destitution and the cleansing of our sin, our spiritual uncleannesses (typified by leprosy) and that it was He who was prefigured by the dove and the pigeon. Interestingly, when we look in Jonah 1:4-16, we find that the mariners were forced to cast Jonah into the sea, because it was the only way that they could be saved from the tempest. In essence, Jonah was “sacrificed” by the mariners to appease the wrath of God, which would have otherwise destroyed the ship and all who were aboard it.
Let us take a look at some other places in the Bible where the dove appears. It is used as a representative of God or upon whom God shows favor.
In Genesis 8:11, we read where the dove was the messenger used by Noah to inform him as follows: “And the dove (יוֹנָה (yônâ))H3123 came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf pluckt off: so Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth.“
Psalm 68:13, “Though ye have lien among the pots, [yet shall ye be as] the wings of a dove (יוֹנָה (yônâ))H3123 covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.“
Song of Solomon 2:14, “O my dove,(יוֹנָה (yônâ))H3123 that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret [places] of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet [is] thy voice, and thy countenance [is] comely.” In this poetic allegory, the dove is a representation of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We should also remember God’s usage of the dove, to represent God the Holy Spirit, in the account of our LORD’s baptism, see Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:9, Luke 3:21&22, and John 1:31-34.
A pair of doves (turtledoves) or pigeons was also used as sacrificial offering for the purification of the poor mother of a newborn man child as we read in Leviticus 12:2&3, “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean. And in the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.“, and Leviticus 12:8, “¶And if she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons; the one for the burnt offering, and the other for a sin offering: and the priest shall make an atonement for her, and she shall be clean.” And is it not interesting that this is exactly what was offered at the dedication to the Lord of Jesus, as the first born of Mary, for here purification as we read in Luke 2:22-24, “¶And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present [him] to the Lord; (As it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;) And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.“
Conclusion: Jonah or Jesus?
By way of exhortation, let’s review what we have learned…
Jonah was indeed a prophet who arose from Galilee (the exact same region as Jesus!). Furthermore, Jonah’s dwelling place was in Gath-hepher, which pointed to the judgment of God as we have seen. That winepress was where the LORD became sin for the believers as God the Father pressed out of Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, the sweat as it were great drops of blood as one treading under foot the grapes in the vat. This was indeed the dwelling place of Jesus! It was most necessary for Him to dwell in Gath-hepher for a time that He might become a sacrifice for the poor in spirit, the spiritually leprous and hence unclean with sin. For the believers, Jesus became poor and unclean, that they might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9) and clean before God. Jesus was also referred to by God as the Prophet. Jonah was also the son of Amittai, which means “faithful” and “true”. We know that Jesus is the Son of God who is Faithful and True and indeed is “The Truth“. Finally, the dove (a clean sacrificial animal for the poor), again points us to the sacrifice of Christ for the sins of God’s elect, and it reminds us of the Holy Spirit as He came upon Jesus to validate His ministry as the Priest, Prophet, and King, and His evangelical work through His believers bringing salvation to a hostile world, yours and mine (typified by Nineveh in the book of Jonah).
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