Book of Jonah Quiz: Part 1

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