Jonah

An Old Testament prophet who had to be swallowed by a huge fish before he was willing to obey God. When God called him to preach in a Gentile city, Nineveh, in about 745 BC, Jonah did not want to go. He was afraid the people would repent and God would spare the wicked city. After all, the Assyrians, whose capital city was Nineveh, had been very cruel to the people of Israel. Jonah wanted God to destroy this city. God allowed Jonah to be swallowed by a fish until Jonah obeyed God.