The funny thing about Jonah is that it’s not really prophecy at all! There are only eight words of prophecy in the whole book! (Jonah 3:4) It’s more about the prophet than the prophecy.
But it’s even more about God than about Jonah. God is the Creator and King of the whole universe, but he chooses to work out his purposes using people like Jonah. In fact, he does it DESPITE Jonah. And chooses whom he will show his compassion, love and forgiveness to.
2 Kings 14:25 is the only other Biblical reference to Jonah. It tells us that Jonah prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Jeroboam II (793-753 BC).
Assyria was the most powerful nation of Jonah’s day, and Nineveh was her capital. Assyria eventually captured Samaria, the capital of Israel, and conquered Israel in 722 BC.