Religion & Spirituality
The prophet Jonah was commissioned to travel 550 miles to Ninevah, a mighty city in the Assyrian Empire, and proclaim to that city the coming judgment of Yahweh.Instead, Jonah fled to Joppa, chartered a ship, and went down into the hold as it departed for Tarshish, on the coast of Spain. A huge wind rose up and threatened to break the ship. The sailors cried out to their gods, threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship, and finally desperately tried to row for the shore. Ultimately, they cried out to Jonah's God, Yahweh Elohim, before casting Jonah into the sea. The storm ceased immediately, and terrified the sailors.