The Canonical Column, Book 32: Jonah

We continue our journey through the Canonical Column with the thirty-second book of the biblical canon—Jonah. For those unfamiliar with this mystery, the Canonical Column is the name I have given to a framework embedded within the Bible that bears dual witness to the divinely sanctioned biblical canon through an organized network of witnessing chapters in three key books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Leviticus, and Isaiah.¹ For a deeper understanding of this framework, I highly recommend reading the introductory article linked above, which lays the foundational context for the insights explored in this post.²

Suffice it to say that the Canonical Column refers to a divinely designed structural framework and prophetic network embedded within the Bible which bears witness to the final form of the biblical canon—testifying to its 39–27 book division, identifying all 66 books within it, and even delineating the exact order in which they would appear. In this sense, it may be likened to an internal measuring line that God deliberately placed within his Word, allowing us to determine objectively which canon of Scripture is the correct one.

As established in previous installments, every book of the Bible is confirmed by two witnessing chapters within the Canonical Column—one drawn from the Law (Genesis 12–50 or Leviticus) and the other from the Prophets (Isaiah).³ In the case of Jonah, its two witnesses are Genesis 43 and Isaiah 32. Both of these chapters function within their respective branches of the Canonical Column as figurative types of the book of Jonah. To this end, each has been divinely embedded with textual allusions to specific passages within Jonah and intentionally sequenced as the thirty-second chapter in its branch of the framework, reflecting Jonah’s ordinal position as the thirty-second book of the Old Testament and of the Bible at large. As we will see, it is by the mouth of these two witnesses that the divine inspiration, canonicity, and ordained placement of the book of Jonah are firmly established.

Table of Contents anchor

The book of Jonah

The book of Jonah stands out among the prophetic writings for its unique narrative format and its profound theological depth. Unlike most prophetic books, which primarily record oracles and sermons, Jonah centers on the prophet’s personal journey, his reluctance to obey God’s call, and the surprising mercy God extends to a repentant pagan city. Set during the reign of Jeroboam II in the Northern Kingdom (2 Kings 14:25), Jonah’s mission to Nineveh—capital of the ruthless Assyrian Empire—serves as a powerful demonstration of God’s sovereignty over all nations and His willingness to relent from judgment when repentance occurs.

At only four chapters, Jonah’s brevity is matched by the richness of its symbolism. The narrative’s key episodes—the storm at sea, the prophet’s three days in the belly of the great fish, his reluctant preaching, and Nineveh’s corporate repentance—are loaded with prophetic imagery. Jonah’s time in the fish’s belly foreshadows Christ’s burial and resurrection (Matt. 12:40), while the book’s closing scene challenges readers with its unflinching portrait of God’s compassion toward all people, even those deemed enemies.

Within the framework of the Canonical Column, Jonah’s placement as the thirty-second book of the biblical canon is affirmed by its two witnessing chapters: Genesis 43 and Isaiah 32. Each contains deliberate structural echoes and thematic parallels to Jonah, testifying to the divine intentionality behind its canonical position.

Authorship & Dating

The book of Jonah does not explicitly identify its author. Jewish tradition, however, has long attributed it to Jonah son of Amittai, the prophet from Gath-hepher in Galilee mentioned in 2 Kings 14:25. This identification is reasonable given the book’s vivid narrative detail and historical framing, though it is also possible that a later prophet or inspired scribe recorded Jonah’s story.

From a conservative perspective, Jonah himself is regarded as both the central figure and the original author. The events are treated as historical—Jonah’s mission to Nineveh, his flight, the great storm, the three days in the belly of the great fish, and Nineveh’s repentance are understood to have occurred exactly as described. In this view, the book is dated to the early–mid 8th century BC, during the reign of Jeroboam II (ca. 793–753 BC), when Assyria was beginning its ascent as a regional superpower. The setting in this period is accepted as historically accurate, with the narrative rooted in genuine events.

From a modern-critical perspective, the book is often seen as a much later work—frequently dated to the 5th–4th century BC. Here, Jonah’s placement in the reign of Jeroboam II is treated as a literary backdrop rather than a precise historical claim. The book is read as an allegorical or didactic tale rather than a historical account, composed to convey theological themes such as God’s sovereignty, His mercy toward non-Israelites, and the folly of narrow nationalism. Critical scholars often point to the universalist scope, the stylized narrative structure, and the absence of specific historical markers as indicators of its fictional or parabolic nature.

Whether viewed as a firsthand prophetic account or as a later inspired parable, Jonah’s message remains anchored in the character of God—sovereign over all nations and eager to relent from judgment when repentance occurs. Within the framework of the Canonical Column, the book’s divine placement as the thirty-second entry in the biblical canon is underscored by the structural witness of its two corresponding chapters: Genesis 43 and Isaiah 32.

Jonah’s witnessing chapters in the Canonical Column

The two witnessing chapters of Jonah within the Canonical Column are Genesis 43 and Isaiah 32. Each of these chapters has been deliberately structured to reflect the book of Jonah, and each has been strategically positioned as the thirty-second chapter within its respective branch of the framework in order to testify of Jonah’s canonical placement. Within both chapters, one can discern divinely embedded allusions to the scenes, imagery, and language of the book of Jonah—through which they together affirm its divine authorship and its ordained position as the thirty-second book of the divinely sanctioned biblical canon.⁴

Context of Genesis 43

Genesis 43 continues the narrative of Joseph’s brothers during the great famine that struck the ancient Near East. In the previous chapter, Joseph—now governor over Egypt—had accused his brothers of being spies and demanded that they bring their youngest brother, Benjamin, as proof of their honesty. Simeon was detained as a hostage until they complied.

As chapter 43 opens, the famine has worsened, exhausting the grain they had previously purchased. Jacob reluctantly consents to send Benjamin with them to Egypt after Judah offers himself as a surety for his safety. The brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin, double the money for grain, and an additional gift for Joseph. Upon their arrival, they are unexpectedly invited to Joseph’s house for a meal—a gesture that fills them with both fear and confusion, as they do not yet recognize him.

The chapter climaxes with the emotional scene of Joseph seeing Benjamin for the first time since their separation. Deeply moved, Joseph withdraws to weep privately before composing himself to dine with them. This chapter, though part of the Joseph narrative, is rich with themes of reconciliation, providence, and the unexpected mercy of one who has every reason to exact vengeance—all of which provide fertile ground for structural and thematic parallels to the book of Jonah.

Genesis 43 -> Jonah

In the table below, we examine a series of textual allusions and structural echoes between Genesis 43 and the book of Jonah. Though separated by more than seven centuries in historical setting and differing widely in literary form, both are woven together by shared themes of reluctant journeys, providential reversals, and unexpected mercy toward those who do not deserve it. As with other Canonical Column pairings, these connections are not the product of coincidence or imaginative parallel-making—they reflect intentional, Spirit-breathed design. As the thirty-second chapter of The Circumcision (Genesis 12–50), Genesis 43 has been purposefully embedded with prophetic shadows, thematic correspondences, and linguistic echoes that align with the tone, imagery, and message of Jonah, thereby affirming its divinely appointed role as a witness to the thirty-second book of the biblical canon.

Genesis 43	Jonah
And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have yet another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?5 (Genesis 43:7)	Then said they unto him, Tell us, we pray thee, for whose cause this evil is upon us; What is thine occupation? and whence comest thou? what is thy country? and of what people art thou? (Jonah 1:8)
And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.6 (Genesis 43:8)	Therefore now, O LORD, take, I beseech thee, my life from me; for it is better for me to die than to live. (Jonah 4:3)
For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.7 (Genesis 43:10)	And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. (Jonah 3:1-2)
And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. . .8 . (Genesis 43:23)	Wherefore they cried unto the LORD, and said, We beseech thee, O LORD, we beseech thee, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not upon us innocent blood: for thou, O LORD, hast done as it pleased thee. So they took up Jonah, and cast him forth into the sea: and the sea ceased from her raging. (Jonah 1:14-15)
And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son.9(Genesis 43:29)	And he prayed unto the LORD, and said, I pray thee, O LORD, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. (Jonah 4:2)
And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.10 (Genesis 43:33)	So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. (Jonah 3:5)

Context of Isaiah 32

Isaiah 32 presents a prophetic vision of righteous rule, contrasting the justice and stability of a future ideal king with the corruption and complacency of the present order. The chapter opens with the declaration that “a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment” (v. 1). Under this reign, each leader is likened to a shelter from the wind, a refuge from the storm, and streams of water in a dry place—images that convey both protection and life-giving renewal.

The prophecy then turns to rebuke the spiritual blindness and moral decay of the prophet’s contemporaries. Isaiah warns the “careless women” of Jerusalem to prepare for coming desolation, as the land will be abandoned and the city forsaken until the Spirit is poured out from on high (vv. 9–15). This outpouring will bring transformation: barren land will become fertile, justice will dwell in the wilderness, and peace, quietness, and assurance will characterize the righteous reign (vv. 16–18).

Though rooted in the immediate historical realities of Isaiah’s day, the imagery and structure of this chapter carry forward into prophetic parallels with the book of Jonah. Both speak of God’s capacity to overturn judgment through repentance or renewal, employ vivid nature imagery to illustrate spiritual truths, and highlight the tension between divine justice and divine mercy. These thematic and symbolic resonances form the foundation for Isaiah 32’s role as Jonah’s prophetic witness within the Canonical Column.

Isaiah 32 -> Jonah

In the table below, we trace a series of textual allusions and structural correspondences between Isaiah 32 and the book of Jonah. Though their immediate historical contexts are vastly different—Isaiah addressing the moral decay of Judah, Jonah recounting a reluctant prophet’s mission to Nineveh—both are bound together by the themes of impending judgment, the transformative power of divine intervention, and the peace that follows repentance. As with other Canonical Column pairings, these parallels are not the fruit of coincidence or creative imagination, but the result of deliberate, Spirit-breathed design. As the thirty-second chapter of First Isaiah (Isa. 1-39), Isaiah 32 has been intentionally structured with prophetic shadows, thematic harmonies, and parallel imagery that aligns with the book of Jonah, thereby confirming its role as a divinely appointed witness to the thirty-second book of the biblical canon.

Isaiah 32	Jonah
And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; . . .11 (Isaiah 32:2a)	But the LORD sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. (Jonah 1:4)
; . . . as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.12 (Isaiah 32:2b)	So Jonah went out of the city, and sat on the east side of the city, and there made him a booth, and sat under it in the shadow, till he might see what would become of the city. And the LORD God prepared a gourd, and made it to come up over Jonah, that it might be a shadow over his head, to deliver him from his grief. So Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd. (Jonah 4:5-6)
And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.13 (Isaiah 32:3)	So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. (Jonah 3:5)
For the vile person will speak villany, and his heart will work iniquity, to practice hypocrisy, and to utter error against the LORD, to make empty the soul of the hungry, and he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.14 (Isaiah 32:6)	So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing. let them not feed, nor drink water: (Jonah 3:5-7)
Tremble, ye women that are at ease; be troubled, ye careless ones; strip you, and make you bare, and gird sackcloth upon your loins.15(Isaiah 32:11)	But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. (Jonah 3:6-8)

Conclusion: The Canonical Column affirms the canonicity and ordinal position of Jonah as the thirty-second book of the biblical canon.

The canonicity of the book of Jonah is affirmed by its two witnessing chapters within the Canonical Column: Genesis 43 and Isaiah 32. These two chapters have been deliberately structured and sequenced as the thirty-second chapter within their respective branches of the Canonical Column, in order to function as individual figurative types of the book of Jonah–the thirty-second book of the Old Testament and the Bible at large. To this end, both chapters have been divinely embedded with direct allusions to specific passages and content that God in his perfect foreknowledge knew would be contained within the book of Jonah, which was ordained before the foundation of the world to become the thirty-second book of the Old Testament and biblical canon. Accordingly, the divine inspiration, canonicity, and ordinal placement of the book of Jonah are established by the Canonical Column–being witnessed by both the Law & the Prophets.

1. I received the knowledge of this great mystery by the light of divine revelation way back in 2009 (1 Chron. 28:19; Num. 8:4; cf. 1 Cor. 2:10; Gal. 1:12). ↩︎
2. Alternatively, if that article is too long, you can read a summarized version here. ↩︎
3. Every book of the Bible has two chapters which correspond to it within the Canonical Column–one in Genesis 12-50 or Leviticus (the Law), and one in Isaiah (the Prophets). Genesis 12-50 (known in the Canonical Column as “The Circumcision”) and Isaiah 1-39 (known in the Canonical Column as “First Isaiah”) are both figurative types of the Old Testament canon–each containing 39 chapters which have been divinely designed to prefigure the 39 books of the Old Testament canon. Similarly, Leviticus (known in the Canonical Column as “An Holy Priesthood”) and Isaiah 40-66 (known in the Canonical Column as “Second Isaiah”) function as figurative types of the New Testament canon–each containing 27 chapters which have been divinely designed to prefigure the 27 books of the New Testament canon. The individual chapters within these four scaffolding branches of the Canonical Column are known as witnessing chapters, so called because they have been divinely embedded with textual allusions of various kinds to the content of the specific biblical book which occupies the same numerical position within the canonical sequence. Thus the witnessing chapters function as divinely designed figurative types of whatever biblical book they numerically correspond to within their specific branch of the framework–testifying to their divine inspiration, canonicity, and ordinal placement within the completed biblical canon. ↩︎
4. The Canonical Column testifies that the Protestant biblical canon is the divinely sanctioned form of the Christian Bible that is stamped with the Lamb’s seal of messianic approval. ↩︎
5. In Genesis 43:7, Joseph’s brothers recount to their father the probing questions they were asked in Egypt: whether their father was alive, whether they had another brother, and other details of their family circumstances. Within the Canonical Column, this aligns with Jonah 1:8, where the sailors question Jonah in rapid succession about his occupation, origin, and people. In both cases, the dialogue is marked by a series of personal inquiries aimed at identifying a man’s true background. ↩︎
6. In Genesis 43:8, Judah urges Jacob to send Benjamin with him so “we… may live, and not die,” showing his willingness to act for the preservation of others. Within the Canonical Column, this stands in sharp contrast to Jonah 4:3, where the prophet prays for death, saying it is “better… to die than to live” after Nineveh’s repentance. The juxtaposition presents opposite appeals — one seeking life for others, the other seeking death for self. ↩︎
7. In Genesis 43:10, Judah laments that if they had not delayed, they could have already completed their journey to Egypt a second time. Within the Canonical Column, this corresponds to Jonah 3:1–2, where the word of the LORD comes to the prophet “the second time,” recommissioning him after his earlier refusal. In both instances, the “second time” marks a renewed opportunity to fulfill a delayed mission. ↩︎
8. In Genesis 43:23, Joseph’s steward reassures the brothers, “Peace be to you, fear not,” dispelling their anxiety over the money found in their sacks. Within the Canonical Column, this functions as an imagistic allusion to Jonah 1:15, where the sea “ceased from her raging” once Jonah was cast into the waters — an image that functions as a metaphor for the arrival of peace and tranquility. In both scenes, a decisive act transforms an atmosphere of danger and unrest into one of calm assurance. ↩︎
9. In Genesis 43:29, Joseph blesses Benjamin with the words, “God be gracious unto thee, my son,” invoking divine favor. Within the Canonical Column, this corresponds to Jonah 4:2, where the prophet likewise acknowledges that God is “a gracious God,” though in the context of frustration over Nineveh’s spared judgment. In both cases, the gracious nature of God is affirmed, though received in sharply contrasting emotional tones. ↩︎
10. In Genesis 43:33, Joseph’s brothers are seated “the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth,” prompting their astonishment. Within the Canonical Column, this functions as an allusion to Jonah 3:5, where Nineveh’s repentance is described as occurring “from the greatest of them even to the least of them.” In both, the text draws deliberate attention to an intentional ordering from highest to lowest, highlighting the unity of the group’s shared experience. ↩︎
11. In Isaiah 32:2, the coming king is likened to “a hiding place from the wind” and “a covert from the tempest,” offering protection from danger. Within the Canonical Column, this aligns with Jonah 1:4, where the LORD sends “a great wind” and “a mighty tempest” upon the sea, threatening the ship’s survival. The identical imagery creates a deliberate contrast between the danger posed by the storm and the refuge described in Isaiah’s prophecy. ↩︎
12. In Isaiah 32:2, the king is also compared to “the shadow of a great rock in a weary land,” a metaphor for relief and refreshment. Within the Canonical Column, this corresponds to Jonah 4:5–6, where God prepares a gourd to provide Jonah “a shadow over his head” to deliver him from his grief. In both cases, shadow imagery conveys comfort and protection in a place of weariness. ↩︎
13. In Isaiah 32:3, the prophet declares that “the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken,” describing a people responsive to truth. Within the Canonical Column, this parallels Jonah 3:5, where the people of Nineveh hear the prophet’s warning, believe God, and repent — a citywide demonstration of “ears that hear” hearkening to divine instruction. ↩︎
14. In Isaiah 32:6, the vile person “makes empty the soul of the hungry” and “causes the drink of the thirsty to fail,” depicting deliberate deprivation. Within the Canonical Column, this functions as a clever allusion to Jonah 3:7, where the king of Nineveh decrees that neither man nor beast may eat or drink during the citywide fast. In both cases, an authority figure imposes a withholding of food and drink from an entire population. ↩︎
15. In Isaiah 32:11, the prophet commands the “careless” women to “gird sackcloth upon your loins” in response to coming judgment. Within the Canonical Column, this functions as an allusion to Jonah 3:6–8, where the king of Nineveh decrees that “man and beast be covered with sackcloth” as a sign of repentance. In both scenes, sackcloth serves as a visible emblem of humility and mourning before God’s judgment. ↩︎

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