Selected story
Jonah
Read the cited context and compare 11 documented textual points.
Comparison 9 of 34
Jonah
The two accounts at a glance
Bible
World English BibleJonah flees, is swallowed by a great fish, prays, is delivered, and resents Nineveh's reprieve.
Qur'an
Sahih InternationalJonah/Dhu al-Nun flees, is swallowed by a fish, calls on God, is cast ashore, and his people believe.
These are concise account summaries with exact references. Open the complete texts at these passages →
11 documented comparison points
The comparison reads the entire book of Jonah and every Qur'anic reference to Jonah's flight, lot, fish, prayer, deliverance, plant, mission, and believing people. Labels use one standard: agreement means both texts state the point; additional detail means one adds a non-conflicting detail; omission means one is silent; ambiguity means an identity or meaning is not explicit; contradiction means both texts state mutually exclusive claims. Stylistic wording alone is not counted.
The city Jonah is sent to
God explicitly sends Jonah to Nineveh because of its wickedness.
Jonah is sent to a people numbering one hundred thousand or more, and Q 10 refers to Jonah's people; Nineveh and Assyria are not named in the verses.
Where Jonah tries to flee
Jonah boards at Joppa for Tarshish to flee from Yahweh's presence.
Jonah runs away to a laden ship, but Joppa, Tarshish, and the stated motive of fleeing God's presence are not named.
The storm and the sailors
God sends a storm; pagan sailors pray, throw cargo overboard, question Jonah, reluctantly cast him into the sea, then fear Yahweh and make vows.
The ship is laden and lots are cast, but the storm, cargo, sailors' prayers, interrogation, reluctance, sacrifice, and vows are not narrated.
Time inside the fish
Jonah is inside the great fish three days and three nights.
The fish swallows Jonah, but no three-day and three-night duration is stated.
Jonah's prayer
Jonah prays a long psalm of distress and thanksgiving from the fish, describing descent and promising worship.
Jonah calls from darkness that there is no god but God, glorifies Him, and confesses wrongdoing; the prayer is brief.
How Jonah leaves the fish
Yahweh commands the fish, and it vomits Jonah onto dry land.
The fish casts Jonah onto a bare shore while he is sick; the wording does not describe vomiting.
The plant provided for Jonah
After Nineveh repents, God appoints a plant to shade Jonah, then a worm and scorching wind to teach him compassion.
After Jonah is cast onto the open shore while ill, God causes a gourd vine to grow over him; the passage then states that he is sent to one hundred thousand or more.
Jonah's proclamation
Jonah proclaims that Nineveh will be overthrown in forty days.
The people believe and are granted enjoyment for a time, but Jonah's forty-day proclamation is not quoted.
How the people repent
People and king fast, wear sackcloth, cover animals, cry to God, and turn from violence.
Jonah's people are exceptional because they believe and are spared; the king, sackcloth, animal fast, and decree are not narrated.
Jonah's anger at mercy
Jonah becomes angry when Nineveh is spared, admits he fled because he knew God was merciful, and argues that death is preferable.
Jonah is described as departing in anger and warned not to be like the companion of the fish, but no post-repentance argument over mercy is narrated.
How the story ends
The book ends with God's unanswered question about compassion for Nineveh's people and animals.
The accounts end with Jonah chosen among the righteous, his people believing, and temporary enjoyment; no final dialogue about 120,000 people and cattle appears.
What do both texts share?
- Jonah flees and is swallowed by a great fish.
- He calls on God and is delivered.
- His people receive a warning and mercy.