Jonah

Jonah (meaning: a dove; he that oppresses; destroyer), son of Amittai of Gath-hepher in Zebulun, was a prophet who predicted the restoration of Israel's borders under Jeroboam II. He is best known for the divine commission to preach repentance to Nineveh, which he attempted to flee by sea, was swallowed by a great fish for three days and nights, and after deliverance fulfilled his mission — to his own dismay when the city repented and God relented from judgment.

Jesus cited Jonah's three days in the fish as a sign of his own death and resurrection, making Jonah a typological figure of central importance to the New Testament's understanding of redemption and the mission to the nations.