Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669

Jonah Praying before the Walls of Nineveh

drawing with pen and brush (22 × 17 cm) — c. 1655 Albertina, Vienna

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn biography

This work is linked to Jonah 3:4

God had told the prophet Jonah to tell the citizens of the Assyrian city of Nineveh that their wicked, impious city would be destroyed in forty days. The prophet wasn't very happy with the task. He sailed in the wrong direction, got caught in a storm, was thrown overboard and swallowed by a whale. It wasn't until he was spit out again, after three days, that he accepted the charge.

It only took a short preaching by Jonah to bring the citizens of Nineveh to remorse. That turned into another test for Jonah, as God now abandoned his plan to destroy the city.

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