The book of Jonah was written by Jonah in Palestine in about 853-824 BC. The book is a story of a biased Jew who preached and converted the whole city of Nineveh after being chastened by the Lord for his disobedience. The purpose of the book was to show why Nineveh was destroyed and the Assyrian Empire was delayed by God for almost a century; to show that God's mercy and salvation are for both Jews and Gentiles who repent and turn to him; and to illustrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.