Jonah name meaning: origin and Bible context
Jonah name meaning is often given as dove, though the older entries differ. Jonah is commonly glossed dove by Easton and Smith.
Last updated October 15, 2026
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Jonah name meaning is often given as dove, though the older entries differ. Jonah is commonly glossed dove by Easton and Smith. Hitchcock's entry also lists he that oppresses and destroyer. The prophet is identified as the son of Amittai; dictionary alternatives should remain attributed.
Jonah; Jonas in KJV New Testament passages. The book names him as the son of Amittai. Jonah 1 begins with a commission to Nineveh and Jonah's flight toward Tarshish. The story identifies him by his father. Second Kings 14:25 also names Jonah son of Amittai and locates him at Gath Hepher. Those identifiers connect the references more firmly than a name gloss does.
Jonah name meaning and dictionary readings
| Historical source | Entry wording | Source record |
|---|---|---|
| Hitchcock | or Jonas, a dove; he that oppresses; destroyer | Hitchcock: JONAH |
| Easton | Jonah A dove, the son of Amittai of Gath-hepher. […] | Easton: JONAH |
| Smith | ( dove ), the fifth of the minor prophets, was the son of Amittai, and a native of Gath-hepher. […] | Smith: JONAH |
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Bearers, aliases and passage context
Jonah; Jonas in KJV New Testament passages. The book names him as the son of Amittai.
Jonah 1 begins with a commission to Nineveh and Jonah's flight toward Tarshish. The story identifies him by his father. Second Kings 14:25 also names Jonah son of Amittai and locates him at Gath Hepher. Those identifiers connect the references more firmly than a name gloss does.
Dove is the shared short gloss in Easton and Smith. Hitchcock preserves extra alternatives. Those alternatives should not be blended into a new sentence that says Jonah definitely means a destroying dove. A list of glosses is not a compound definition, and a historical entry is not a modern lexical consensus.
The opening flight and the closing dispute over mercy give the book its own account of Jonah's choices. Jonah 4 says that he is angry about the outcome at Nineveh. The story's ending cannot be derived from a dove's presumed qualities. Symbolic readings need textual grounds beyond the English gloss.
The Jonah or Jonas spelling difference can help trace a quotation across English editions. It does not turn every person with a similar name into the same biblical bearer. Nor does a present-day encounter with a dove establish a personal message from this book.
Selected passages in three editions
The panels quote a selection. Other references in the explanation identify related scenes; read their full context in the named biblical book.
Jonah 1:1-3
King James Version (eng-kjv2006, standard 1769 text)
1 Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.
World English Bible Classic (eng-web, US spelling)
1 Now Yahweh’s word came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me.”
3 But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid its fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of Yahweh.
American Standard Version (eng-asv)
1 Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.
3 But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah; and he went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of Jehovah.
After (WEB Classic): 4 But Yahweh sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty storm on the sea, so that the ship was likely to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and every man cried to his god. They threw the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone down into the innermost parts of the ship and he was laying down, and was fast asleep.
2 Kings 14:25
King James Version (eng-kjv2006, standard 1769 text)
25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.
World English Bible Classic (eng-web, US spelling)
25 He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath to the sea of the Arabah, according to Yahweh, the God of Israel’s word, which he spoke by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was from Gath Hepher.
American Standard Version (eng-asv)
25 He restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of Jehovah, the God of Israel, which he spake by his servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.
Before (WEB Classic): 23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah, Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in Samaria for forty-one years. 24 He did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight. He didn’t depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with which he made Israel to sin.
After (WEB Classic): 26 For Yahweh saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter for all, slave and free; and there was no helper for Israel. 27 Yahweh didn’t say that he would blot out the name of Israel from under the sky; but he saved them by the hand of Jeroboam the son of Joash.
FAQ
Does Jonah mean peace because a dove can symbolize peace?
The historical gloss dove does not automatically carry every later association of doves. Jonah's narrative concerns a commission, flight, repentance and mercy. Any peace reading needs its own evidence; it is not contained in the name gloss alone.
Related meanings
Biblical names and their meanings
How to study Jonah
Use son of Amittai as the identifying phrase in Jonah and Kings. Read the command, the flight and the complaint about mercy as distinct actions. Then ask what the dictionaries actually gloss. A dove association is one kind of evidence; the prophet's choices are another.
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Verdict: Jonah in the biblical passages
Jonah name meaning is commonly given as dove, with additional historical alternatives attributed above. Jonah's mission and anger come from the book. Neither a dove nor a modern sign supplies a new prediction from that name.