NT Text: Matthew 12:40
OT Source(s):
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type: Allusion
Connection Method(s): Typology
Significance: Jesus establishes Jonah as a type of his death and resurrection - the prophet's three days in the fish prefigures Christ's three days in the tomb. "Three days and three nights" is a Jewish idiom meaning any part of three consecutive days, not necessarily 72 full hours. The sign is not the crucifixion itself but the resurrection - God's vindication of Jesus just as Jonah's rescue vindicated his prophetic ministry. This comparison also highlights that even pagan Ninevites repented under Jonah's preaching, making the Jewish leaders' unbelief more inexcusable.