This article is part of a series on the history of the Old Testament. This article is about the historical background of the Israelites (especially the northern kingdom) throughout the time of the prophets. The author focuses here on the message of the prophet Jonah during the time of Jeroboam II, looking at the reasons why he did not want to go to Nineveh. The light of God's promises in Christ shone even in Jonah's preaching to Nineveh.