Now the word of Yahweh came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying,
Such a prophecy was doubtless made before the beginning of Jeroboam's reign, or at least very early in it; and one sure result of such a favorable prophecy's being remarkably fulfilled would have been the establishment of Jonah as a national hero among the Israelites of the northern kingdom.  It cannot be imagined that any Israelite at some later time would have forged or invented a story such as this which portrays the prophet in such an unfavorable light.