Simon Peter and Jonah

I take it that your question is occasioned by Matthew 16:17. “Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.’” (The King James Version had rendered Peter’s identity as “Simon Barjona,” “Simon, son of Jonah.”) Jesus spoke those words after Peter confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Savior, the Son of God. In that verse Jesus described Simon as “son of Jonah.” Elsewhere (John 1:42) Simon Peter is called “son of John.” “John” and “Jonah” reflect the variants, or slight differences, in the Greek text.

Simon Peter’s father was “John” or “Jonah.” Let’s say his name was Jonah. He was not the one after whom the Old Testament book is named. Simon Peter’s father and that Jonah only shared a common name. They were separated in time by about nine centuries.

Lastly, “whale” is not part of the Bible’s vocabulary regarding the Jonah of the Old Testament; “huge fish” is. But thanks for an interesting question.