Amittai (; he, אֲמִתַּי, ''ʾÁmītay'', "true"; or "my truth"
la, Amathi; ar, مَتّىٰ, Mattā) was the father of the Prophet
Jonah
Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th cent ...
. He was also a native of
Gath-hepher
Gath-hepher or Gat Hefer ( he, גַּת הַחֵֽפֶר) was a border town in ancient Israel. It was the home of the prophet Jonah. The etymology of the name is literally " wine-press of the digging" and is mentioned twice in the Bible at Josh ...
.
In the Bible
Amittai is only mentioned twice in the Bible, in and . Nothing is known about him, other than that he was Jonah's father.
In Islam
Amittai (''Matta'' in Arabic) is also mentioned in
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
by
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
. When Muhammad was returning from preaching in Ta'if and decided to take shelter in the garden of two leaders, Addas, a lowly servant boy, was sent to offer grapes to Muhammad. When Addas came, Muhammad asked which land he came from. Addas replied he was from
Nineveh
Nineveh (; akk, ; Biblical Hebrew: '; ar, نَيْنَوَىٰ '; syr, ܢܝܼܢܘܹܐ, Nīnwē) was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located in the modern-day city of Mosul in northern Iraq. It is located on the eastern ban ...
. Upon receiving this answer, Muhammad exclaimed "The town of
Jonah
Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th cent ...
, son of Amittai!" Overjoyed, Muhammad then told Addas how
Jonah
Jonah or Jonas, ''Yōnā'', "dove"; gr, Ἰωνᾶς ''Iōnâs''; ar, يونس ' or '; Latin: ''Ionas'' son of Amittai, is a prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran, from Gath-hepher of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th cent ...
and he (Muhammad) were prophetic brothers.
References
{{Authority control
Hebrew Bible people
Jonah