# Jonah a person or thing whose presence is supposed to bring bad luck. From Jonah, an Israelite whom God had called to be a prophet but who refused to accept his mission and left on a sea voyage instead. Per the Old Testament God then raised a great storm as a sign of his anger with Jonah. The sailors, realizing that Jonah's disobedience had caused the storm, threw him overboard in an attempt to save their ship.