Jonah vs. Jinx — What's the Difference?

Jonah or Jonas, 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 century BCE. Jonah is the central figure of the Book of Jonah, which details his reluctance in delivering God's judgement on the city of Nineveh, and then his subsequent, albeit begrudged, return to the divine mission after he is swallowed by a large sea creature. In Judaism, the story of Jonah represents the teaching of teshuva, which is the ability to repent and be forgiven by God.

A jinx (also jynx), in popular superstition and folklore, is a curse or the attribute of attracting bad or negative luck. The word "jynx" meaning the bird wryneck and sometimes a charm or spell has been in use in English since the seventeenth century.

See Table at Bible.

A person or thing that brings bad luck

One thought to bring bad luck.

Bring bad luck to; cast an evil spell on

The Hebrew prophet, who was cast overboard as one who endangered the ship; hence, any person whose presence is unpropitious.

A person or thing that is believed to bring bad luck.

(Old Testament) Jonah did not wish to become a prophet so God caused a great storm to throw him overboard from a ship; he was saved by being swallowed by a whale that vomited him out onto dry land

A condition or period of bad luck that appears to have been caused by a specific person or thing.

A person believed to bring bad luck to those around him

To bring bad luck to.

A book in the Old Testament that tells the story of Jonah and the whale

A hex; an evil spell.

A person or thing supposed to bring bad luck.

(transitive) To cast a spell on.

(transitive) To bring bad luck to.

(transitive) To cause something to happen by mentioning it, usually sarcastically.

A person, object, influence, or supernatural being which is supposed to bring bad luck or to cause things to go wrong.

To bring bad luck to; to cause to malfunction or go wrong; as, some superstitious people are reluctant to predict success for fear it will jinx them.

A person believed to bring bad luck to those around him

An evil spell;

Cast a spell over someone or something; put a hex on someone or something

Foredoom to failure;