Jonah3
American Standard Version · Public Domain
1And the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the second time, saying,
2Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
3So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of Jehovah. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city, of three days’ journey.
4And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.
5And the people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.
6And the tidings reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
7And he made proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water;
8but let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in his hands.
9Who knoweth whether God will not turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?
10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil which he said he would do unto them; and he did it not.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Jonah 3.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Jonah sent again to Nineveh, preaches there. (1–4). Nineveh is spared upon the repentance of the inhabitants. (5–10).
vv1-4
God employs Jonah again in his service. His making use of us is an evidence of his being at peace with us. Jonah was not disobedient, as he had been. He neither endeavoured to avoid hearing the command, nor declined to obey it. See here the nature of repentance; it is the change of our mind and way, and a return to our work and duty. Also, the benefit of affliction; it brings those back to their place who had deserted it. See the power of Divine grace, for affliction of itself would rather drive men from God, than draw them to him. God's servants must go where he sends them, come when he calls them, and do what he bids them; we must do whatever the word of the Lord commands. Jonah faithfully and boldly delivered his errand. Whether Jonah said more, to show the anger of God against them, or whether he only repeated these words again and again, is not certain, but this was the purport of his message. Forty days is a long time for a righteous God to delay judgments, yet it is but a little time for an unrighteous people to repent and reform in. And should it not awaken us to get ready for death, to consider that we cannot be so sure that we shall live forty days, as Nineveh then was that it should stand forty days? We should be alarmed if we were sure not to live a month, yet we are careless though we are not sure to live a day.
vv5-10
There was a wonder of Divine grace in the repentance and reformation of Nineveh. It condemns the men of the gospel generation, Mt 12:41. A very small degree of light may convince men that humbling themselves before God, confessing their sins with prayer, and turning from sin, are means of escaping wrath and obtaining mercy. The people followed the example of the king. It became a national act, and it was necessary it should be so, when it was to prevent a national ruin. Let even the brute creatures' cries and moans for want of food remind their owners to cry to God. In prayer we must cry mightily, with fixedness of thought, firmness of faith, and devout affections. It concerns us in prayer to stir up all that is within us. It is not enough to fast for sin, but we must fast from sin; and, in order to the success of our prayers, we must no more regard iniquity in our hearts, Ps 66:18. The work of a fast-day is not done with the day. The Ninevites hoped that God would turn from his fierce anger; and that thus their ruin would be prevented. They could not be so confident of finding mercy upon their repentance, as we may be, who have the death and merits of Christ, to which we may trust for pardon upon repentance. They dared not presume, but they did not despair. Hope of mercy is the great encouragement to repentance and reformation. Let us boldly cast ourselves down at the footstool of free grace, and God will look upon us with compassion. God sees who turn from their evil ways, and who do not. Thus he spared Nineveh. We read of no sacrifices offered to God to make atonement for sin; but a broken and a contrite heart, such as the Ninevites then had, he will not despise.
Key Words
דָּבָר: a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
יוֹנָה: Jonah, an Israelite
שֵׁנִי: properly, double, i.e. second; also adverbially, again
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
קוּם: to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)
יָלַךְ: to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)
נִינְוֵה: Nineveh, the capital of Assyria
גָּדוֹל: great (in any sense); hence, older; also insolent
עִיר: a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)
קָרָא: to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications)
Cross References
Jonah 3Jesus directly cites the repentance of the Ninevites to condemn His generation's unbelief.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Parallel Gospel account where Christ testifies that Nineveh repented at Jonah's preaching.
Supported by JFB
Jonah is declared a sign to the Ninevites, symbolizing the Son of Man's sign.
Supported by JFB
Parable of the son who first refused but later repented and went, reflecting Jonah.
Supported by JFB
The foundational covenant principle of conditional prophecy regarding a nation's repentance or doom.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Illustrates the Hebrew idiom connecting God with immense size, i.e., 'great mountains of God'.
Supported by JFB
Another example of the Hebrew linguistic idiom associating massive scale with God's name.
Supported by JFB
Identical hopeful plea: 'Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing?'
Jesus references sackcloth and ashes as classic, ancient expressions of deep national repentance.
Exhorts Israel to amend their ways so God will repent of the pronounced evil.
Jonah's own explanation of his flight, knowing God is merciful and repents of evil.
The original command given to Jonah, highlighting his restoration to office.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels the act of sitting down in ashes as a symbol of extreme mourning and humility.
Ahab's fast, sackcloth, and humbling, which similarly prompted God to delay judgment.