JONAH

Jonah 3

1Jonah, being sent again, preacheth the overthrow of Nineveh. 5Upon their repentance 10God repenteth him of the evil.


1AND the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the 1second time, saying,

1 Without this renewed charge, Jonah, having made himself unworthy of this high calling by his flight and disobedience, would not have been permitted to undertake it.

2Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I 2bid thee.

2 That is, previously commanded, and now charged again by renewal.

3So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, 3according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great 4city 5of three days' journey.

3 Being obedient now, which before he was not, and therefore so grievously chastised.

4 Or, city of God, that is, an extraordinary great city. See similar use of the word LORD or God added to another word in the Hebrew tongue, implying the rare and extraordinary condition of a thing, Gen. 13 on verse 10. Some do compare herewith the phrase in Isa. 22:5; Acts 7:20; 2 Cor. 10:4. This was proof, that God does not ask for any greatness or gloriousness (which He Himself gives to men) if people are ungodly. Several heathen authors also make mention of the extraordinary greatness of this city.

5 Hebr. a journey of three days.

4And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, 6Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be 7overthrown.

6 That is, after this time, as it shall have elapsed, God shall eradicate and waste this city, with the provision in God’s decree the condition of repentance, as the outcome has taught, and this preaching of Jonah, together with the delay of the preordained time covertly gave to understand, and the Word of God testifies everywhere. This may be taken as a summary or a compendium of the preaching of Jonah.

7 That is, to be eradicated, ruined. This manner of speech is commonly used in the Holy Scriptures, especially of Sodom and Gomorrah, etc.

58So the peoplea of Nineveh 9believed God, and proclaimed a 10fast, and put on 11sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

8 Faith and repentance of the Ninevites are described in the five following verses. See thereof the words of the Lord Christ in Mat. 12:41; Luke 11:32.

a Mat. 12:41; Luke 11:32.

9 Compare Exod. 14:31; 2 Chron. 20:20, with the annotations.

10 See Joel 1:14, with the annotation.

11 See Gen. 37 on verse 34; Joel 1:8, 13, etc.

6For 12word 13came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his 14robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat 15in ashes.

12 Or, this matter, namely the preaching of Jonah.

13 That is, passed through, or came before the king.

14 Or, robe, vest, royal habit or upper coat. The same Hebrew word is used for the cloak of Elijah, 2 Kings 2:8, and of the Babylonian mantle which Achan had stolen, Joshua 7:21. Otherwise it signifies glory. See Ezek. 17:8; Zech. 11:3, and compare Gen. 25 on verse 25; Psalm 8 on verse 1; Micah 2:8.

15 Or, upon. See Job 2 on verse 8.

7And he 16caused it to be 17proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the 18decree of the king and his 19nobles, saying, Let neither man nor 20beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water:

16 Other, he called the people together.

17 Hebr. he said, that is, command, charge was given, as elsewhere. See Neh. 13:9, 19, and compare Jonah 2 on verse 10. Or, he (the king) said, that is, caused to be said, by the command of the king, that is, his command and his great ones, as follows.

18 Hebr. properly, taste, that is, judgment, approval and consequently command. See of the Hebrew word Job 12 on verse 20. This word is also frequently used in Ezra and in Daniel.

19 Counsellers, princes, foremost men in the state. See 2 Kings 10:6; 25:9; Jer. 5:5, with the annotations.

20 Not as if the beasts had a rational soul and understanding of repentance, but because they were variously abused by men, and are subject to a great deal of suffering by the sins of men. It was held expedient by this sad spectacle of the poor creatures, to excite the inhabitants to more tenderness and compassion towards them for the future. Compare the annotation on Joel 2:16.

8But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and 21cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil 22way, and from the violence that is in their 23hands.

21 This praying and turning to God must be understood of men. Though the beasts, after their manner, are sometimes said in Holy Scripture to cry unto God. See Job 38:41; Psalm 147:9; Joel 1:20, with the annotations.

22 That is, conduct in life. See Gen. 6 on verse 12; Prov. 2 on verse 12.

23 That is, which they have wrought and practiced, and whereof they have made themselves guilty. Hebr. palms, see Psalm 7:3.

924Whob can tell if God will turn and 25repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not?

24 Compare Joel 2:14, with the annotation.

b Joel 2:14.

25 See Gen. 6:6; Joel 2:13, with the annotations.

10¶And God saw their 26works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented 27of the evil, that he had 28said that he would do unto them; and he did it 29not.

26 With which they testified their faith and repentance.

27 Of punishment.

28 That is, threatened by Jonah, as such was noted on verse 4.

29 Spared them for that time; but afterwards, when they relapsed into the same wickedness again (especially those against the people of God), this royal city and the Assyrian monarchy were quite destroyed. See Ezekiel 31; Nahum 1:1, etc.; Zeph. 2:13, etc.