Jonah3

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, commanding him to preach to Nineveh. Jonah obeyed, proclaiming that the city would be overthrown in forty days. The people of Nineveh, including the king, believed God, repented with fasting and sackcloth, and turned from their evil ways. Consequently, God saw their actions and relented from the judgment He had threatened.
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Jonah Obeys the Second Command

1
And the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the second time, saying, ​
2
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. ​
3
So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. ​
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And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. ​

Nineveh Responds to the Warning

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So the people of Nineveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them. ​
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For word came unto the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and he laid his robe from him, and covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ​
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And he caused it to be proclaimed and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water: ​
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But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands. ​
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Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger, that we perish not? ​

God Shows Compassion

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

Study Notes for Jonah 3

Verse 1

The phrase 'the second time' underscores God’s patience and persistence. Even after Jonah’s rebellion and detour (Ch. 1-2), God renews the original call, demonstrating that His mission of mercy remains unchanged.

Verse 2

God specifies that Jonah must preach the exact message ('the preaching that I bid thee'), preventing Jonah from softening or altering the severe warning Nineveh needed to hear.

Verse 3

Nineveh was the capital of the powerful Assyrian Empire. The description of it being 'three days' journey' refers to the vast size of the metropolitan area or the time needed to fully traverse and address its population.

Verse 4

Jonah’s message is exceptionally brief and lacks any explicit call to repentance; it is a declaration of impending judgment. The forty-day grace period offered a clear window for the Ninevites to respond.

Verse 5

The immediate and widespread faith of the Ninevites is remarkable, demonstrating the sovereign power of God’s word even when delivered by a reluctant prophet. Fasting and sackcloth were traditional signs of genuine communal mourning and penitence.

Verse 6

The king's participation legitimizes the city-wide repentance. His removal of royal robes and sitting in ashes symbolized deep personal humility and identification with his people’s desperate plight.

Verse 7

The decree includes even the animals, making the repentance total and symbolic. This extreme measure emphasizes the gravity of their situation and their desire for comprehensive cleansing before God.

Verse 8

The king identifies their primary sins as 'evil way' and 'violence' (*ḥāmās*), suggesting that the judgment was provoked by social injustice and oppression, which were common features of Assyrian power.

Verse 9

The phrase 'Who can tell' expresses hopeful uncertainty, recognizing that mercy is dependent entirely upon God’s sovereign choice and character, not earned by their actions alone.

Verse 10

God's decision to 'repent' (change course) demonstrates that divine judgment is often conditional upon human response. God responds to genuine repentance by withholding the threatened punishment, affirming His desire for mercy over destruction.

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