Jonah Preaches in Nineveh; The City Repents
Jonah 3:1-10
Jon.3.1 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויהי: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- יונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שנית: ADV
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
Parallels
- Jonah 1:1 (verbal): Identical opening prophetic formula—'And the word of the LORD came to Jonah'—this verse is the first call, parallel to the 'second' appearance in 3:1.
- Jeremiah 1:4 (structural): Uses the same call formula ('the word of the LORD came to me'), introducing a prophetic commission; parallels Jonah's reception of divine instruction.
- 1 Kings 19:15 (thematic): After Elijah's crisis God issues renewed commands ('Go, return on thy way...'), a pattern similar to Jonah receiving a second, corrective commission.
- Isaiah 6:8 (thematic): Isaiah's commissioning and sending ('Whom shall I send?... Here am I') echoes the sending/commission motif at the heart of Jonah 3:1–2.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying,
- And the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying,
Jon.3.2 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- קום: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- נינוה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- העיר: NOUN,f,sg,def
- הגדולה: ADJ,f,sg,def
- וקרא: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- הקריאה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אליך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Jonah 1:2 (verbal): The same divine commission—'Arise, go to Nineveh...'—appears earlier; Jonah is told to go and proclaim to Nineveh but initially disobeys.
- Matthew 12:41 (allusion): Jesus cites the repentance of the men of Nineveh in response to Jonah's preaching, linking Jonah's mission to later proclamation and judgment/repentance themes.
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (thematic): God commissions Isaiah to 'Go, and tell this people...'—a prophetic sending to proclaim God’s word to a people, with emphasis on message and the people's response.
- Ezekiel 3:4-7 (structural): God commands Ezekiel to go and speak to the house of Israel and warns about their reception—parallels the structural pattern of divine commission to proclaim to a city or nation.
- Amos 7:15 (thematic): The call of Amos—'Go, prophesy to my people'—echoes the motif of God sending a prophet from unexpected background to deliver judgment or call to repentance.
Alternative generated candidates
- Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and proclaim to it the proclamation that I tell you.
- Arise, go to Nineveh the great city, and cry against it the cry that I have spoken to you.
Jon.3.3 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- יונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- נינוה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ונינוה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- היתה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- עיר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גדולה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- לאלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מהלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שלשת: NUM,m,pl,abs
- ימים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Jonah 3:2 (verbal): The divine command to go to Nineveh appears immediately before v.3 and uses very similar wording—direct verbal parallel informing Jonah's mission.
- Jonah 1:2-3 (structural): Earlier recounting of the same commission and Jonah's initial flight provides a structural contrast with Jonah's subsequent obedience in 3:3.
- Nahum 3:7 (thematic): Describes Nineveh's size, prominence, and impending judgment—thematically linked to Jonah's mission to the great city and its fate.
- Isaiah 6:8 (thematic): Prophetic call-and-mission motif ("Whom shall I send? … Here am I; send me") parallels Jonah's commission and his eventual response in 3:3.
- Matthew 12:41 (allusion): Jesus alludes to Jonah and the repentance of the Ninevites when warning his generation—directly connects Jonah's mission to Nineveh with later New Testament interpretation.
Alternative generated candidates
- So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city to the LORD—three days' journey in extent.
- And Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, a three days' journey in extent.
Jon.3.4 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויחל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יונה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לבוא: VERB,qal,inf
- בעיר: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מהלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- ויקרא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- עוד: ADV
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונינוה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נהפכת: VERB,niphal,perf,2,f,sg
Parallels
- Jonah 3:10 (structural): Immediate outcome to Jonah's forty‑day warning—Nineveh's unexpected repentance and God relenting, showing the prophetic proclamation's effect.
- Matthew 12:41 (allusion): Jesus cites Jonah's mission and Nineveh's repentance as a precedent and rebuke to Jesus' generation, alluding to Jonah's warning and Nineveh's response.
- Luke 11:32 (allusion): Parallel to Matthew 12:41: Jesus again points to the repentance of the Ninevites in response to Jonah's message as a model for hearing and repenting.
- Nahum 1:1 (thematic): Later prophetic oracle announcing the fall of Nineveh—connects to Jonah's warning about the city's impending overthrow and different prophetic perspectives on Nineveh's fate.
- Mark 1:15 (thematic): Jesus' proclamation that 'the time is fulfilled...repent' echoes Jonah's announcement of an imminent deadline and call to repentance before judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- Jonah began to go into the city, a day's walk; and he cried out, and said, "Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"
- And Jonah began to enter the city a day's journey, and he cried and said, 'Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown.'
Jon.3.5 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויאמינו: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,pl
- אנשי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- נינוה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- באלהים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויקראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- צום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וילבשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- שקים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מגדולם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs,3,m,pl
- ועד: CONJ+PREP
- קטנם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jonah 3:8 (structural): Direct internal parallel: the king’s proclamation in v.8 orders a fast and that everyone put on sackcloth—an expansion of the communal repentance described in v.5.
- Jonah 3:10 (structural): Closely connected outcome: God’s relenting in v.10 is presented as the direct result of the Ninevites’ fasting, sackcloth, and repentance described in v.5.
- Joel 2:12-13 (verbal): Very similar language and theme—calling for return to the LORD with fasting, weeping, and mourning and emphasizing inner contrition (rend your heart), paralleling Nineveh’s communal penitence and sackcloth.
- Nehemiah 9:1-3 (thematic): Communal confession and repentance: the people gather 'with fasting, in sackcloth, and with dust on their heads,' separating themselves to confess—paralleling Nineveh’s corporate fast and sackcloth.
- Daniel 9:3-4 (verbal): Daniel seeks the LORD with prayer, supplication, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes and offers national confession—verbal and ritual elements echo the Ninevites’ penitential practice in Jonah 3:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.
- And the men of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and everyone put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least.
Jon.3.6 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויגע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- הדבר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אל: NEG
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- נינוה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- מכסאו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויעבר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אדרתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- מעליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויכס: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- האפר: NOUN,m,sg,def
Parallels
- Job 2:8 (verbal): Job is described as sitting among the ashes — the same vivid image of sitting in ashes as an external sign of grief/affliction.
- Daniel 9:3 (verbal): Daniel seeks the LORD with prayer, fasting, sackcloth and ashes — language and penitential motifs (sackcloth and ashes) parallel Nineveh’s royal act of mourning and repentance.
- Joel 2:12-13 (thematic): A prophetic summons to return to God with fasting, weeping, mourning and sackcloth and ashes — frames sackcloth/ashes as the proper response to crisis and a call to repentance.
- Esther 4:1-3 (verbal): Mordecai and the Jews put on sackcloth and ashes and mourn publicly — a comparable communal/leadership gesture of mourning expressed by clothing and ashes.
- 1 Kings 21:27-29 (thematic): After Elijah’s pronouncement, King Ahab tears his clothes, puts on sackcloth and fasts — a royal response to prophetic warning that parallels the king of Nineveh’s humiliation and penitential attire.
Alternative generated candidates
- When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
- And the matter reached the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth and sat in ashes.
Jon.3.7 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויזעק: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בנינוה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מטעם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,const
- המלך: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וגדליו: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והבהמה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- הבקר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והצאן: NOUN,m,pl,def
- אל: NEG
- יטעמו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מאומה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- ירעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ומים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אל: NEG
- ישתו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Jonah 3:8 (verbal): Immediate continuation/parallel in the same episode: the royal proclamation extends to cover both 'man and beast' with sackcloth and forbids eating and drinking (same language and action as v.7).
- Joel 2:12-13 (thematic): A prophetic call to national repentance with fasting and return to God—Joel's summons to 'return with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning' parallels Nineveh's collective penitential response.
- 2 Chronicles 20:3-4 (thematic): King Jehoshaphat proclaims a fast for all Judah in response to crisis; like the Ninivites, the king/leadership calls the whole community to a corporate fast and seeking of God.
- Esther 4:16 (structural): Esther's call for a three‑day fast for all Jews is a leader‑initiated, communal abstention from food and drink for deliverance—parallel in form to the royal decree in Nineveh.
- 1 Samuel 7:6 (thematic): Samuel's assembly at Mizpah: the people fast, put on sackcloth and confess their sins—an example of communal fasting and sackcloth as signs of national repentance similar to Nineveh's actions.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he issued a proclamation and it was declared in Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles: "Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, and let them not drink water.
- And he issued a decree and said in Nineveh by the proclamation of the king and his nobles, 'Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not eat nor drink water.'
Jon.3.8 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- ויתכסו: VERB,hitp,impf,3,m,pl
- שקים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- האדם: NOUN,m,sg,def
- והבהמה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,def
- ויקראו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- אל: NEG
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בחזקה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מדרכו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ומן: CONJ+PREP
- החמס: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- בכפיהם: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+3mp
Parallels
- Jonah 3:5 (verbal): Immediate parallel in the same chapter: the Ninevites 'believed God,' proclaimed a fast, and 'put on sackcloth'—setting the scene for v.8's cry to God and turning from evil.
- 2 Chronicles 7:14 (thematic): God's promise that if His people 'humble themselves, and pray... and turn from their wicked ways' He will hear—parallels the communal repentance and turning of Jonah 3:8.
- Isaiah 55:7 (verbal): Call to the wicked to 'forsake his way' and the unrighteous to 'return' to the Lord—language closely echoing Jonah's 'turn from his evil way.'
- Joel 2:12-13 (thematic): A summons to return to the LORD with fasting, mourning and repentance; themes of communal repentance and inner conversion resonate with Nineveh's response in Jonah 3:8.
- Nehemiah 9:1-3 (structural): A corporate act of confession and repentance—people fasting, wearing sackcloth, standing to confess sins—mirrors the communal, ritualized repentance described in Jonah 3.
Alternative generated candidates
- Let them be covered with sackcloth, both man and beast, and let them call mightily to God; let each turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands."
- And they covered themselves with sackcloth, both man and beast; and they cried to God with might, and everyone turned from his evil way and from the violence that was in their hands.
Jon.3.9 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- יודע: VERB,qal,ptc,ms,sg
- ישוב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ונחם: CONJ+VERB,qal,impr,3,m,sg
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ושב: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- מחרון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אפו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff3ms
- ולא: CONJ
- נאבד: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,_,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 32:14 (verbal): God 'repented' (נחם) in response to intercession—same verb and concept of God turning from wrath to avert destruction.
- Jonah 4:2 (thematic): Jonah himself later affirms God's character as gracious, merciful, slow to anger and relenting—explains why Nineveh might be spared.
- Numbers 14:17-20 (thematic): Moses' intercession asks God to relent from promised punishment; God accepts the plea and 'pardons,' paralleling the hope that God will turn and not destroy.
- Jeremiah 18:7-10 (structural): A prophetic principle: if a nation repents, the judgment planned against it will be turned away—formalizes the cause-effect structure behind Jonah's question.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who knows? God may repent and relent, and turn from his burning anger, so that we will not perish.
- Who knows—God may turn and relent, and turn back from his burning anger, so that we perish not.
Jon.3.10 - Details
Translation
Original Text
Morphology
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- את: PRT,acc
- מעשיהם: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,pl
- כי: CONJ
- שבו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- מדרכם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,3,pl
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- וינחם: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- על: PREP
- הרעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- אשר: PRON,rel
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- להם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 32:14 (verbal): Uses the same idea/verb of God 'relenting' (repenting) of declared punishment after intercession—God 'repented' and did not bring the evil He had planned.
- Jeremiah 18:7-10 (structural): Sets out the conditional pattern: if a nation turns from evil God will relent; mirrors Jonah's pattern (Nineveh's repentance → God relents).
- Ezekiel 18:21-23 (thematic): Emphasizes that when the wicked turn from their sin they shall live and that God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked—parallel theme of repentance prompting divine mercy.
- Joel 2:12-14 (thematic): A public call to return to the LORD with fasting and prayer because God may 'return' (relent) from his anger—language and theological move closely parallel to Jonah's account.
- Jonah 4:2 (allusion): Jonah's own description of God as gracious, merciful and slow to anger explains why God withheld the calamity after Nineveh repented—directly reflects the outcome of 3:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God saw their deeds—that they turned from their evil way—and God relented concerning the calamity which he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not bring it.
- And God saw their deeds—that they had turned from their evil way; and God relented concerning the evil which he had said he would do to them, and he did it not.
And the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time, saying:
Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and cry against it the cry that I tell you. And Jonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD. Now Nineveh was a great city to God—a three days' journey.
Jonah began to enter the city, a day's walk; and he cried, and said, "Forty more days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!" And the people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least. And the report reached the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne, laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he made proclamation and said, "By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not eat, and let them not drink water."
Let both man and beast be clothed with sackcloth, and let them call mightily to God; let each turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands.
Who can tell? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not. And God saw their deeds—that they turned from their evil way—and God relented concerning the calamity which he had declared he would bring upon them; and he did not bring it.