Jonah 3:5
Verse
Context
Sermons
Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith
Charles E. Fuller
Alan Redpath
Welcome DetweilerWelcome Detweiler
John VissersSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
The people of Nineveh believed God - They had no doubt that the threatening would be fulfilled, unless their speedy conversion prevented it; but, though not expressed, they knew that the threatening was conditional. "The promises and threatenings of God, which are merely personal, either to any particular man or number of men, are always conditional, because the wisdom of God hath thought fit to make these depend on the behavior of men." - Dr. S. Clarke's Sermons, vol. i. Proclaimed a fast - And never was there one so general, so deep, and so effectual. Men and women, old and young, high and low, and even the cattle themselves, all kept such a fast as the total abstinence from food implies.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
The Ninevites believed in God, since they hearkened to the preaching of the prophet sent to them by God, and humbled themselves before God with repentance. They proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth (penitential garments: see at Joe 1:13-14; Kg1 21:27, etc.), "from their great one even to their small one," i.e., both old and young, all without exception. Even the king, when the matter (had-dâbhâr) came to his knowledge, i.e., when he was informed of Jonah's coming, and of his threatening prediction, descended from his throne, laid aside his royal robe ('addereth, see at Jos 7:21), wrapt himself in a sackcloth, and sat down in ashes, as a sign of the deepest mourning (compare Job 2:8), and by a royal edict appointed a general fast for man and beast. ויּזעק, he caused to be proclaimed. ויּאמר, and said, viz., through his heralds. מפּעם הם, ex decreto, by command of the king and his great men, i.e., his ministers (פעם = פעם, Dan 3:10, Dan 3:29, a technical term for the edicts of the Assyrian and Babylonian kings). "Man and beast (viz., oxen and sheep) are to taste nothing; they are not to pasture (the cattle are not to be driven to the pasture), and are to drink no water." אל, for which we should expect לא, may be explained from the fact that the command is communicated directly. Moreover, man and beast are to be covered with mourning clothes, and cry to God bechozqâh, i.e., strongly, mightily, and to turn every one from his evil ways: so "will God perhaps (מי יודע) turn and repent (yâshūbh venicham, as in Joe 2:14), and desist from the fierceness of His anger (cf. Exo 32:12), that we perish not." This verse (Jon 3:9) also belongs to the king's edict. The powerful impression made upon the Ninevites by Jonah's preaching, so that the whole city repented in sackcloth and ashes, is quite intelligible, if we simply bear in mind the great susceptibility of Oriental races to emotion, the awe of one Supreme Being which is peculiar to all the heathen religions of Asia, and the great esteem in which soothsaying and oracles were held in Assyria from the very earliest times (vid., Cicero, de divinat. i. 1); and if we also take into calculation the circumstance that the appearance of a foreigner, who, without any conceivable personal interest, and with the most fearless boldness, disclosed to the great royal city its godless ways, and announced its destruction within a very short period with the confidence so characteristic of the God-sent prophets, could not fail to make a powerful impression upon the minds of the people, which would be all the stronger if the report of the miraculous working of the prophets of Israel had penetrated to Nineveh. There is just as little to surprise us in the circumstance that the signs of mourning among the Ninevites resemble in most respects the forms of penitential mourning current among the Israelites, since these outward signs of mourning are for the most part the common human expressions of deep sorrow of heart, and are found in the same or similar forms among all the nations of antiquity (see the numerous proofs of this which are collected in Winer's Real-wrterbuch, art. Trauer; and in Herzog's Cyclopaedia). Ezekiel (Eze 26:16) depicts the mourning of the Tyrian princes over the ruin of their capital in just the same manner in which that of the king of Nineveh is described here in Jon 3:6, except that, instead of sackcloth, he mentions trembling as that with which they wrap themselves round. The garment of haircloth (saq) worn as mourning costume reaches as far back as the patriarchal age (cf. Gen 37:34; Job 16:15). Even the one feature which is peculiar to the mourning of Nineveh - namely, that the cattle also have to take part in the mourning - is attested by Herodotus (9:24) as an Asiatic custom. (Note: Herodotus relates that the Persians, when mourning for their general, Masistios, who had fallen in the battle at Platea, shaved off the hair from their horses, and adds, "Thus did the barbarians, in their way, mourn for the deceased Masistios." Plutarch relates the same thing (Aristid. 14 fin. Compare Brissonius, de regno Pers. princip. ii. p. 206; and Periz. ad Aeliani Var. hist. vii. 8). The objection made to this by Hitzig - namely, that the mourning of the cattle in our book is not analogous to the case recorded by Herodotus, because the former was an expression of repentance - has no force whatever, for the simple reason that in all nations the outward signs of penitential mourning are the same as those of mourning for the dead.) This custom originated in the idea that there is a biotic rapport between man and the larger domestic animals, such as oxen, sheep, and goats, which are his living property. It is only to these animals that there is any reference here, and not to "horses, asses, and camels, which were decorated at other times with costly coverings," as Marck, Rosenmller, and others erroneously assume. Moreover, this was not done "with the intention of impelling the men to shed hotter tears through the lowing and groaning of the cattle" (Theodoret); or "to set before them as in a mirror, through the sufferings of the innocent brutes, their own great guilt" (Chald.); but it was a manifestation of the thought, that just as the animals which live with man are drawn into fellowship with his sin, so their sufferings might also help to appease the wrath of God. And although this thought might not be free from superstition, there lay at the foundation of it this deep truth, that the irrational creature is made subject to vanity on account of man's sins, and sighs along with man for liberation from the bondage of corruption (Rom 8:19.). We cannot therefore take the words "cry mightily unto God" as referring only to the men, as many commentators have done, in opposition to the context; but must regard "man and beast" as the subject of this clause also, since the thought that even the beasts cry to or call upon God in distress has its scriptural warrant in Joe 1:20.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
believed God--gave credit to Jonah's message from God; thus recognizing Jehovah as the true God. fast . . . sackcloth--In the East outward actions are often used as symbolical expressions of inward feelings. So fasting and clothing in sackcloth were customary in humiliation. Compare in Ahab's case, parallel to that of Nineveh, both receiving a respite on penitence (; ; ). from the greatest . . . to the least--The penitence was not partial, but pervading all classes.
John Gill Bible Commentary
So the people of Nineveh believed God,.... Or "in God" (r): in the word of the Lord, as the Targum; they believed there was a God, and that he, in whose name Jonah came, was the true God; they believed the word the prophet spake was not the word of man, but, the word of God; faith came by hearing the word, which is the spring of true repentance, and the root of all good works. Kimchi and R. Jeshuah, in Aben Ezra, suppose that the men of the ship, in which Jonah had been, were at Nineveh; and these testified that they had cast him into the sea, and declared the whole affair concerning him; and this served greatly to engage their attention to him, and believe what he said: but this is not certain; and, besides, their faith was the effect of the divine power that went along with the preaching of Jonah, and not owing to the persuasion of men; and proclaimed a fast; not of themselves, but by the order of their king, as follows; though Kimchi thinks this was before that: and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them; both, with respect to rank and age, so universal were their fasting and mourning; in token of which they stripped themselves of their common and rich apparel, and clothed themselves with sackcloth; as was usual in extraordinary cases of mourning, not only with the Jews, but other nations. (Jonah would be a quite a sight to behold. The digestive juices of the fish would have turned his skin to a most unnatural colour and his hair was most like all gone. Indeed, anyone looking like that would attract your attention and give his message more credence, especially after he told you what had happened to him. A God who creates storms, prepares large fish to swallow a man and preserves him in the fish, would not likely have too much trouble destroying your city. Editor) (r) "in Deum", V. L.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
3:5-6 For the second time in this short book, pagans respond favorably to the Lord (cp. 1:16). • In ancient Israel, fasting would often accompany prayer and repentance in times of distress (see 2 Sam 1:12; Neh 1:4). Wearing burlap and sitting on a heap of ashes would often accompany mourning and sorrowful repentance (see Gen 37:34; Job 16:15; Lam 2:10). The Assyrians apparently had similar customs. These activities allowed the participants to express their grief in a tangible way for all, including God, to see. • The repentance of the Ninevites was an indictment against the hard-hearted in Jesus’ day (Matt 12:41).
Jonah 3:5
The Ninevites Repent
4On the first day of his journey, Jonah set out into the city and proclaimed, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!”5And the Ninevites believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least.
- Scripture
- Sermons
- Commentary
Sign of the Prophet Jonah
By Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith2.2K52:03JonahJON 1:1JON 2:6JON 2:10JON 3:5JON 4:1In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the story of Jonah from the Bible. Jonah was a Hebrew who feared the Lord and was called by God to go to the city of Nineveh and preach against its wickedness. However, Jonah chose to flee from God's presence and boarded a ship to Tarshish. As a result, a great storm arose, and the sailors cast lots to determine who was responsible for the calamity. The lot fell on Jonah, and he confessed to fleeing from God. Eventually, Jonah was thrown into the sea and swallowed by a great fish. After three days and nights, Jonah repented and prayed to God, and the fish vomited him onto dry land. The preacher emphasizes the importance of staying in the presence of God and not using diversions to avoid fulfilling God's calling.
The Exodus - From Egypt to Canaan - Sermon 4 of 5
By Roy Hession1.2K52:17ExodusEXO 34:6JOL 2:25JON 3:5MAT 6:33ROM 5:201JN 1:9In this sermon, the speaker discusses the story of the Israelites sending spies into the land that God had promised them. The majority of the spies saw themselves as grasshoppers compared to the giants they encountered, leading to a report of fear and unbelief. However, the minority report of two spies saw the giants as grasshoppers compared to God, demonstrating faith and trust in God's power. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not comparing ourselves to the challenges we face, but rather comparing them to the greatness of God.
Repent, Believe and the Gospel of God
By Charles E. Fuller1.2K51:22GospelJON 3:5MAT 6:33MRK 1:14LUK 5:32ACT 4:12ACT 17:30ROM 10:9In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the importance of repentance, belief in the gospel, and the imminent arrival of the kingdom of God. He emphasizes that these words are charged with eternal truths and carry a solemn warning. The preacher mentions the impact of the old-fashioned revival hour program, which is being spread by word of mouth and reaching listeners in Great Britain. He also highlights the message of John the Baptist, who preached repentance to prepare the way for the coming of the Son of God. The sermon concludes with a reminder that this world is not our home and that our treasures are laid up in heaven.
Jonah - the Training of a Disciple - Part 1
By Alan Redpath78147:03DiscipleshipJON 1:17JON 3:3JON 3:5JON 3:10JON 4:2MAT 6:33JHN 1:14In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the theme of grace and the story of Jonah from the Bible. He highlights the gracious nature of God, emphasizing that God is slow to anger, full of mercy, and quick to pardon. The preacher also points out the importance of having both grace and truth in preaching, as sometimes truth can be presented without grace. He then discusses the significance of God recommissioning Jonah after his failures and rebellion, highlighting the matchless grace of God. The sermon concludes by mentioning some key events in the book of Jonah, such as the disciples' rebellion, repentance, reward, reaction, resurrection, and the word of the Lord coming to Jonah the second time.
Sunday Night Meditations 45 Message and Song - 1950's
By Welcome Detweiler39925:11ISA 55:2ISA 55:6JON 3:1JON 3:5In this sermon, the preacher begins by emphasizing the importance of being worthy and finding a place in heaven through Jesus. The preacher then references Isaiah chapter 65, where God calls upon people to seek Him and turn away from wickedness. The lesson learned is that disobedience to God's commands can lead to unnecessary and dark chapters in our lives. The sermon concludes with a reminder of the joy and glory found in having a relationship with Jesus, who is described as the light and joy of the preacher's soul.
Ministry From Jonah 02
By Welcome Detweiler37310:09JON 1:1JON 2:10JON 3:5JON 3:10MAT 6:33ROM 10:9In this sermon, the preacher discusses the story of Jonah and the city of Nineveh. He emphasizes that despite the wickedness of Nineveh, God loved and cared for the sinners in that city. The preacher explains that Jonah initially disobeyed God's command to deliver a message of warning and forgiveness to Nineveh, but eventually became obedient. The sermon highlights the importance of heeding the gospel call and the consequences of disobedience, as well as the opportunity for sinners to repent and receive salvation.
(Jonah) a City on Fire
By John Vissers3538:21RevivalRepentanceJonahJON 3:5John Vissers preaches on Jonah 3, emphasizing the transformative power of faith and repentance as demonstrated by the people of Nineveh. He illustrates how the entire city, from the king to the commoners, responded to Jonah's message of impending judgment with genuine belief in God and a collective act of repentance. Vissers highlights that true revival is marked by a deep, communal change in the moral fabric of society, driven by the Holy Spirit's work in people's hearts. He calls for prayer and action to seek a similar revival in contemporary cities, particularly in Toronto, urging believers to trust in God's mercy and the potential for urban renewal through faith. The sermon concludes with a reminder of God's compassion and the importance of turning to Him for healing and transformation.
The Practice of Fasting
By Michael Durham02CH 20:2JON 3:5MAT 4:2MAT 6:17LUK 5:33ACT 13:2ACT 14:23HEB 11:6Michael Durham preaches on the significance of fasting as a spiritual discipline, emphasizing that fasting is a tool used by Jesus and His apostles to unplug from the world and connect with the power of God. He explains the wrong ideas about fasting, highlighting that fasting is not about legalism, manipulating God, or spiritual bribery, but rather about seeking God's pleasure above all else. Durham delves into the definition of fasting as the self-denial of routine pleasures to gain pleasure in God, emphasizing that fasting is a means to express hunger for God and humble the flesh. He explores different fasting methods, lengths, frequencies, and purposes, including seeking guidance, help in difficult times, and ministry endeavors like missions and evangelism, ultimately stressing that fasting is for God's sake and to create a hunger for Him.
Matthew 12:41
By Chuck Smith0God's LoveRepentanceJON 3:5MAT 9:36MAT 12:41MAT 14:14LUK 11:32JHN 3:16ROM 2:6Chuck Smith emphasizes that Jesus is greater than Jonah, highlighting the historical accuracy of biblical events such as Jonah's story and Christ's resurrection. He contrasts Jonah's singular, judgment-focused message with Jesus' compassionate ministry, which offers hope and forgiveness. Smith points out that the people of Nineveh repented at Jonah's warning, while this generation has the greater privilege of hearing the message of love from Jesus. He warns that the men of Nineveh will rise in judgment against those who reject this message of grace. Ultimately, the sermon calls for repentance and belief in the love of God.
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
- Tyndale
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
The people of Nineveh believed God - They had no doubt that the threatening would be fulfilled, unless their speedy conversion prevented it; but, though not expressed, they knew that the threatening was conditional. "The promises and threatenings of God, which are merely personal, either to any particular man or number of men, are always conditional, because the wisdom of God hath thought fit to make these depend on the behavior of men." - Dr. S. Clarke's Sermons, vol. i. Proclaimed a fast - And never was there one so general, so deep, and so effectual. Men and women, old and young, high and low, and even the cattle themselves, all kept such a fast as the total abstinence from food implies.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
The Ninevites believed in God, since they hearkened to the preaching of the prophet sent to them by God, and humbled themselves before God with repentance. They proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth (penitential garments: see at Joe 1:13-14; Kg1 21:27, etc.), "from their great one even to their small one," i.e., both old and young, all without exception. Even the king, when the matter (had-dâbhâr) came to his knowledge, i.e., when he was informed of Jonah's coming, and of his threatening prediction, descended from his throne, laid aside his royal robe ('addereth, see at Jos 7:21), wrapt himself in a sackcloth, and sat down in ashes, as a sign of the deepest mourning (compare Job 2:8), and by a royal edict appointed a general fast for man and beast. ויּזעק, he caused to be proclaimed. ויּאמר, and said, viz., through his heralds. מפּעם הם, ex decreto, by command of the king and his great men, i.e., his ministers (פעם = פעם, Dan 3:10, Dan 3:29, a technical term for the edicts of the Assyrian and Babylonian kings). "Man and beast (viz., oxen and sheep) are to taste nothing; they are not to pasture (the cattle are not to be driven to the pasture), and are to drink no water." אל, for which we should expect לא, may be explained from the fact that the command is communicated directly. Moreover, man and beast are to be covered with mourning clothes, and cry to God bechozqâh, i.e., strongly, mightily, and to turn every one from his evil ways: so "will God perhaps (מי יודע) turn and repent (yâshūbh venicham, as in Joe 2:14), and desist from the fierceness of His anger (cf. Exo 32:12), that we perish not." This verse (Jon 3:9) also belongs to the king's edict. The powerful impression made upon the Ninevites by Jonah's preaching, so that the whole city repented in sackcloth and ashes, is quite intelligible, if we simply bear in mind the great susceptibility of Oriental races to emotion, the awe of one Supreme Being which is peculiar to all the heathen religions of Asia, and the great esteem in which soothsaying and oracles were held in Assyria from the very earliest times (vid., Cicero, de divinat. i. 1); and if we also take into calculation the circumstance that the appearance of a foreigner, who, without any conceivable personal interest, and with the most fearless boldness, disclosed to the great royal city its godless ways, and announced its destruction within a very short period with the confidence so characteristic of the God-sent prophets, could not fail to make a powerful impression upon the minds of the people, which would be all the stronger if the report of the miraculous working of the prophets of Israel had penetrated to Nineveh. There is just as little to surprise us in the circumstance that the signs of mourning among the Ninevites resemble in most respects the forms of penitential mourning current among the Israelites, since these outward signs of mourning are for the most part the common human expressions of deep sorrow of heart, and are found in the same or similar forms among all the nations of antiquity (see the numerous proofs of this which are collected in Winer's Real-wrterbuch, art. Trauer; and in Herzog's Cyclopaedia). Ezekiel (Eze 26:16) depicts the mourning of the Tyrian princes over the ruin of their capital in just the same manner in which that of the king of Nineveh is described here in Jon 3:6, except that, instead of sackcloth, he mentions trembling as that with which they wrap themselves round. The garment of haircloth (saq) worn as mourning costume reaches as far back as the patriarchal age (cf. Gen 37:34; Job 16:15). Even the one feature which is peculiar to the mourning of Nineveh - namely, that the cattle also have to take part in the mourning - is attested by Herodotus (9:24) as an Asiatic custom. (Note: Herodotus relates that the Persians, when mourning for their general, Masistios, who had fallen in the battle at Platea, shaved off the hair from their horses, and adds, "Thus did the barbarians, in their way, mourn for the deceased Masistios." Plutarch relates the same thing (Aristid. 14 fin. Compare Brissonius, de regno Pers. princip. ii. p. 206; and Periz. ad Aeliani Var. hist. vii. 8). The objection made to this by Hitzig - namely, that the mourning of the cattle in our book is not analogous to the case recorded by Herodotus, because the former was an expression of repentance - has no force whatever, for the simple reason that in all nations the outward signs of penitential mourning are the same as those of mourning for the dead.) This custom originated in the idea that there is a biotic rapport between man and the larger domestic animals, such as oxen, sheep, and goats, which are his living property. It is only to these animals that there is any reference here, and not to "horses, asses, and camels, which were decorated at other times with costly coverings," as Marck, Rosenmller, and others erroneously assume. Moreover, this was not done "with the intention of impelling the men to shed hotter tears through the lowing and groaning of the cattle" (Theodoret); or "to set before them as in a mirror, through the sufferings of the innocent brutes, their own great guilt" (Chald.); but it was a manifestation of the thought, that just as the animals which live with man are drawn into fellowship with his sin, so their sufferings might also help to appease the wrath of God. And although this thought might not be free from superstition, there lay at the foundation of it this deep truth, that the irrational creature is made subject to vanity on account of man's sins, and sighs along with man for liberation from the bondage of corruption (Rom 8:19.). We cannot therefore take the words "cry mightily unto God" as referring only to the men, as many commentators have done, in opposition to the context; but must regard "man and beast" as the subject of this clause also, since the thought that even the beasts cry to or call upon God in distress has its scriptural warrant in Joe 1:20.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
believed God--gave credit to Jonah's message from God; thus recognizing Jehovah as the true God. fast . . . sackcloth--In the East outward actions are often used as symbolical expressions of inward feelings. So fasting and clothing in sackcloth were customary in humiliation. Compare in Ahab's case, parallel to that of Nineveh, both receiving a respite on penitence (; ; ). from the greatest . . . to the least--The penitence was not partial, but pervading all classes.
John Gill Bible Commentary
So the people of Nineveh believed God,.... Or "in God" (r): in the word of the Lord, as the Targum; they believed there was a God, and that he, in whose name Jonah came, was the true God; they believed the word the prophet spake was not the word of man, but, the word of God; faith came by hearing the word, which is the spring of true repentance, and the root of all good works. Kimchi and R. Jeshuah, in Aben Ezra, suppose that the men of the ship, in which Jonah had been, were at Nineveh; and these testified that they had cast him into the sea, and declared the whole affair concerning him; and this served greatly to engage their attention to him, and believe what he said: but this is not certain; and, besides, their faith was the effect of the divine power that went along with the preaching of Jonah, and not owing to the persuasion of men; and proclaimed a fast; not of themselves, but by the order of their king, as follows; though Kimchi thinks this was before that: and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them; both, with respect to rank and age, so universal were their fasting and mourning; in token of which they stripped themselves of their common and rich apparel, and clothed themselves with sackcloth; as was usual in extraordinary cases of mourning, not only with the Jews, but other nations. (Jonah would be a quite a sight to behold. The digestive juices of the fish would have turned his skin to a most unnatural colour and his hair was most like all gone. Indeed, anyone looking like that would attract your attention and give his message more credence, especially after he told you what had happened to him. A God who creates storms, prepares large fish to swallow a man and preserves him in the fish, would not likely have too much trouble destroying your city. Editor) (r) "in Deum", V. L.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
3:5-6 For the second time in this short book, pagans respond favorably to the Lord (cp. 1:16). • In ancient Israel, fasting would often accompany prayer and repentance in times of distress (see 2 Sam 1:12; Neh 1:4). Wearing burlap and sitting on a heap of ashes would often accompany mourning and sorrowful repentance (see Gen 37:34; Job 16:15; Lam 2:10). The Assyrians apparently had similar customs. These activities allowed the participants to express their grief in a tangible way for all, including God, to see. • The repentance of the Ninevites was an indictment against the hard-hearted in Jesus’ day (Matt 12:41).