Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jonah 3:2
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
2. that great city ] Calvin explains this repeated mention of the greatness of Nineveh (comp. Jon 1:2), as intended to prepare Jonah for the magnitude of the task before him, lest when he came face to face with it he should be appalled and draw back. But perhaps the true key is to be found in Jon 4:11, where the same expression “the great city” occurs as an argument for God’s compassion. It is on no mean errand of mercy, not to save a few only from destruction, that I bid you go.
preach unto it the preaching ] Lit., cry to it the crying. The word is rendered cry, Jon 1:2.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Arise, go to Nineveh that great city, and preach (or cry) unto it – God says to Jonah the self-same words which He had said before; only perhaps He gives him an intimation of His purpose of mercy, in that he says no more, cry against her, but cry unto her. He might cry against one doomed to destruction; to cry unto her, seems to imply that she had some interest in, and so some hope from, this cry. The preaching that I bid thee. This is the only notice which Jonah relates that God took of his disobedience, in that He charged him to obey exactly what He commanded . He does not say to him, why didst thou not what I commanded? He had rebuked him in deed; He amended him and upbraided him not . The rebuke of that shipwreck and the swallowing by the fish sufficed, so that he who had not felt the Lord commanding, might understand Him, delivering.
Jonah might have seemed unworthy to be again inspired by God. But whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth; whom He chasteneth, He loveth . The hard discipline, the severity and length of the scourge, were the earnests of a great trust and a high destination. He knew him to be changed into another man, and, by one of His most special favors, gives him that same trust which he had before deserted . As Christ, when risen, commended His sheep to Peter, wiser now and more fervent, so to Jonah risen He commends the conversion of Nineveh. For so did Christ risen bring about the conversion of the pagan, by sending His Apostles, each into large provinces, as Jonah was sent alone to a large city . He bids him declare not only the sentence of God, but in the same words; not to consider his own estimation or the ears of his hearers, nor to mingle soothing with severe words, and convey the message ingeniously, but with all freedom and severity to declare openly what was commanded him. This plainness, though, may be less acceptable to people or princes, is ofttimes more useful, always more approved by God. Nothing should be more sacred to the preacher of Gods word, than truth and simplicity and inviolable sanctity in delivering it. Now alas, all this is changed into vain show at the will of the multitude and the breath of popular favor.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 2. And preach unto it the preaching] vekera eth hakkeriah, “And cry the cry that I bid thee.” Be my herald, and faithfully deliver my message. The word in Greek answers to the Hebrew kore: both signifying a crier, a herald, a preacher; one that makes proclamation with a loud and earnest cry. Such was John Baptist, Isa 40:3; such was Jesus Christ, Joh 7:18-37; and such were all his apostles. And such earnestness becomes a ministry that has to do with immortal souls, asleep and dead in sin, hanging on the brink of perdition, and insensible of their state. The soft-speaking, gentle-toned, unmoved preacher, is never likely to awaken souls. As we preach, so the people hear; scarcely receiving any counsels that appear to have no importance by the manner in which they are delivered. But this earnestness is widely different from that noisy, blustering, screaming rant, that manifests more of the turbulence of disorderly passions, than of the real inspired influence of the Spirit of God.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city; see Amo 1:2; great in extent of ground, in strength of its fortifications, height and breadth of its walls, and multitude of its towers; great in the multitude of its numbers, and riches of its citizens, and every whit as great in the multitude of its sins: but let nothing retard or discourage thee, arise and go.
Preach, publicly, plainly, boldly; cry, Amo 1:2.
Unto it, i.e. against it, publish the near approaching ruin of it, preach to them the necessity of their repentance, and awaken them to it by the terrors of the Lord.
The preaching that I bid thee; either which I did bid thee at first, as Amo 1:2, or what I shall suggest and communicate to thee when thou art come thither.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. preach . . . thepreachingliterally, “proclaim the proclamation.” Onthe former occasion the specific object of his commission to Ninevehwas declared; here it is indeterminate. This is to show how freely heyields himself, in the spirit of unconditional obedience, to speakwhatever God may please.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city,…. So it is called;
[See comments on Jon 1:2]. The order runs in the same words as before; and the same discouragements are presented to Jonah, taken from the greatness of the city, the number of its inhabitants, its being the metropolis of the Assyrian empire, and the seat of the greatest monarch on earth, to try his faith; but these had not the like effect as before; for he had now another spirit given him, not of fear, but of a sound mind; he considered he was sent by a greater King, and that more were they that were on his side than the inhabitants of this place, who might possibly be against him:
and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee; that he had bid him before, declaring and exposing their wickedness, and telling them that in a short time their city would be destroyed. Jonah must not be gratified with any alteration in the message; but he must go with it as it had before been given, or what he now bid, or should bid him; the word of the Lord must be spoken just as it is delivered; nothing must be added to it, or taken from it; the whole counsel of God must be declared; prophets and ministers must preach, not as men bid them, but as God bids them. The Targum is,
“prophesy against it the prophecy which I speak with thee.”
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The command now follows, Arise, go to Nineveh, to that great city, and preach there the preaching which I command thee. (42) God again repeats what we have observed at the be ginning, — that Nineveh was a great city, that Jonah might provide himself with an invincible courage of mind, and come there well prepared: for it often happens, that many boldly undertake an office, but soon fail, because difficulties had not been sufficiently foreseen by them. Hence, when men find more hardships than they thought of at the beginning, they nearly faint, at least they despond. The Lord, therefore, expressly foretold Jonah how difficult would be his employment; as though he said, “I send thee, a man unknown, and of no rank, and a stranger, to denounce ruin on men, not a few in number, but on a vast multitude, and to carry on a contest with the noblest city, and so populous, that it may seem to be a region of itself.”
We now then understand why this character of the city was added; it was, that Jonah might gird up himself for the contest, that he might not afterwards fail in the middle of his course. This fear indeed frightened him at the beginning, so that he shunned the call of God; but he is not now moved in any degree by the greatness of the city, but resolutely follows where the Lord leads. We hence see, that faith, when once it gains the ascendancy in our hearts, surmounts all obstacles and despises all the greatness of the world; for it is immediately added —
(42) Literally, “And proclaim to or against her the proclamation which I declare to thee.” The Septuagint is, “ Και κηρυξον εν αυτη κατα το κηρυγμα το εμπροσθεν ο ̀̔ εγ ω ελαλησα προς σε — And preach in it the former preaching which I have spoken to thee.” עליה in five MSS., as in chapter 1:2, “against her,” and not אליה, “to her.” אשר אנכי דבר אליד, “which I am speaking or declaring to thee.” דבר is a participle; being preceded by a nominative, it will admit of an auxiliary verb either in the past, present or future tense, according to the context; though it is often used to express the present time.
Newcome renders the sentence thus — “And cry unto her in the words which I shall speak unto thee;” Henderson more paraphrastically thus — “And make the proclamation to it which I order thee;” and adds the following remarks, — “Be my herald, and faithfully deliver my message. The word κηρυξ in Greek answers to the Hebrew קורא, kore, both signifying a crier, a herald, a preacher; one that makes proclamation with a loud and earnest cry. Such was John Baptist, Isa 40:3; such was Jesus Christ, Joh 7:18; and such were all his apostles. And such earnestness becomes a ministry that has to do with immortal souls, asleep and dead in sin, hanging on the brink of perdition, and insensible of their state. The soft speaking, gentle toned, unmoved preacher, is never likely to awaken souls.”
Henry considers that the commission was not specifically explained to him then. “Jonah must go,” he says, “with implicit faith: he shall not know till he comes thither what message he must deliver.” — Ed.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
III.
THE PROPHET FULFILS HIS COMMISSION.
ITS RESULT.
(2) Preach.In Jon. 1:2 the word is rendered cry.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the preaching that I bid you,”
It was the same word as before, that he should go to Nineveh and proclaim to it the words that YHWH gave to him. As we have seen earlier (Jon 1:2) ‘the great city’ was a conurbation made up of four sister-cities in Assyria.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jon 3:2 Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee.
Ver. 2. Arise, go unto Nineveh ] Begin again, and take better heed; as that Nazarite was to do that had defiled the head of his consecration, Num 6:9 ; Num 6:12 .
Unto Nineveh, that great city
And preach unto it the preaching
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the great city. Compare Jon 1:1, Jon 1:2; Jon 4:11. Diodorus Siculus (cent. 1 B.C.), and Herodotus (cent. 4 B.C.), Jon 3:58, both say it was about sixty miles in circuit and about twenty miles across. We must remember that such cities included large areas for cultivation and pasturage. Compare “much cattle”, Jon 4:11.
preach = proclaim. Hebrew. kara = to cry aloud: as in verses: Jon 3:4, Jon 3:5, Jon 3:8; Jon 1:2, Jon 1:6, Jon 1:14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Nineveh
(See Scofield “Nah 1:1”)
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Nineveh: Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, was situated on the eastern bank of the river Tigris, opposite the present Mosul, about 280 miles north of Babylon, 400 ne of Damascus, in latitude 36 degrees 20 minutes n longitude 73 degrees 10 minutes e. It was not only a very ancient – Gen 10:11, but also a very great city. Strabo says that it was much larger than Babylon, the circuit of which he estimates at 385 furlongs; and, according to Diodorus Siculus, it was an oblong parallelogram, extending 150 furlongs in length, 90 in breadth, and 480 in circumference, i.e., about 20 miles long, 12 broad, and 60 in compass. This agrees with the account given here of its being “an exceeding great city of three days’ journey,” i.e., in circuit; for 20 miles a day was the common computation for a pedestrian. It was surrounded by large walls 100 feet high, so broad that three chariots could drive abreast on them, and defended by 1,500 towers 200 feet in height. See notes on Nahum. Jon 3:3, Jon 1:2, Zep 2:13-15
preach: Jer 1:17, Jer 15:19-21, Eze 2:7, Eze 3:17, Mat 3:8, Joh 5:14
Reciprocal: Exo 4:28 – told Aaron 2Ki 19:36 – Nineveh Est 9:31 – the fastings Ecc 1:1 – the Preacher Jer 19:2 – and proclaim Eze 3:5 – thou Jon 4:11 – Nineveh Hag 1:8 – and build Mat 21:29 – he repented Luk 11:30 – General Act 9:15 – Go Act 18:9 – Be 2Ti 4:2 – Preach
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jon 3:2. We are given the added detail that Jonah was to say whatever was stated to him when he arrived in the city of Nineveh. The report does not show any objections to his preaching hence we must conclude that the declaration Jonah made was what the Lord had bidden him to deliver.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Another evidence of God’s sovereignty is the Lord’s instruction to proclaim the message that He would give Jonah. Those who speak forth a message from God (i.e., prophets) must communicate the Lord’s words, not their own ideas.
"The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God can’t keep you and the power of God can’t use you." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 383.]
Nineveh was a "great" (Heb. gadol) city in several respects. It was a leading city of one of the most powerful nations in the world then. It was also a large city (cf. Jon 3:3; Jon 4:11).
"The point is that Nineveh was a city God was concerned for, one that was by no means insignificant to him." [Note: Stuart, p. 487.]